Software Alternatives & Reviews

NixOS VS Docker

Compare NixOS VS Docker and see what are their differences

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.

Docker logo Docker

Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.
  • NixOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • Docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25

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

Docker videos

What is Docker in 5 minutes

More videos:

  • Tutorial - What is Docker? Why it's popular and how to use it to save money (tutorial)
  • Review - Real World PHP Dockerfile Review, from a #Docker Captain

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NixOS and Docker)
Front End Package Manager
Developer Tools
19 19%
81% 81
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

NixOS Reviews

The 10 Best Immutable Linux Distributions in 2024
Why it’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 “dependency hell”.

Docker Reviews

The Top 7 Kubernetes Alternatives for Container Orchestration
Docker uses images as templates to create new containers using Docker engine commands such as Build -t or run -d.
Kubernetes Alternatives 2023: Top 8 Container Orchestration Tools
Docker is an open-source platform for building, managing, deploying containerized applications. Swarm is a native feature in Docker with a group of virtual or physical machines that lets you schedule, cluster, and run Docker applications. It is a Docker alternative for Kubernetes that provides high portability, agility, and high availability.
Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
Docker Swarm is a native clustering and orchestration solution provided by Docker, the leading containerization platform.
Source: humalect.com
Podman vs Docker: Comparing the Two Containerization Tools
Looking to go forward with Docker? Be sure to reference the guide linked above, as well as our guide When and Why to Use Docker. To see Docker in action, you may also want to look at our guide on How to install Docker and deploy a LAMP Stack.
Source: www.linode.com
Top 10 Best Container Software in 2022
Portainer is an open source lightweight container management User Interface that permits you to effortlessly handle your Docker Hosts or Swarm clusters. It supports Linux, Windows and OSX platforms. It comprises a single container that can be executed on any Docker engine.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NixOS should be more popular than Docker. It has been mentiond 246 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.

NixOS mentions (246)

  • I use NixOS for my home-server, and you should too!
    As we covered in my last post, NixOS is a amazing Linux distribution for creating stable and declared environments. Now while this is amazing for a desktop setup, it is also perfect for a home-server or home-lab. - Source: dev.to / 1 day ago
  • Colima k8s nix setup
    Nix is a cross-platform package manager. It uses the nix programming language. Nix and NixOs are often used in the same context, but while the first is a package manager, the latter is a linux distribution based on nix. - Source: dev.to / 7 days ago
  • NixOs - Your portable dev enviroment
    Today I want to talk to you about Nixos. What is it? Nixos is a declarative and reproducible OS, partly taking the words used on their own page. What does that mean? - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Nix – A One Pager
    Software developers often want to customize: 1. Their home environments: for packages (some reach for brew on MacOS) and configurations (dotfiles, and some reach for stow). 2. Their development shells: for build dependencies (compilers, SDKs, libraries), tools (LSP, linters, formatters, debuggers), and services (runtime, database). Some reach for devcontainers here. 3. Or even their operating systems: for... - Source: Hacker News / 16 days ago
  • Tools for Linux Distro Hoppers
    Hopping from one distro to another with a different package manager might require some time to adapt. Using a package manager that can be installed on most distro is one way to help you get to work faster. Flatpak is one of them; other alternative are Snap, Nix or Homebrew. Flatpak is a good starter, and if you have a bunch of free time, I suggest trying Nix. - Source: dev.to / 27 days ago
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Docker mentions (62)

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What are some alternatives?

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

GNU Guix - Like Nix but GNU.

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Chocolatey - The sane way to manage software on Windows.

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker