The latest from our blog
Insights and announcements from Determinate Systems and voices of our community
Determinate Nix: the recent past and the shining future
Taking a step back to survey the many recent changes in Determinate Nix and to look ahead to much more on the way.
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Sep 10, 2025 by Graham ChristensenDropping upstream Nix from Determinate Nix Installer
Focusing on our core strength: delivering the best Nix experience we can
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Sep 5, 2025 by Graham ChristensenParallel evaluation comes to Determinate Nix
Parallel evaluation drastically cuts evaluation time and improves import-from-derivation (IFD) performance.
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Aug 27, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: build-time flake inputs and unauthenticated upgrades
Determinate Nix introduces a new type of flake input for sources and
determinate-nixd upgradenow works without logging in. -
Aug 22, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: Determinate now has a nix-darwin module, plus loads of performance perks
Loads of UX and performance improvements in Determinate Nix, plus a nix-darwin module
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Aug 5, 2025 by Luc PerkinsChangelog: a native Linux builder for macOS
A major advance for macOS users and for Nix in cross-platform contexts
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Jul 12, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: Determinate Nix 3.8.1 with important security updates
Nix users on macOS should upgrade to Determinate Nix 3.8.1 as soon as possible.
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Jul 11, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: a faster
nix flake check, improved flake locks, and lazy trees rolled out to 20% of usersDeterminate Nix 3.8.0 (based on Nix 2.30) cuts minutes from CI runs, fixes a bug involving flake inputs, and rolls out lazy trees to more users.
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Jul 4, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: faster CI, deep flake overrides, and a better
nix store deletein Determinate Nix 3.7.0Performance and UX improvements across the board, plus lazy-trees rolling out to some users.
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Jun 24, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: lazy trees and security improvements
Lazy trees are ready to roll out, and an improvement to the sandboxing security.
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Jun 19, 2025 by Luc PerkinsFlakeHub now supports Semaphore CI
Adding a powerful, feature-rich, open source CI/CD system to our roster
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Jun 18, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: macOS Tahoe, lazy trees, and docs in Determinate Nix 3.6.6
Support for macOS Tahoe and nearing general availability for lazy trees
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Jun 13, 2025 by Luc PerkinsBringing back the Magic Nix Cache Action
A second life for a much-loved freebie
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Jun 5, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: docs, diagnostics, and resilience improvements
Shell auto-completion scripts for Determinate Nixd, improved installation and garbage collection, more intelligible log messages, and more.
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May 29, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: improved support for self-hosted GitHub Actions runners
Our
determinate-nix-actionnow succeeds on many more self-hosted environments, including Kubernetes-backed CI environments. -
May 28, 2025 by Luc PerkinsDeterminate Nix Action
A GitHub Action dedicated to installing Determinate Nix
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May 15, 2025 by Luc PerkinsChangelog: introducing lazy trees
This long-awaited feature makes Nix and flakes dramatically more efficient in a wide range of scenarios
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May 6, 2025 by Luc PerkinsChangelog: deprecating channels and indirect flake references
When it comes to sub-optimal constructs, less really is more
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Apr 16, 2025 by Luc PerkinsChangelog: JSON logging, a new experience around hash mismatches, and more
JSON logging has the potential to unlock all kinds of ergonomic benefits, starting with hash mismatches but with plenty of room to expand beyond that
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Mar 24, 2025 by Luc PerkinsBest practices for Nix at work
Some juicy tidbits from Determinate Systems' first ever webinar
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Mar 5, 2025 by Graham ChristensenDeterminate Nix 3.0
Business-class Nix for critical infrastructure, complete with a flake stability guarantee
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Feb 26, 2025 by Luc PerkinsFetch artifacts directly from FlakeHub Cache using
fh fetchLocal builds getting you down? Build in CI and pull bytes over the wire instead.
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Feb 24, 2025 by Luc PerkinsIntroducing Determinate AMIs for NixOS
Deploy NixOS configurations with just two commands
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Feb 21, 2025 by Luc PerkinsChangelog: version synchronization to 0.37.1
Just a version change but one that should make things more straightforward for users
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Feb 19, 2025 by Luc PerkinsDeterminate is now compatible with nix-darwin
nix-darwin now enables Determinate to manage Nix, a big win for Determinate users on macOS
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Feb 18, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: improved nix-darwin support for Determinate!
Easy nix-darwin integration, Determinate Nix updates, and other bug fixes.
