# devenv

Nix-based tool that declares a developer environment in a devenv.nix file (packages, languages, services, processes and tasks) and activates it in the shell.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/devenv/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
Listed since: 2026-10-28

## Record

### Links

- home: https://devenv.sh
- repository: https://github.com/cachix/devenv
- docs: https://devenv.sh/getting-started/
- x: https://x.com/devenv_nix
- discord: https://discord.gg/naMgvexb6q

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Cachix
- maintainerType: unknown
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2022
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: dev-tool
- hosting: not applicable
- language: rust
- runtime: unknown
- runtimeMin: not applicable
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: not applicable
- headlessApi: not applicable
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: not applicable

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: local
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: nix profile install nixpkgs#devenv

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 2
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-09-24

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 7782
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 312
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://devenv.sh/ (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cachix/devenv/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainer: https://www.cachix.org/about (read 2026-10-28)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv (read 2026-10-28)
- category: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cachix/devenv/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- runsAs: https://devenv.sh/ (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://devenv.sh/getting-started/ (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://devenv.sh/getting-started/ (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv (read 2026-10-28)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cachix/devenv/main/LICENSE (read 2026-10-28)
- firstRelease: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv (read 2026-10-28)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/cachix/devenv/contributors?per_page=1 (read 2026-10-28)

## Notes

devenv is a developer environment tool built on Nix. A project declares its environment in a devenv.nix file on top of Nix, and the inputs of that environment are pinned in a lockfile. The same environment can be built into OCI containers. An experimental machines feature installs or deploys NixOS and nix-darwin configurations over SSH from the command line.

## Worth knowing

Nix has to be installed before devenv. The install guide covers Linux, macOS and Windows through WSL2. A cloud version of the environments is in private beta.

---

Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0