NixOS Review: The Most Powerful Linux Distro in 2026?

Hello again everyone and welcome back to Learn Linux TV. In today's video, it's finally time to check out Nyx OS, a dro review you guys have been asking for for quite some time now. The thing is I've been busy setting up my brand new studio and it's mostly finished. There's still a little bit more work to do on the studio, but the thing is it's far enough along and now I can focus on more dro reviews and that starts today with Nyx OS. And at first glance, Nixos doesn't seem all that unusual. What you see right here is a standard Gnome desktop with familiar applications and a typical Linux workflow. But once you start customizing the system, that's when you'll realize that Nyxos is a fundamentally different dro. It isn't managed the same way that most Linux distributions are. For example, instead of installing packages one by one and tweaking your system manually, Nixos uses what's called a declarative configuration model. And that means you'll describe the system you want in a config file, rebuild it, and Nexos will generate the entire thing for you. And that design makes Nexos reproducible. You can take your config file, copy it to another machine, rebuild, and end up with essentially the same setup. It's closer to infrastructure as code than traditional package management, and that changes how you think about managing your OS. And in today's video, you'll see Nixos in action. I'll not only give you my thoughts on this DRO, I'll show you how it's different than other distros. It's going to be a ton of fun. But before we dive in though, I just wanted to remind you that if you become a channel member, you'll gain access to exclusive perks. If you enjoy the content here and want a slightly more streamlined experience, becoming a member is a great way to do that. Channel members get access to adree versions of videos along with early access to select uploads, so that way you can watch new content a bit sooner without any interruptions. This is completely optional, of course, but it's a nice way to support the channel. If you find yourself regularly coming back here and getting value from my videos. If that sounds like something that you might be interested in, you could check out the membership options by clicking the join button below this video. And a big thank you to everyone who's already become a member. Your support makes a real difference and it helps me keep creating the kind of Linux content that you come here for. And as always, thank you guys so much for supporting Linux Learning. I really appreciate it. Now it's time to dive into Nixos. So let's do that right now. [music] [music] Let's begin by talking about what Nyxos actually is and how it differs from other Linux distributions. And the first thing to know is that Nyxos isn't built on top of another DRO. And the reason why that's noteworthy is because many Linux distributions are created from something else. Ubuntu from Debian, Mint from Ubuntu, Noara from Fedora, and so on. But when it comes to Nyxos, well, it stands on its own. It has its own package manager, its own design philosophy, and its own way of building the system. Now, when it comes to using Nyx OS as your day-to-day desktop, things will look quite normal and the workflow will be familiar if you've ever used a Linux distro before. You'll pick a desktop environment during installation, maybe Gnome, Plasma, Cinnamon, or one of the others. And once you're logged in, it'll behave like any other Linux desktop. You'll have a browser, terminal, file manager, and all the usual tools. But the difference with Nyxos actually appears when you start customizing your system. Nexos is declarative and what that means is that instead of manually installing packages and tweaking the system one step at a time, you'll instead describe the system you want in a configuration file. After you do that, you'll rebuild the system from that declaration. For example, let's say I want to install the htop package systemwide. To do that in Nixos, what I'll do is add it to the / etsy/nixos/configuration.nix file. And then once I add it, what I'll do is run sudo Nexos rebuild space switch just like you see right here. And what that'll do is cause Nexos to evaluate that configuration file. And it'll build a new system generation that includes htop. And over time, you'll build up a list of packages, services, and system settings inside that configuration file. And because it's just code, you could copy it to another machine, rebuild, and end up with essentially the same system. And that's why people often compare Nixxo to infrastructure as code. The operating system itself is actually being defined in code. And that actually brings up a concept that often gets mixed up when it comes to Nixxos immutability. Nixos itself isn't immutable in the traditional readonly root file system sense like Fedora atomic or iuntu core. The root file system is actually writable in Nixos. You can modify files manually if you want to. Instead, Nexos achieves many of the same benefits that people associate with immutability, such as reproducibility, atomic upgrades, and roll back through a functional design. Whenever you rebuild your system, Nixos will create a new generation, but your previous generations will remain available. That way, if something goes wrong, you can always boot into an earlier build. That's transactional and rollback based, but it's not quite the same thing as being readon. So while many people will think of Nixos as immutable, it's more accurate to think of it as declarative and generation-based. You describe the system, Nyx builds it, and every version of that system remains available. And this declarative nature is what makes Nixos fundamentally different from most traditional distributions. Under the hood, when you edit configuration.nix and run pseudo Nixos Rebuild Switch, Nixos won't