nixos-shell
Spawns lightweight NixOS virtual machines in a shell for testing and development.
What is nixos-shell?
nixos-shell is a command-line tool that spawns lightweight, headless NixOS virtual machines using QEMU for testing and development. It allows developers to quickly create isolated environments based on NixOS modules, with automatic mounting of the user's home directory and Nix profile. The tool integrates seamlessly with the Nix ecosystem, supporting flake-based configurations and cross-architecture VM execution.
NixOS developers and system administrators who need to test NixOS configurations in isolated virtual machines without extensive setup. It's particularly useful for those working on NixOS modules, flake-based projects, or cross-platform development.
Developers choose nixos-shell for its simplicity and deep integration with NixOS, enabling rapid VM creation directly from Nix configurations. Unlike generic virtualization tools, it automatically handles Nix-specific mounts and supports flake workflows, making it ideal for testing NixOS changes in a reproducible environment.
Overview
Spawns lightweight nixos vms in a shell
Use Cases
Best For
- Testing NixOS module changes in an isolated VM
Related Projects
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