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Feb 12, 2025 by Luc PerkinsImproved evaluation times with pre-resolved Nix store paths
Speed up Nix deployments, especially on resource-constrained devices, by avoiding the evaluation tax
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Jan 24, 2025 by Martin WimpressSupercharging Nix deployments with FlakeHub Cache
FlakeHub Cache transforms Nix deployments by eliminating local builds and evaluation. See how to deploy Home Manager configs instantly on both macOS and Linux.
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Jan 21, 2025 by Graham ChristensenEnd of life for the free tier of the Magic Nix Cache
Some unfortunate decisions by GitHub have forced us to wind down free caching with the Magic Nix Cache by 1 February 2025
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Jan 14, 2025 by Graham ChristensenChangelog: customer binding, nix.conf, and yanked Nix 2.25.4
Updates in Determinate Nix 0.3.0 and nix-installer 0.33.0.
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Dec 18, 2024 by Graham ChristensenDeterminate Nix now supports migrating from other caches
Determinate Nix supports loading customer-specified credentials for authenticating with additional caches.
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Oct 25, 2024 by Graham ChristensenThe future of software is Nix
I've known this since before I found Nix in 2016
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Oct 23, 2024 by Martin WimpressNix at work: FlakeHub Cache and private flakes
Business-class binary caching and fine-grained access control for flakes enable organizations to seamlessly scale Nix adoption across teams and projects
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Oct 21, 2024 by Eelco DolstraAnnouncing Determinate Nix
Determinate Nix is a Nix distribution for teams
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Oct 9, 2024 by Graham ChristensenDiscontinuing support for macOS Monterey
Determinate software will no longer support macOS Monterey (version 12), following Apple's dropped support.
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Oct 1, 2024 by Graham ChristensenFully automated Nix installation for macOS on AWS EC2
Skip the unskippable: eliminate the macOS Full Disk Access approval on AWS EC2 with Determinate.
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Sep 27, 2024 by Graham ChristensenSolving corporate TLS certificates for Nix on macOS
Determinate solves a key problem with TLS/SSL certificates on macOS.
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Sep 13, 2024 by Graham ChristensenPrepare Nix for macOS Sequoia
Nix fully supports the upcoming macOS Sequoia, but you'll have to repair the build users first.
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Jul 24, 2024 by Graham ChristensenDiscontinuing support for i686-linux in the Determinate Nix Installer
Usage patterns suggest unambiguously that the Determinate Nix Installer no longer needs to support this system type.
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Jun 13, 2024 by Luc PerkinsNix as a WebAssembly build tool
Making Wasm's potential portability a reality
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Mar 13, 2024 by Luc PerkinsIntroducing FlakeHub Cache
Fast, secure, configurable. A bold new take on Nix caching.
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Nov 29, 2023 by Graham ChristensenKVM on GitHub Actions
NixOS tests, Firecracker VMs, and more, now available to Nix users on GitHub Actions with one line of code.
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Nov 24, 2023 by Graham ChristensenA graphical installer for Nix
An even easier way to install Nix on macOS—and trustworthy and ripe for integration to boot.
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Nov 7, 2023 by Graham ChristensenLessons from 1 million Nix Installs
In celebration of installing Nix over a million times, let's take a look at some of the lessons we've learned while building a safer and more reliable Nix installer.
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Oct 25, 2023 by Graham ChristensenNix Survival Mode: sheltering Nix from macOS upgrades
For years, macOS upgrades have broken Nix. We've updated the Determinate Nix Installer to ensure that this no longer happens, eliminating yet another annoyance for macOS users.
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Oct 6, 2023 by Graham ChristensenFlakeHub updates: lightning-fast mirroring and webhook integrations
Checking in on FlakeHub one month after launch
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Sep 20, 2023 by Luc PerkinsCreating and modifying flakes using the FlakeHub CLI
The FlakeHub CLI,
fh, now enables you to generate new flakes from scratch or modify existing flakes in place, providing major ergonomic benefits for working with flakes. -
Sep 6, 2023 by Graham ChristensenExperimental does not mean unstable
Users love flakes, and we're committing to maintaining forward compatibility.
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Sep 1, 2023 by Luc Perkinsfh: the CLI for FlakeHubMake more productive use of the growing FlakeHub platform
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Aug 31, 2023 by Eelco DolstraFlake schemas: making flake outputs extensible
Flake schemas enable you to teach Nix about new flake output types.
