Overview of the NixOS Linux distribution
NixOS is a Linux distribution based on the Nix package manager: all components of the distribution - including the kernel, system packages and configuration files - are built by Nix using a build file written in the purely functional Nix Expression Language. It supports reproducible and declarative configuration management as well as atomic upgrades and rollbacks. Stable NixOS releases are delivered biannually, with the latest stable version being 17.03. NixOS provides a convenient compromise between source-based and binary approaches, allowing the use of a binary cache for standard components and custom
NixOS was created by Eelco Dolstra and Armijn Hemel, and initially released in 2003. It is community developed and maintained under the stewardship of the NixOS Foundation.