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GNU Guix VS NixOS

Compare GNU Guix VS NixOS and see what are their differences

GNU Guix logo GNU Guix

Like Nix but GNU.

NixOS logo 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.
  • GNU Guix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-26
  • NixOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

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.

NixOS features and specs

  • Reproducibility
    NixOS ensures that the system configuration is entirely reproducible. Every package, configuration file, and system setting is defined in a single, declarative configuration file, enabling easy recreation of the environment on different machines or after clean installs.
  • Atomic Upgrades & Rollbacks
    Upgrades in NixOS are atomic, meaning they either complete successfully or not at all. Additionally, it is easy to rollback to previous configurations if something goes wrong, which adds a significant safety net during system updates.
  • Isolated Environments
    NixOS supports creating isolated development environments, preventing dependency conflicts and allowing developers to work with different versions of packages comfortably.
  • Package Management
    Nix, the package manager of NixOS, allows for the installation of multiple versions of the same software simultaneously without conflicts, facilitating experimentation and development.
  • Declarative Configuration
    All aspects of the NixOS system are configurable using a declarative language, making it easier to understand, share, and reproduce configurations compared to imperative setups.

Possible disadvantages of NixOS

  • Learning Curve
    NixOS and its package manager Nix have a steep learning curve, especially for users who are new to its declarative approach. Mastery requires a willingness to adopt a new mindset and learn new concepts.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to more mainstream Linux distributions, NixOS has a smaller user and developer community, which can lead to fewer resources, tutorials, and community support options available for problem-solving.
  • Package Availability
    While Nixpkgs is extensive, there are occasions where certain packages may not be available or may not have the latest versions, requiring users to create their own packages or wait for updates.
  • Performance Overheads
    The guarantee of reproducibility and isolation can introduce performance overheads in some scenarios, particularly when dealing with build processes that have not been specifically optimized for Nix.
  • System Configuration Complexity
    The ability to configure everything declaratively can lead to complex and lengthy configuration files, which can be daunting and hard to manage as the complexity of the environment increases.

Analysis of GNU Guix

Overall verdict

  • GNU Guix is highly regarded for its innovative approach to package management and system configuration, offering unique features like reproducibility and transactional upgrades. It is a solid choice for users who value software freedom and flexibility.

Why this product is good

  • GNU Guix is a functional package manager and an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system.
  • It aims to provide a consistent and reproducible environment for software deployment.
  • Guix offers transactional upgrades and rollbacks, unprivileged package management, and per-user profiles, making it highly flexible.
  • The system is built entirely on free software, and its package descriptions are written in Guile Scheme, which provides extensibility and customization.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking an advanced and customizable package manager.
  • Users who prioritize reproducibility and control over their software environment.
  • Individuals committed to free software principles.
  • Anyone interested in exploring a functional approach to package management and system configuration.

Analysis of NixOS

Overall verdict

  • NixOS is a powerful and innovative Linux distribution that is particularly well-suited for users who value reproducibility, consistency, and advanced package management capabilities. However, its steep learning curve and unique approach might not make it the ideal choice for everyone, especially those new to Linux.

Why this product is good

  • NixOS is considered good by many due to its unique package management system and declarative configuration model. The entire system configuration can be described in a single file, making it easy to reproduce environments, roll back changes, or share setups. This is particularly appealing for developers and system administrators who require reliable, consistent, and reproducible environments. Additionally, NixOS's package manager, Nix, allows for handling multiple software versions without conflicts, providing a flexible and modular system.

Recommended for

  • Developers who need consistent and reproducible setups across different machines or environments
  • System administrators looking for advanced features in package management and system configuration
  • Users who are willing to invest time into learning NixOS's unique aspects and benefits
  • People interested in DevOps and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines

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

NixOS videos

First Impression of the NixOS Installation Procedure

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to NixOS - Brownbag by Geoffrey Huntley
  • Review - NixOS 18.03 - A Configuration-focused GNU+Linux Distro

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Guix and NixOS)
Developer Tools
54 54%
46% 46
Front End Package Manager
Package Manager
31 31%
69% 69
Linux
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GNU Guix and NixOS

GNU Guix Reviews

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NixOS Reviews

The 10 Best Immutable Linux Distributions in 2024
Why itโ€™s on the list: NixOS uses the Nix package manager, which treats packages as isolated from each other. This unique approach to package management virtually eliminates โ€œdependency hellโ€.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NixOS should be more popular than GNU Guix. It has been mentiond 273 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 (94)

  • Debian GNU/Hurd 2025 released
    If you're interested in what's going on with GNU in general, GUIX is awesome. It's a package manager like Nix but purely GNU (using GNU Guile scheme). It's developed in tandem with the GNU Shepherd init system (instead of systemd/sysvinit/openrc/etc.) and there are distributions based on GNU Hurd kernel (or the Linux-libre kernel). Wikipedia has a pretty good rundown [3] but I recommend booting up a VM image. It's... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • NixOS on a Tuxedo InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 AMD Laptop
    You could take a look at guix [1], it's very much like nix, but is available as a package manager for other distros. [1] https://guix.gnu.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • The Most Elegant Configuration Language
    And then see how it's done in real life: https://guix.gnu.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 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 / 12 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
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NixOS mentions (273)

  • Frontend Mentor's Contact form challenge built with Elm
    I packaged my deployment script with Nix and Nix flakes then added it as a dependency in my devbox.json. When you enter the developer environment you have access to the deploy Bash script which I then wrapped up into app deploy. Previously, I would copy and paste all the Bash scripts I needed from past projects into my current project but this approach was much nicer. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Hacking Haskell with Nix: Two Tricks
    If you are using Nix, you may have heard of Nix-Shell Shebang:. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Hacking with mdBook
    MdBook is a Rust-based tool to create Web-based books from vanilla Markdown files. Although it is quite minimalistic, you will bump into it quite often in the wild. Most notably, the Rust Book uses it. I see it quite often in the Nix ecosystem, too. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Haskell Project Template with Nix Flakes
    Haskell has been my go-to language for over 7 years. First, I started with Stack, then switched to plain Cabal and finally settled on Nix to provision a development environment for Haskell projects. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • SDK-Driven Development: A Litmus Test for Good Software Design
    Also for systems administration and DevOps, I first used Ansible to streamline the management of our servers. Writing playbooks is OK, but going beyond that to convert them to roles is a good practice from collaboration perspective. This SDK approach worked quite well for me and my team. Now, I am developing NixOS modules for various services we deploy. In both cases, the goal is to compose well-defined and... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Guix and NixOS, you can also consider the following products

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

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

asdf-vm - An extendable version manager

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

Flatpak - Flatpak is the new framework for desktop applications on Linux