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Aug 22, 2023 by Graham ChristensenIntroducing FlakeHub
A new home for your Nix flakes. Semantic versioning, flake exploration, automated publishing using GitHub Actions, and more.
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Jul 20, 2023 by Ana HobdenInstrumenting Axum projects
Fitting the pieces together for pleasant errors and logs in Axum.
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Jun 26, 2023 by Graham ChristensenIntroducing the Magic Nix Cache
Nix builds at speeds you never thought possible.
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Jun 20, 2023 by Luc PerkinsIntroducing the Nix Flake Checker
A powerful new way to keep your Nix flakes in line with best practices.
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Jun 1, 2023 by Ana HobdenDeclarative GNOME configuration with NixOS
When I first started using Linux in 2006, I remember dreaming of a Linux Console. It wasn't so far fetched, the PlayStation 3 had just been released with OtherOS support which allowed users to install Linux (or BSD). Still, it seemed that a Linux-first console seemed like it would only ever be a dream.
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May 22, 2023 by Luc PerkinsPackaging Open Policy Agent policies with Nix
How I used Nix to turn Open Policy Agent policies into standalone CLI tools
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Mar 31, 2023 by Ana HobdenExtending NixOS configurations
NixOS modules and configurations offer us a tantalizing way to express and share systems. My friends and I can publish our own flakes containing
nixosModulesor/andnixosConfigurationsoutputs which can be imported, reused, and remixed. -
Mar 28, 2023 by Luc PerkinsNuenv: an experimental Nushell environment for Nix
How and why I replaced Nix's Bash-based standard environment with a much more powerful and expressive build apparatus.
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Feb 27, 2023 by Graham ChristensenIntroducing the Determinate Nix Installer
A fresh new alternative to the official Nix installation scripts.
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Jan 23, 2023 by Luc PerkinsIntroducing Zero To Nix
Introducing a brand new, beginner-friendly learning resource for Nix and the Nix ecosystem.
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Dec 21, 2022 by Ana HobdenNix on the Steam Deck
When I first started using Linux in 2006, I remember dreaming of a Linux Console. It wasn't so far fetched, the PlayStation 3 had just been released with OtherOS support which allowed users to install Linux (or BSD). Still, it seemed that a Linux-first console seemed like it would only ever be a dream.
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Nov 21, 2022 by Luc PerkinsDeploying Nix-built containers to Kubernetes
While it's great to fall in love with Nix and want to use it to build and configure just about everything, let's face it: few of us are in a position to do so, especially in the workplace. "Hey team, let's Nixify our entire stack!" is unlikely to endear you to your coworkers at daily standup.
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Oct 31, 2022 by Luc PerkinsStreamline your GitHub Actions dependencies using Nix
Make your CI pipeline both strictly declarative and reproducible across environments by replacing third-party Actions with Nix shell environments.
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Oct 13, 2022 by Linus HeckemannMake your QEMU 10 times faster with this one weird trick
NixOS uses virtual machines based on QEMU extensively for running its test suite. In order to avoid generating a disk image for every test, the test driver usually boots using a Plan 9 File Protocol (9p) share (server implemented by QEMU) for the Nix store, which contains all the programs...
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Oct 7, 2022 by Luc PerkinsUsing Nix to run software with no installation steps
All you need is the Nix CLI and a flake URL to run executables using Nix. There's nothing else quite like it in our industry.
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Oct 5, 2022 by Luc PerkinsAn invitation to Rust maintainers
We believe that Riff can provide lasting benefits to the Rust community.
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Sep 23, 2022 by Luc PerkinsEffortless dev environments with Nix and direnv
Like many of you, I work on a lot of different projects. Even when a project is less serious—hey, I should check out this new JS framework!—I strive to reduce the friction involved with setting up the project's dev environment to the absolute bare minimum possible.
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Sep 15, 2022 by Luc PerkinsBuilding a highly optimized home environment with Nix
How I used Home Manager and a personal project called Nome to declutter and optimize my home environment using Nix.
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Sep 6, 2022 by Graham ChristensenIntroducing Riff
Riff is a tool that automatically provides external dependencies for Rust projects.
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Sep 2, 2022 by Graham ChristensenWe want to make Nix better
Introducing Determinate Systems, a company devoted to bringing the immense benefits of Nix to the software world. Our values, our mission, and what the future holds.
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Oct 14, 2021 by Graham ChristensenHow to Use Hydra as your Deployment Source of Truth
Hydra is a fantastic tool for building small and large software collections. It is also a great tool for orchestrating releases.