Learn Nix

Determinate Systems has created a learning resourced called Zero to Nix that we recommend as a guide to getting started with Nix.

Unlike other learning resources in the Nix ecosystem, Zero to Nix:

• Has you install Nix with Determinate Nix Installer, which enables flakes by default.
• Takes a flakes-centric perspective from the very start.
• Provides learning paths tailored to specific programming languages (JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, C++, Haskell, and Scala).

Start

The main learning track in Zero to Nix is the Quick start, which includes eight practical tutorials:

1. Get Nix running on your system
2. Run a program with Nix
3. Explore Nix development environments
4. Build a package using Nix
5. Search for Nix packages
6. Turn your project into a flake
7. Uninstall Nix (if necessary)
8. Learn more

Concepts

Supplementing Zero to Nix’s quick start is a series of docs covering a variety of core Nix concepts. Some of the most important include:

• Nix, the package manager, build tool, and command-line interface that undergirds FlakeHub.
• Flakes, which provide Nix with things like universal references and pinned dependencies.
• Nix the language, which powers Nix and everything that Nix offers, including development environments, Nix packages, and the NixOS operating system.
• Nixpkgs, the world’s largest collection of Nix code, including derivations for over 80,000 packages.