NixOS 26.05 "Yarara"
NixOS is a Linux distribution built around the Nix package manager, using a fully declarative, reproducible configuration model where the entire system state is described in code.
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NixOS 26.05, codenamed “Yarara,” is the current stable release built on the Nix package manager’s declarative model: instead of imperatively installing and configuring packages, the entire system, packages, services, users, and configuration files, is described in a single configuration file and built reproducibly from it.
The Declarative Model
A NixOS system configuration can be version-controlled, shared, and rolled back atomically. Every generation of the system remains bootable from the boot menu, so a bad configuration change or update is trivially reversible by selecting a previous generation at boot, without needing backups or snapshots.
Two Installer Variants
The GNOME graphical ISO provides a full desktop live environment for interactive installation, while the minimal ISO offers a text-based installer suited to servers or advanced users who prefer to write their configuration.nix directly rather than use the graphical installer.
System Requirements
- CPU: 64-bit x86 processor
- RAM: 2 GB minimum (4 GB+ recommended for the GNOME live environment)
- Storage: 20 GB free minimum
The Learning Curve
NixOS has a real learning curve, the Nix language and declarative configuration model are different enough from imperative distributions like Ubuntu or Fedora that most new users need dedicated time to get comfortable. The payoff is a system that’s genuinely hard to break in ways that can’t be trivially undone.
Verify Your Download
Checksums are published alongside each release at nixos.org/download.