From 0a5e3db7f9cfa880ebea28d2cc02ef3fd2c53479 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: DarkSun Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 05:03:11 +0800 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=E9=80=89=E9=A2=98[tech]:=2020231015=20Install?= =?UTF-8?q?=20and=20Use=20Nix=20Package=20Manager=20on=20non-Nix=20OS=20li?= =?UTF-8?q?ke=20Ubuntu?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit sources/tech/20231015 Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md --- ...ckage Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md | 237 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 237 insertions(+) create mode 100644 sources/tech/20231015 Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md diff --git a/sources/tech/20231015 Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md b/sources/tech/20231015 Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..de3c7135fa --- /dev/null +++ b/sources/tech/20231015 Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu.md @@ -0,0 +1,237 @@ +[#]: subject: "Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu" +[#]: via: "https://itsfoss.com/ubuntu-install-nix-package-manager/" +[#]: author: "Sagar Sharma https://itsfoss.com/author/sagar/" +[#]: collector: "lujun9972/lctt-scripts-1693450080" +[#]: translator: " " +[#]: reviewer: " " +[#]: publisher: " " +[#]: url: " " + +Install and Use Nix Package Manager on non-Nix OS like Ubuntu +====== + +One of the reasons [why people like using the immutable NixOS][1] is its Nix package manager. + +It has over 80,000 packages, which might not be close to the number of Debian packages but pretty impressive nonetheless. + +The good thing is that you don't have to [install NixOS][2] just for the package manager. Like [Homebrew][3] and Rust's [Cargo package manager][4], you can use Nix package manager in your present distribution. + +Why would you do that? Because sometimes, you may find a new application that is only available in Nix packaging format. It's rare but possible. + +In this tutorial, I will walk you through the following: + + * Installing Nix package manager + * Searching and installing packages + * Try/test packages without installing them + * Update packages + * Removing packages + + + +### Install Nix package manager on other Linux distros + +There are two ways to install the Nix package manager: global install and local install. + +📋 + +The global install means the nix package manager will be accessible by every user available on the system, whereas the local installation is only for the current user. The [official Nix documentation][5] recommends you use the global install. + +##### For global installation: + +If you want to install the Nix package manager globally, then, you need to execute the following command: + +``` + + sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --daemon + +``` + +Once you execute the above command, you need to enter the `y` key and press the `Enter` key: + +![][6] + +Once done, close the current terminal as it won't work on the current terminal session. + +##### For local installation: + +If you prefer the local installation and don't want to use sudo every time, then execute the following command: + +``` + + sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --no-daemon + +``` + +Enter `y` and press the `Enter` key when asked for the confirmation. + +Once done, close the current terminal session and start a new one to use the Nix package manager. + +### Search and install packages + +Once you have installed the Nix package manager, the next step is to search for packages. + +First, [visit the official page of Nix search][7] and type the name of the package that you want to install. + +From the given description, you can find the package which you were looking for and then, choose the `nix-env` to go with the permanent installation. + +Here, you can add some extra keywords to have better search results. For example, here, I searched for "Firefox browser": + +![][8] + +The last step that I mentioned above (copy command) does nothing but gives you a command that you execute for the installation. + +Now, all you have to do is execute that command in your terminal. + +In my case, it gave me the following command to install Firefox: + +``` + + nix-env -iA nixpkgs.firefox + +``` + +Once done, you can list the installed packages using the following command: + +``` + + nix-env -q + +``` + +![][9] + +### Use packages without installing them + +By far this is the best feature of the Nix package manager as you get to use/test packages that are not even installed! + +For this, you can use the nix shell which lets you use an interactive shell with the specified package, and once closed, you can no longer access that package. + +Cool, right? + +To use the nix-shell to access your favorite package, use the following command syntax: + +``` + + nix-shell -p + +``` + +For example, I wanted to use neofetch once, so I used the following: + +``` + + nix-shell -p neofetch + +``` + +![][10] + +To exit from the shell, all you have to do is execute the `exit` command: + +``` + + exit + +``` + +### Update packages using the Nix package manager + +Updating packages using the Nix package manager is pretty easy. + +To update packages, first, you need to update channels using the following command: + +``` + + nix-channel --update + +``` + +Next, you can list the outdated packages by dry-running the update command: + +``` + + nix-env --upgrade --dry-run + +``` + +![][11] + +In my case, the Firefox browser was outdated and needs to be updated! + +To update a single package, use the following command: + +``` + + nix-env -u + +``` + +And if you want to update all the packages at once, then use the following: + +``` + + nix-env -u + +``` + +### Remove packages using the Nix package manager + +To remove packages, all you have to do is execute the `nix-env` command in the following manner: + +``` + + nix-env --uninstall [package_name] + +``` + +For example, if I want to remove the Firefox browser, then, I will use the following command: + +``` + + nix-env --uninstall firefox + +``` + +![][12] + +### Unlock its full potential with NixOS + +If you liked the idea behind the Nix package manager, trust me, you're going to love the [NixOS][13]. + +Reproducing the entire system just by using one config file was enough to convince me to make a switch to NixOS but there are more reasons: + +![][14] + +I love NixOS. So much so that I wrote a whole series so you don't have to go through documentation (for basics): + +![][14] + +I hope you will enjoy using it as much as I do. + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +via: https://itsfoss.com/ubuntu-install-nix-package-manager/ + +作者：[Sagar Sharma][a] +选题：[lujun9972][b] +译者：[译者ID](https://github.com/译者ID) +校对：[校对者ID](https://github.com/校对者ID) + +本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出 + +[a]: https://itsfoss.com/author/sagar/ +[b]: https://github.com/lujun9972 +[1]: https://itsfoss.com/why-use-nixos/ +[2]: https://itsfoss.com/install-nixos-vm/ +[3]: https://itsfoss.com/homebrew-linux/ +[4]: https://itsfoss.com/install-rust-cargo-ubuntu-linux/ +[5]: https://nixos.org/learn +[6]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/Install-nix-package-manager-globally.png +[7]: https://search.nixos.org/packages +[8]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/Search-packages-to-install-using-the-Nix-package-manager.png +[9]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/List-installed-packages-using-the-nix-package-manager.png +[10]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/Use-packages-wihout-installing-them-using-the-nix-package-manager.png +[11]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/List-outdated-packages-using-the-nix-package-manager.png +[12]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/10/Remove-packages-using-the-nix-package-manager-1.png +[13]: https://nixos.org/ +[14]: https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png