nix store diff-closures - Lix Reference Manual

> 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

Note: this command's interface is based heavily around installables, which you may want to read about first (`nix --help`).

# 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), it returns information about the change in the set of versions of the package, and the change in the size of the store paths.

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,

    1.2, 1.3 → 1.4

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

## Regular output

The regular output prints lines like this:

    dolphin: 20.08.1 → 20.08.2, +13.9 KiB

No size change is shown if it's below the 8 KiB threshold.

## JSON output

With `--json`, the output is in a JSON representation suitable for automatic processing by other tools. The resulting object will contain a `schema` key specifying the version of the output structure, and a `packages` key listing the diff information for each package in both closures.

The printed result looks like this:

    {
      "packages": {
        "zlib": {
          "sizeDelta": 118856,
          "versionsAfter": [
            "1.3.1"
          ],
          "versionsBefore": [
            "1.3"
          ]
        }
        // ...
      },
      "schema": "lix-closure-diff-v1"
    }

# Options

- `--json` Produce output in JSON format, suitable for consumption by another program.

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.

- `--debugger` Start an interactive environment if evaluation fails.

- `--eval-store` store-url The URL of the Nix store to use for evaluation, i.e. to store derivations (`.drv` files) and inputs referenced by them.

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

- `--include` / `-I` path Add path to the Nix search path. The Nix search path is initialized from the colon-separated `NIX_PATH` environment variable, and is used to look up the location of Nix expressions using paths enclosed in angle brackets (i.e., `<nixpkgs>`).

  For instance, passing

      -I /home/eelco/Dev
      -I /etc/nixos

  will cause Lix to look for paths relative to `/home/eelco/Dev` and `/etc/nixos`, in that order. This is equivalent to setting the `NIX_PATH` environment variable to

      /home/eelco/Dev:/etc/nixos

  It is also possible to match paths against a prefix. For example, passing

      -I nixpkgs=/home/eelco/Dev/nixpkgs-branch
      -I /etc/nixos

  will cause Lix to search for `<nixpkgs/path>` in `/home/eelco/Dev/nixpkgs-branch/path` and `/etc/nixos/nixpkgs/path`.

  If a path in the Nix search path starts with `http://` or `https://`, it is interpreted as the URL of a tarball that will be downloaded and unpacked to a temporary location. The tarball must consist of a single top-level directory. For example, passing

      -I nixpkgs=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/master.tar.gz

  tells Lix to download and use the current contents of the `master` branch in the `nixpkgs` repository.

  The URLs of the tarballs from the official `nixos.org` channels (see the manual page for `nix-channel`) can be abbreviated as `channel:<channel-name>`. For instance, the following two flags are equivalent:

      -I nixpkgs=channel:nixos-21.05
      -I nixpkgs=https://channels.nixos.org/nixos-21.05/nixexprs.tar.xz

  You can also fetch source trees using flake URLs and add them to the search path. For instance,

      -I nixpkgs=flake:nixpkgs

  specifies that the prefix `nixpkgs` shall refer to the source tree downloaded from the `nixpkgs` entry in the flake registry. Similarly,

      -I nixpkgs=flake:github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-22.05

  makes `<nixpkgs>` refer to a particular branch of the `NixOS/nixpkgs` repository on GitHub.

- `--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.

- `--output-lock-file` flake-lock-path Write the given lock file instead of `flake.lock` within the top-level flake.

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

- `--reference-lock-file` flake-lock-path Read the given lock file instead of `flake.lock` within the top-level flake.

Logging-related options:

- `--debug` Set the logging verbosity level to 'debug'.

- `--log-format` format Set the format of log output; one of `raw`, `internal-json`, `bar`, `bar-with-logs`, `multiline` or `multiline-with-logs`.

- `--print-build-logs` / `-L` Print full build logs on standard error.

- `--quiet` Decrease the logging verbosity level.

- `--verbose` / `-v` Increase the logging verbosity level.

Miscellaneous global options:

- `--help` Show usage information.

- `--offline` Disable substituters and consider all previously downloaded files up-to-date.

- `--option` name value Set the Lix configuration setting name to value (overriding `nix.conf`).

- `--refresh` Consider all previously downloaded files out-of-date.

- `--repair` During evaluation, rewrite missing or corrupted files in the Nix store. During building, rebuild missing or corrupted store paths.

- `--version` Show version information.

Options that change the interpretation of installables:

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

- `--expr` / `-E` 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`.

> Note

> See `man nix.conf` for overriding configuration settings with command line flags.