modify the system in place. It'll instead build a new system generation in the next store and then it'll switch a set of SIM links to point to that new generation and your previous generations will remain available. That way if something goes wrong, you can roll back to a previous generation either from the bootloadader or from the command line. And that's how Nexos achieves atomic upgrades and safe roll back, not by making the entire file system read only. When it comes to the Nyx store itself, which is located under /nick/store, that directory is immutable and packages that are stored there are never modified in place. If something changes, a new version is built alongside the old one, but the rest of the file system such as your home directory/var/ etsy and so on will be writable just like on any other distribution. And when it comes to immutability, that's why Nexos itself doesn't really fit the traditional definition of immutability. Just like I mentioned with the example directories I just gave you, those will persist normally. What is different is that only changes declared in your configuration file are guaranteed to be a part of the system definition. Manual tweaks outside of that model might work just fine, but they aren't going to be part of your declarative setup and won't be reproduced automatically on another machine. And that's a big distinction. Nexos will give you reproducibility and roll back, but through functional package management and generation switching, not by locking down the entire root file system. We'll get back to the video in just a moment, but first I wanted to let you know that the Learn Linux TV merch shop exists. And don't worry, this isn't one of those ads. There's no hype, no limited time offer, no smash that button, and absolutely no promise that buying any of these items will change your life, unlock your potential, or even make strangers respect you. It's just a shop. But it's a shop with Linux themed shirts, mugs, stickers, mouse pads, bags, and other items designed for people who like terminals, keyboards, and caffeine more than buzzwords or motivational slogans. The items in the shop are practical and low-key, and they make sense if you use Linux while mildly confusing everyone else. And you'll find it all at merch. Llinx.tv. And by shopping there, you'll be directly supporting Learn Linux TV, which helps me keep making more Linux tutorials, reviews, as well as the occasional bit of Linux related shenanigans. And everything in the shop is made for Linux users by a Linux user. So whether you want to quietly broadcast your software choices, cover your laptop in stickers, or jot things down without opening 12 browser tabs, there's a good chance that there's something in the shop for you. Best of all, there's no pop-ups, no fake countdown timers, and there's nothing pretending to expire in 5 minutes, just genuine Linux themed items for people who care about desktops, terminals, and penguins. So if that sounds like your kind of thing, then definitely check out the shop and grab yourself something nice. As always, I appreciate you guys and thank you so much for your support. And now, let's get back to the video. But given how different Nexos is under the hood when compared to other distros, does that mean that it's only for experts? Well, not necessarily. Yes, there is a learning curve. You'll need to be comfortable editing configuration files and rebuilding the system. But conceptionally, once you understand that you're defining the system instead of manually tweaking it, it can actually feel more structured when compared to something like Arch. So, Nixos is different, but not inherently harder. Next, let's move on to the installation process. Is installing Nixos difficult? Well, not really, as long as you use the graphical installer. Like most modern distributions, you could download an ISO file, write it to a USB drive, boot into a live environment, test the hardware compatibility, and then launch the installer. Basically the same workflow as Iuntu, Fedora or Linux Min, and a number of others. And the reason why the process is so familiar is because the graphical edition of the Nexos installer will use the Calamari's installer, which is the same installer that's used by many other distributions. During the process, you'll choose your language, disk layout, user account, and desktop environment, and then the system will install just like Iuntu or Fedora would. When you do boot into the live environment, you'll be able to choose Gnome or Plasma to try things out. But during installation, you'll actually have even more desktop choices available, including options like XSCE and others. Now, it's worth mentioning that Nixos also provides a minimal image as well. That version doesn't include a graphical installer. Instead, it's a manual terminal-based installation process. It's more advanced, and it'll also give you more control. But most users will probably stick to the graphical image. Once installation does complete, you'll reboot, log in, and at first, everything will feel like a normal Linux desktop. And when it comes to basic usage, it is. But like I mentioned earlier, the differences won't really show up until you start customizing the system. And that's where Nexos really sets itself apart. And one thing you'll notice right away is that there isn't a traditional graphical package manager installed by default. If you're used to something like Gnome software being available, you won't find it in Nyx OS. And that's because Nixos doesn't even use traditional package management at all. Gnome software just isn't set up to understand the way that Nyx does things. But you can install Gnome software if you want to, and you can actually use it to install software. It's just that Gnome software when installed on Nyx OS will only have access to things like flat packs. System packages are going to be