Merge pull request #272183 from infinisil/nixpkgs-reference

# Contributing to the Nixpkgs manual

# Contributing to the Nixpkgs reference manual

This directory houses the sources files for the Nixpkgs manual.

This directory houses the sources files for the Nixpkgs reference manual.

You can find the [rendered documentation for Nixpkgs `unstable` on nixos.org](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/).

The rendering tool is [nixos-render-docs](../pkgs/tools/nix/nixos-render-docs/src/nixos_render_docs), sometimes abbreviated `nrd`.

Going forward, it should only contain [reference](https://nix.dev/contributing/documentation/diataxis#reference) documentation.

For tutorials, guides and explanations, contribute to <https://nix.dev/> instead.

For documentation only relevant for contributors, use Markdown files and code comments in the source code.

[Docs for Nixpkgs stable](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/) are also available.

Rendered documentation:

- [Unstable (from master)](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/)

- [Stable (from latest release)](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/)

If you're only getting started with Nix, go to [nixos.org/learn](https://nixos.org/learn).

The rendering tool is [nixos-render-docs](../pkgs/tools/nix/nixos-render-docs/src/nixos_render_docs), sometimes abbreviated `nrd`.

## Contributing to this documentation

# Nixpkgs Manual {#nixpkgs-manual}

# Nixpkgs Reference Manual {#nixpkgs-manual}

## Version @MANUAL_VERSION@

```{=include=} chapters

Packages are available for several platforms, and can be used with the Nix

package manager on most GNU/Linux distributions as well as [NixOS](https://nixos.org/nixos).

This manual primarily describes how to write packages for the Nix Packages collection

(Nixpkgs). Thus it’s mainly for packagers and developers who want to add packages to

Nixpkgs. If you like to learn more about the Nix package manager and the Nix

expression language, then you are kindly referred to the [Nix manual](https://nixos.org/nix/manual/).

The NixOS distribution is documented in the [NixOS manual](https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/).

This document is the user [_reference_](https://nix.dev/contributing/documentation/diataxis#reference) manual for Nixpkgs.

It describes entire public interface of Nixpkgs in a concise and orderly manner, and all relevant behaviors, with examples and cross-references.

To discover other kinds of documentation:

- [nix.dev](https://nix.dev/): Tutorials and guides for getting things done with Nix

- [NixOS **Option Search**](https://search.nixos.org/options) and reference documentation

- [Nixpkgs **Package Search**](https://search.nixos.org/packages)

- [**NixOS** manual](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/): Reference documentation for the NixOS Linux distribution

- [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md): Contributing to Nixpkgs, including this manual

## Overview of Nixpkgs {#overview-of-nixpkgs}

These comments are processed using [nixdoc](https://github.com/nix-community/nixdoc) and [rendered in the Nixpkgs manual](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#chap-functions).

The nixdoc README describes the [comment format](https://github.com/nix-community/nixdoc#comment-format).

See the [chapter on contributing to the Nixpkgs manual](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/#chap-contributing) for how to build the manual.

See [doc/README.md](../doc/README.md) for how to build the manual.

## Running tests