--- title: nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing | daily.dev description: nixpkgs-multiverse is a Nix flake that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages across 304,484 distinct package-version... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing | daily.dev og:description: nixpkgs-multiverse is a Nix flake that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages across 304,484 distinct package-version... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/p4saQ8Sp6.png og:image:alt: nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing **[Farid Zakaria’s Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/fzakaria)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary nixpkgs-multiverse is a Nix flake that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages across 304,484 distinct package-version pairs from 1,537 revisions. Unlike traditional package managers that enforce a single global version per package, Nix's content-addressed store at /nix/store/- allows all versions to coexist. The project now includes 246 distinct CPython versions installable side-by-side, and has resolved a long-standing devenv.sh issue around pinning individual package versions. Two new features were added: `daysBehind` for a cooldown/soak window (inspired by Determinate Systems' approach), and provenance metadata on every package set so you can interrogate where a pkgs came from. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How can I pin a specific package version in devenv.sh without pinning all of nixpkgs? nixpkgs-multiverse solves this by providing a single flake input that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages and 304,484 distinct package-version pairs. devenv.sh now officially documents nixpkgs-multiverse as the solution to individual package pinning, closing a long-standing issue opened in November 2022. Each version is pre-built and substitutable from the cache. _Developers managing multi-tool dev environments with strict version requirements track solutions like this on daily.dev._ ### How many CPython versions can I install side by side with Nix? nixpkgs-multiverse exposes 246 distinct CPython versions, starting from 2.6.8, all installable side by side. Each version includes its own transitive dependencies — no shared glibc, openssl, or zlib between them unless they happen to deduplicate by hash. All versions are pre-built, cached, and addressable by version number rather than commit hash. _Python developers juggling multiple interpreter versions across projects find version management discussions like this on daily.dev._ ### What does the daysBehind feature in nixpkgs-multiverse do? The `daysBehind` function returns the full nixos-unstable package set as it stood N days before a given anchor point, acting as a cooldown or soak window. For example, `mv.daysBehind "tip" 7` gives you the package set from 7 days ago, and `mv.daysBehind "tip" 365` from a year ago. The anchor can be any selector that `at` accepts, inspired by Determinate Systems' cooldown approach. _Nix users managing stability windows and rollout risk keep up with ecosystem tooling like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [nixpkgs-multiverse: every version that ever existed](https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-every-version-that-ever-existed-iamzpa09p) · Farid Zakaria’s Blog · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The holy grail of nixpkgs: version ranges](https://daily.dev/posts/the-holy-grail-of-nixpkgs-version-ranges-3knjgjwa9) · Farid Zakaria’s Blog · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Installing Every NixOS Package](https://daily.dev/posts/installing-every-nixos-package-lar2ojdt9) · Lobsters · 2 upvotes · 1 comments - [NixOS 25.11 Released With 7,002 New Packages Added](https://daily.dev/posts/nixos-25-11-released-with-7-002-new-packages-added-dc9qwv6dm) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T18:29:35.797Z","dateModified":"2026-08-17T23:58:01.403Z","description":"nixpkgs-multiverse is a Nix flake that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages across 304,484 distinct package-version...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--58gMhC4P--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2012","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--58gMhC4P--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2012","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Farid Zakaria’s Blog","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Farid Zakaria’s Blog","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--YqqvRt90--/f_auto/v1723789280/logos/fzakaria","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/fzakaria"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Farid Zakaria’s Blog","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/fzakaria"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"nixpkgs-multiverse is audacitymaxxing"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/nixpkgs-multiverse-is-audacitymaxxing-p4saq8sp6#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How can I pin a specific package version in devenv.sh without pinning all of nixpkgs?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"nixpkgs-multiverse solves this by providing a single flake input that exposes every version of every package ever shipped in Nixpkgs — 31,783 packages and 304,484 distinct package-version pairs. devenv.sh now officially documents nixpkgs-multiverse as the solution to individual package pinning, closing a long-standing issue opened in November 2022. 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