handled through Nyx itself. So again, Gnome software isn't going to be able to work with the Nyx package manager, but you can install flatp pack. So it's useful for that. But when it comes to system packages on Nyx OS, the primary way to install systemwide software is declarative. You'll add packages to your configuration file and rebuild the system. That rebuild process is typically fast and more importantly, it's atomic. Basically, that means that the new system is going to be prepared before it becomes active. If something ever goes wrong, you can roll back to a previous generation. Now, at this point, you might be wondering why design a DRO this way at all. Well, the reason why Nixos takes a different approach comes down to reproducibility and safety. Because the entire system configuration is declared in code, you can reproduce that same setup across multiple machines with confidence. And because every rebuild creates a new generation, you'll always have a fall back. If a configuration change introduces a problem, you can roll back cleanly without manually undoing individual package changes. But anyway, when it comes to Nixos, you're not manually patching your system, you're defining it. And I think that's really cool. And personally, I really like this approach. It feels modern and it feels structured. I think it's really neat that you're not constantly modifying your system in place. You're instead building defined system states and switching between them safely. But as the majority of the Linux community seems to be moving towards immutability, what makes Nixos interesting is that it's been living in its declarative generationbased world for a long time. And the fact that you can use Nixos as a daily driver today says a lot about how mature that model has become. And there's our video. In this video, we checked out Nyx OS and I had a ton of fun. It's a very different distribution and that's one of the things that I love the most about it. It really does change the way that you think about managing your distribution. But let me know what you thought of this review or Nexos in general in the comments down below. And also let me know if you'd like to see anything else Nexos related. For example, now that I've done this introductory video, well, maybe I should do a getting started guide. If that's something that you'd like to see, then definitely let me know. Either way, thank you so much for checking out this video and I'll see you in the next one. >> [music] [music] [music]

In this in-depth NixOS review, we'll explore what makes NixOS fundamentally different from traditional Linux distributions. From declarative configuration to fully reproducible systems, NixOS challenges everything you think you know about managing Linux. But is it practical? Is it beginner friendly? And does the “immutable” architecture actually make your system better? In this video, you'll get answers to those questions and more! *🛍️ Support The Channel and Get Awesome Linux Swag!* Head on over to the Learn Linux TV Merch Shop and check out some great Linux-themed gear, including (but not limited to) T-shirts, drinkware, buttons, stickers and more! • "apt install coffee" T-Shirt ➜ https://learnlinux.link/apt-install-coffee • "sudo" T-Shirt ➜ https://learnlinux.link/sudo-shirt • Linux Commands Cheat Sheet ➜ https://learnlinux.link/linux-commands • "May Spontaneously Talk About Linux" T-Shirt ➜ https://learnlinux.link/talk-about-linux-shirt • "Dark Side of the Terminal" T-Shirt ➜ https://learnlinux.link/dark-side-shirt • Lots more ➜ https://merch.learnlinux.tv _Use coupon code "LINUXFAN" to get 10% off your entire order ➜ https://merch.learnlinux.tv_ *❤️ Consider becoming a Channel Member* Support Linux Learning and gain acess to exclusive perks, such as ad-free content and early access to select videos. Your support really helps!!! Join here ➜ https://learnlinux.link/member *🐧 Other Ways to Support Learn Linux TV* • Channel Membership ➜ https://learnlinux.link/member • Patreon ➜ https://learnlinux.link/patron • Spin up your very own Linux server ➜ https://learnlinux.link/digitalocean • Linux swag ➜ https://merch.learnlinux.tv • Check out Netdata ➜ https://learnlinux.link/netdata • Jay's Gear ➜ https://learnlinux.link/amazon _Note: Royalties and/or commission is earned from each of the above links_ *🕐 Time Codes* 00:00 — NixOS Review: Is This the Most Advanced Linux Distro? 01:24 — Support Learn Linux TV (Channel Membership & Perks) 02:34 — What is NixOS? How It’s Different from Traditional Linux Distros 04:32 — Is NixOS Immutable? Understanding the Architecture 05:30 — Declarative Configuration & Reproducible Systems Explained 07:03 — Support the Channel (Linux Merch & Resources) 08:35 — Is NixOS Beginner Friendly or Only for Experts? 09:01 — NixOS Installation Experience & First Impressions 10:14 — Final Thoughts: Should You Switch to NixOS? *🎓 Full Linux Courses* • Linux Crash Course ➜ https://linux.video/cc • tmux ➜ https://linux.video/tmux • vim ➜ https://linux.video/vim • Bash Scripting ➜ https://linux.video/bash • Proxmox VE ➜ https://linux.video/pve • Ansible (Udemy) ➜ https://learnlinux.link/ansible • Linux Essentials (Udemy) ➜ https://learnlinux.link/linux-essentials *🎓 More About Learn Linux TV* • Main site ➜ https://www.learnlinux.tv • Community Forums ➜ https://community.learnlinux.tv • Github Account ➜ https://github.com/LearnLinuxTV • Content Ethics ➜ https://www.learnlinux.tv/content-ethics • Request Paid Assistance ➜ https://www.learnlinux.tv/request-assistance ⚠️ Use Content Responsibly Learn Linux TV shares technical content intended to teach and help you, but it comes with no warranty. The channel is not liable for any damages from its use. Always ensure you have proper permissions, follow company policies, and comply with all applicable laws while working with infrastructure. #NixOS #Linux #LinuxDistro #ImmutableLinux #DeclarativeConfig