Software Management

Nitrux does not revolve around a package manager. Unlike conventional distributions, where a package manager (apt, dnf, pacman) serves as the central mechanism for obtaining, installing, and updating software, Nitrux places software installation entirely outside the root filesystem.

“No Package Manager”

A traditional package manager that can alter the root defeats the purpose of immutability and reintroduces the unpredictability that immutability eliminates. Nitrux’s approach provides a degree of certainty. Updates from delivery channels outside Nitrux’s control cannot break the system. Each upgrade to a new version occurs without anomalies because user-installed software never touches the base system.

The host system includes no apt, dpkg, or equivalent package manager. Users who attempt to install software the traditional way will find no mechanism to do so. Nitrux enforces this intentionally.

Deliberate Pathways

The architecture channels users toward methods that preserve system integrity: self-contained applications that live in user space, sandboxed runtimes that cannot modify the root, and containers that provide full package manager access without compromising the host.