Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

RVM VS NixOS

Compare RVM VS NixOS and see what are their differences

RVM logo RVM

Ruby Version Manager. RVM is a command-line tool which allows you to easily install, manage, and work with multiple ruby environments from interpreters to sets of gems.

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.
  • RVM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-07-08
  • NixOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

RVM features and specs

  • Ruby Version Management
    RVM allows users to easily install, manage, and work with multiple Ruby environments and versions on a single machine.
  • Gemset Management
    It provides the ability to create and manage gemsets, which helps in isolating gems and their dependencies for different projects.
  • Project Isolation
    RVM ensures that each project can have its specific Ruby version and gemset, reducing conflicts between dependencies of different projects.
  • Convenience and Ease of Use
    The tool is user-friendly and simplifies tasks like upgrading Ruby versions or switching between them without complex configurations.
  • Community Support
    Being widely used, RVM has strong community support, which means abundant resources for troubleshooting and learning.

Possible disadvantages of RVM

  • Environment Overhead
    RVM installs binaries and libraries within the user’s home directory, which can lead to increased usage of disk space.
  • Performance Impact
    Switching between Ruby versions or gemsets may introduce performance delays as environments are activated.
  • Complexity with System Ruby
    There can be complexities and potential conflicts when using RVM alongside the system's default Ruby installation.
  • Dependency on Bash
    RVM heavily relies on Bash, which may not be ideal for users who prefer or require different shell environments.
  • Learning Curve for Beginners
    New users to Ruby programming might experience a learning curve in understanding how to effectively use RVM.

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.

RVM videos

TEKKEN 500 rvm - review on off

More videos:

  • Review - Review: Etnies RVM
  • Tutorial - How to Talk to 5,000 Sellers in Seconds with RVM

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 RVM and NixOS)
Programming Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Front End Package Manager
Programming
100 100%
0% 0
Package Manager
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 RVM and NixOS

RVM Reviews

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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”.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NixOS should be more popular than RVM. It has been mentiond 266 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.

RVM mentions (28)

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NixOS mentions (266)

  • Show HN: Node.js video tutorials where you can edit and run the code
    I'd love to create some Nix (https://nixos.org/) content. - Source: Hacker News / 11 days ago
  • 20 years of Git. Still weird, still wonderful
    NixOS may end up being "the last OS I ever use" (especially now that gaming is viable on it): https://nixos.org/ Check it out. The whitepaper's a fairly digestible read, too, and may get you excited about the whole concept (which is VERY different from how things are normally done, but ends up giving you guarantees). - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Overengineer your CV
    For implementing the themes I have decided to use nix flakes since they allow each theme to specify their own dependencies and which command to run with the resulting JSON from the previous step as input. Another alternative could have been to use docker, but I wanted to learn more about nix. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Easy Development Environments
    One of the most tedious and time-wasting parts of the development process is setting up tooling. For a NodeJS project this requires getting the right Node version, getting the preferred package manager, installing things like a linter, formatter, and sometimes a compiler for TypeScript or other JS-transpiled languages. Well today we are going to talk about using Nix as an SDK/tool manager, and how we can setup... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (February 2025)
    Zest Dermatology | Remote (USA residents only) | Full-time | Systems Administrator / Software Engineer | https://zesthealth.com Zest is a virtual dermatology clinic that delivers care for chronic eczema and psoriasis with a level of satisfaction and patient outcomes that are unheard of in conventional dermatology. What makes Zest particularly exciting is its value-based care business model, a topic worth... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

asdf-vm - An extendable version manager

GNU Guix - Like Nix but GNU.

RubyGems - RubyGems. org is the Ruby community's gem hosting service. Instantly publish your gems and then install them. Use the API find out more about available gems. Become a contributor and improve the site yourself.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

Tailwind CSS - A utility-first CSS framework for rapidly building custom user interfaces.