Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GNU Guix VS DPKG (Debian Package Manager)

Compare GNU Guix VS DPKG (Debian Package Manager) and see what are their differences

GNU Guix logo GNU Guix

Like Nix but GNU.

DPKG (Debian Package Manager) logo DPKG (Debian Package Manager)

dpkg is the core of package management in Debian-based Linux distributions. it has multiple front ends like apt or aptitude that extend dpkgs usability and features
  • GNU Guix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-26
  • DPKG (Debian Package Manager) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-25

GNU Guix features and specs

  • Reproducibility
    GNU Guix emphasizes reproducible builds, ensuring that the same package can be built in the same way across different environments, enhancing reliability and consistency.
  • Declarative System Configuration
    Guix allows users to describe their entire system configuration in a declarative manner, making it easier to reproduce and share system environments.
  • Rollback Capabilities
    Guix supports rollbacks, allowing users to revert their system to previous states easily, which is useful for undoing updates or changes that cause issues.
  • Functional Package Management
    Guix uses a functional approach to package management, meaning packages do not interfere with each other and dependencies are handled more cleanly.
  • Free Software Focus
    Being a GNU project, Guix only includes free software, aligning with the principles of the Free Software Foundation and offering a system free from proprietary software.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Guix

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its unique approach and advanced features, GNU Guix has a steeper learning curve compared to more traditional package managers and might be challenging for beginners.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    The ecosystem and community around Guix are relatively smaller compared to more established systems, which can mean fewer available packages and community resources.
  • Installation Complexity
    Setting up GNU Guix can be more complex and time-consuming than other package managers or Linux distributions, which might discourage new users.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Guix's focus on free software can lead to compatibility issues with proprietary software or certain hardware that requires non-free drivers or firmware.
  • Performance Overhead
    The functional approach used by Guix can introduce performance overhead, as each package operation might involve additional steps compared to traditional package managers.

DPKG (Debian Package Manager) features and specs

  • Efficiency
    DPKG is a low-level package manager that directly manages .deb packages, making it highly efficient for package installation, removal, and configuration.
  • Control
    Provides detailed control over package installation and management, allowing administrators to manually handle package files and their configurations.
  • Dependency Management
    Although DPKG itself does not resolve dependencies, it works seamlessly with other tools like APT to help manage them effectively.
  • Wide Adoption
    Being the standard package manager for Debian, it has widespread use and support in the Debian community, offering many resources and documentation.

Possible disadvantages of DPKG (Debian Package Manager)

  • Complexity
    As a low-level tool, DPKG requires a deeper understanding of the system to manage packages efficiently, which can be complex for new users.
  • Lack of Dependency Resolution
    DPKG does not automatically handle dependencies, which can lead to issues if packages require specific dependencies that aren't manually addressed by the user.
  • Limited Features
    Being a core tool, DPKG has a limited feature set compared to higher-level package managers that can handle more advanced tasks such as source management and package searching.
  • Potential for System Instability
    Incorrect usage of DPKG, such as forcing package installs without resolving dependencies, can potentially lead to system instability or broken packages.

GNU Guix videos

My crush on GNU Guix

More videos:

  • Review - Building a whole distro on top of a minimalistic language The story of GNU Guix
  • Tutorial - How to Install GNU Guix System 1.1.0 + Review

DPKG (Debian Package Manager) videos

No DPKG (Debian Package Manager) videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Guix and DPKG (Debian Package Manager))
Front End Package Manager
Package Manager
79 79%
21% 21
Developer Tools
87 87%
13% 13
Linux
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GNU Guix seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 92 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU Guix mentions (92)

  • The Most Elegant Configuration Language
    And then see how it's done in real life: https://guix.gnu.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Douglas Hofstadter on Lisp (1983)
    Guix is a Nix-like package manager and distro that is almost entirely written in Guile Scheme: https://guix.gnu.org/ I would guess it's by far the most active Guile project. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Pkl, a Programming Language for Configuration
    > So what we are missing now is a 500GB framework that can write the config file for the programming language that is writing a config file for the actual program I wish to use. That exists since 1960. It's called LISP. The e.g. https://guix.gnu.org/ uses with great success, the Guile Scheme dialect of LISP, to be precise. And FYI the "framework" is:
      $ ls --human-readable --size $(readlink $(which...
    - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • NixOS: Declarative Builds and Deployments
    > inventing a brand new purely functional language programming language. ISTM that if you dislike that, then there's GUIX. https://guix.gnu.org/ Very briefly, AFAICT, it's "Nix but using Scheme". - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Linux saved my life
    And just wait till you discover Arch Linux, Gentoo, Guix, or NixOS. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

DPKG (Debian Package Manager) mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of DPKG (Debian Package Manager) yet. Tracking of DPKG (Debian Package Manager) recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Guix and DPKG (Debian Package Manager), you can also consider the following products

NixOS - 25 Jun 2014 . All software components in NixOS are installed using the Nix package manager. Packages in Nix are defined using the nix language to create nix expressions.

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

pacman (package manager) - The pacman package manager is one of the major distinguishing features of ...

Docker - Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.

pkgsrc - pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.

asdf-vm - An extendable version manager