nix3-store-diff-closures(1)

Warning: This program is experimental and its interface is subject to change.

Name
nix store diff-closures - show what packages and versions were added and removed between two closures

Synopsis
nix store diff-closures [option…] before after

Examples

•   Show what got added and removed between two versions of the NixOS system profile:

    # nix store diff-closures /nix/var/nix/profiles/system-655-link /nix/var/nix/profiles/system-658-link
    acpi-call: 2020-04-07-5.8.16 → 2020-04-07-5.8.18
    baloo-widgets: 20.08.1 → 20.08.2
    bluez-qt: +12.6 KiB
    dolphin: 20.08.1 → 20.08.2, +13.9 KiB
    kdeconnect: 20.08.2 → ∅, -6597.8 KiB
    kdeconnect-kde: ∅ → 20.08.2, +6599.7 KiB
    …

Description
This command shows the differences between the two closures before and after with respect to the addition, removal, or version change of packages, as well as changes in store path sizes.

For each package name in the two closures (where a package name is defined as the name component of a store path excluding the version), if there is a change in the set of versions of the package, or a change in the size of the store paths of more than 8 KiB, it prints a line like this:

    dolphin: 20.08.1 → 20.08.2, +13.9 KiB

No size change is shown if it’s below the threshold. If the package does not exist in either the before or after closures, it is represented using ∅ (empty set) on the appropriate side of the arrow. If a package has an empty version string, the version is rendered as ε (epsilon).

There may be multiple versions of a package in each closure. In that case, only the changed versions are shown. Thus,

    libfoo: 1.2, 1.3 → 1.4

leaves open the possibility that there are other versions (e.g. 1.1) that exist in both closures.

Options

•   --debugger
    start an interactive environment if evaluation fails

Common evaluation options:

•   --arg name expr
    Pass the value expr as the argument name to Nix functions.

•   --argstr name string
    Pass the string string as the argument name to Nix functions.

•   --eval-store store-url
    The Nix store to use for evaluations.

•   --impure
    Allow access to mutable paths and repositories.

•   --include / -I path
    Add path to the list of locations used to look up <...> file names.

•   --override-flake original-ref resolved-ref
    Override the flake registries, redirecting original-ref to resolved-ref.

Common flake-related options:

•   --commit-lock-file
    Commit changes to the flake’s lock file.

•   --inputs-from flake-url
    Use the inputs of the specified flake as registry entries.

•   --no-registries
    Don’t allow lookups in the flake registries. This option is deprecated; use --no-use-registries.

•   --no-update-lock-file
    Do not allow any updates to the flake’s lock file.

•   --no-write-lock-file
    Do not write the flake’s newly generated lock file.

•   --override-input input-path flake-url
    Override a specific flake input (e.g. dwarffs/nixpkgs). This implies --no-write-lock-file.

•   --recreate-lock-file
    Recreate the flake’s lock file from scratch.

•   --update-input input-path
    Update a specific flake input (ignoring its previous entry in the lock file).

Options that change the interpretation of installables:

•   --derivation
    Operate on the store derivation rather than its outputs.

•   --expr expr
    Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression expr.

•   --file / -f file
    Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression stored in file. If file is the character -, then a Nix expression will be read from standard input. Implies --impure.