Some time ago I wrote a short article on nix first steps (https://dev.to/alexander_shagov/nix-first-steps-4066). However, I realized that I need one more to quickly explain why generally prefer nix over non-nix setups. So here it is.
As a macOS user, you might wonder why you should consider using Nix (package manager) when you already have package managers like Homebrew.
⭐️ One of the most significant advantages of Nix is its ability to create reproducible environments. This means you can:
- Easily share your exact development setup with teammates.
- Recreate your entire system setup on a new machine with minimal effort.
⭐️ With Nix (especially when using Home Manager), you define your entire system configuration in code. This approach offers several benefits:
- Your system setup becomes version-controlled.
- You can review and roll back changes easily.
- No more conflicts between different versions of the same library.
- Easy testing of different software versions without affecting your system.
⭐️ Nix, especially with flakes, allows you to define project-specific environments:
- Each project can have its own set of tools and dependencies.
- No need to globally install project-specific tools, reducing system clutter.
- If a local dependency update breaks something, you can easily roll back to a previous state (e.g. roll back node.js to the previous version in 1 click).
As a macOS user, I initially hesitated to adopt Nix, comfortable with my Homebrew + Ruby version manager + Node version manager + Docker setup.
However, after experiencing the reproducibility and declarative nature of Nix, I've found it invaluable. It's particularly useful for managing multiple development environments and ensuring consistency across my personal and work machines.
While the learning curve can be steep, the long-term benefits in terms of system management and development workflow have been worth the initial investment.
Diving into the Nix world might be overwhelming at first. Check out the 'First Steps' article (https://dev.to/alexander_shagov/nix-first-steps-4066), which helps define the important vocabulary.
Top comments (2)
Thanks for these entry-level articles about nix! It is overwhelming at first indeed, but I feel it pays out eventually. Having my setup defined declaratively is a huge benefit no doubts!
Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah my devEx improved drastically. Moreover, I have to mention it's not that crucial to understand nix language in details at all, basic knowledge is enough to start writing your own little configuration files, it pretty much reduces to input-outputs definitions most of the time