statix
A linter and fixer for the Nix programming language that highlights antipatterns and provides automated fixes.
What is statix?
Statix is a linter and fixer for the Nix programming language that identifies antipatterns and provides automated corrections. It helps developers write cleaner, more idiomatic Nix code by highlighting issues like unnecessary assignments or legacy syntax. The tool works purely on the AST level without evaluating Nix code, making it fast and reliable.
Nix developers and infrastructure engineers who write or maintain Nix expressions and want to improve code quality and consistency.
Statix offers a dedicated, fast linter for Nix with automated fixes, unlike general-purpose linters that may not understand Nix-specific patterns. Its integration with `.gitignore` and configurable lint rules make it practical for real-world projects.
Overview
lints and suggestions for the nix programming language
Use Cases
Best For
- Enforcing code style and best practices in Nix projects
- Automatically fixing common Nix antipatterns like manual inherit statements
- Integrating linting into CI/CD pipelines for Nix codebases
- Improving readability and maintainability of complex Nix expressions
- Onboarding new developers to Nix by highlighting idiomatic patterns
- Checking large Nix codebases quickly without evaluation overhead
Not Ideal For
- Projects needing semantic analysis of Nix code (e.g., to catch import errors or runtime issues)
- Teams with highly customized Nix coding styles that conflict with Statix's default lints
- One-off Nix scripts where linting setup overhead outweighs benefits
Pros & Cons
Pros
Statix performs pure AST-based checks without evaluating Nix code, making it lightweight and fast for large codebases, as highlighted in its philosophy.
The `fix` command automatically corrects common antipatterns like manual inherit statements, demonstrated in the README examples.
Allows disabling specific lints via a statix.toml file and respects .gitignore by default, easing integration into existing workflows.
Supports JSON and errfmt outputs for easy integration with editors and CI/CD, mentioned in the usage section.
Cons
It cannot detect issues related to Nix evaluation, such as missing dependencies or attribute errors, limiting its ability to catch deeper bugs.
Requires Nix flakes or brew for setup, which may be cumbersome for users not already embedded in the Nix ecosystem.
The fixed list of lints may not cover all Nix antipatterns, and development depends on the rnix-parser crate, potentially lagging behind language updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
devenvFast, Declarative, Reproducible, and Composable Developer Environments using Nix
nhYet another Nix CLI helper. [Maintainers=@NotAShelf, @faukah]
commaComma runs software without installing it. [maintainers=@Artturin,@burke,@DavHau]
nix-output-monitorPipe your nix-build output through the nix-output-monitor a.k.a nom to get additional information while building.
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