Will Nix Overtake Docker?
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Will Nix Overtake Docker?
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Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#2No, it definitely (but unfortunately) will not. Nix does everything docker does better than docker does, except most crucially, integrate with non nix tooling.
Nix vs Docker is like Rust vs JavaScript - you can point out every reason js is terrible and rust is better, but for the common developer looking to get things done, they’ll often gravitate to the tool that gets them the biggest impact with the least upfront investment, even if that tool ends up causing major predicable headaches in the future.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#3If your interested in digging deeper into building docker containers with nix this is my favorite post on the topic: https://thewagner.net/blog/2021/02/25/building-container-ima.... Essentially you can use any nix package (including your own) to create the environment.
And if you really want to understand it, Graham Christensen (the contributor of the buildLayeredImage function) wrote a really good blog post on how it works: https://grahamc.com/blog/nix-and-layered-docker-images.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#4I've set up my new M1 MacBook Pro using Nix and it's been going relatively well. Home Manager manages global tooling like Neovim, random CLI tools, and config files while I've set up `default.nix` files to use with `nix-shell` per-project. The set up of each project can be a little tedious as I still find the language confusing but once everything is set up the reliable re-creation is excellent. I love the feeling of opening the nix shell and feeling like I have each tool I need for that project without worry of polluting my user space or conflicts between projects.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#5No, it definitely (but unfortunately) will not. Nix does everything docker does better than docker does, except most crucially, integrate with non nix tooling. Nix vs Docker is like Rust vs JavaScript - you can point out every reason js is terrible and rust is better, but for the common developer looking to get things done, they’ll often gravitate to the tool that gets them the biggest impact with the least upfront i…
I like to compare Nix to ice-nine from Cat's Cradle, in that it tends towards restructuring whatever it comes into contact with.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#6No, it definitely (but unfortunately) will not. Nix does everything docker does better than docker does, except most crucially, integrate with non nix tooling. Nix vs Docker is like Rust vs JavaScript - you can point out every reason js is terrible and rust is better, but for the common developer looking to get things done, they’ll often gravitate to the tool that gets them the biggest impact with the least upfront i…
My favorite feature of NixOS so far though is the ease of creating containers via the configuration.nix file. There's a few services I run that don't have nix packages, but do have containers. It's essentially like writing a docker compose file, but instead of YAML, you use Nix and all of the niceties that come with it. Seems like the best of both worlds (as someone who isn't themselves creating containers).
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#7I've set up my new M1 MacBook Pro using Nix and it's been going relatively well. Home Manager manages global tooling like Neovim, random CLI tools, and config files while I've set up `default.nix` files to use with `nix-shell` per-project. The set up of each project can be a little tedious as I still find the language confusing but once everything is set up the reliable re-creation is excellent. I love the feeling of…
My MBP left Shenzen early this morning and I'm super interested in details of how you did this. Are there any examples of doing this that you followed or recommend? Ansible is more my tooling of choice, though I'm fascinated by Nix, but I wasn't sure even how to get started with using Ansible to set up the Mac.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#8No, it definitely (but unfortunately) will not. Nix does everything docker does better than docker does, except most crucially, integrate with non nix tooling. Nix vs Docker is like Rust vs JavaScript - you can point out every reason js is terrible and rust is better, but for the common developer looking to get things done, they’ll often gravitate to the tool that gets them the biggest impact with the least upfront i…
There’s just too many edge cases and system/language oddities that make me continuously reach for Docker as default, even after 4 years of NixOS as daily driver.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#9I think people are missing the forest for the trees with this.
In my view, the reason Docker has all the hype is because I can look at a Dockerfile, and know what's up. In seconds. Sometimes in milliseconds.
It's a user experience thing. Yes, Nix is better for 'technical people that spent the time learning the tool', but Dockerfiles rely almost entirely on existing System knowledge.
Yes, Nix is 'better', but the fact is Docker is 'good enough' and also 'stupid simple' to get started.
Also Docker-Compose, I don't know why people hate on YAML. But it takes that same KISS attitude to build complex systems that can also be used as sanity checks for migrating to things like kubernetes.
Being able to spin up a complex full stack app with one command and a compose file that doesn't take any brain cells to read is worth it's weight in gold.
This is like the 'general case tool' vs 'DSL' debate. If it's easy to use, people will use it.
Re: Will Nix Overtake Docker?
#10I tried using Nix and NixOS early in the year, but documentation is an issue. Also, while I appreciate NixOS’s focus on reproducible configuration, I also have 25 years worth of mediocre Unix sysadmin experience, and it would be nice if the system found a way to accommodate Unix. My last straw was trying to get nix to schedule some task through systemd, when what I wanted was a simple crontab.