# NixOS / Nix vs Puppet Bolt

| Attribute | NixOS / Nix | Puppet Bolt |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 54.6 (51% (medium)) | 53.9 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 17,860 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Nix enables reproducible, isolated package builds and declarative system configurations, ensuring that package installations cannot break existing systems and allowing rollback to previous versions. It is indexed under Configuration Management Tools.","source":"https://nixos.org","question":"What is NixOS / Nix?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"NixOS / Nix is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the LGPL-2.1 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://nixos.org","question":"Is NixOS / Nix free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"NixOS / Nix supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://nixos.org","question":"What platforms does NixOS / Nix support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. NixOS / Nix can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://nixos.org","question":"Can NixOS / Nix be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for NixOS / Nix. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as NixOS / Nix not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://nixos.org/community/teams/security","question":"What security certifications does NixOS / Nix have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. NixOS / Nix is published under the LGPL-2.1 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/NixOS/nix","question":"Is NixOS / Nix open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"NixOS / Nix is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the Netherlands.","source":"https://nixos.org","question":"Where is NixOS / Nix available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"Puppet Bolt supports Windows, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"What platforms does Puppet Bolt support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Puppet Bolt can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise, air-gapped and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"Can Puppet Bolt be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 11 integrations for Puppet Bolt, including ServiceNow, VMware, Argo CD, Jenkins, Dynatrace, Datadog, New Relic and CIS Benchmarks, plus 3 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"What does Puppet Bolt integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A package manager and system configuration tool that uses functional programming principles to ensure reproducible builds and deployments work consistently across different machines and environments. | A framework for managing infrastructure resources by specifying desired states through modules and code, supporting multiple operating systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","language":"Nix","idempotent":true,"architecture":"declarative_os","desired_state":true,"masterless_mode":true,"windows_support":true,"content_registry":true,"open_source_core":true,"cloud_provisioning":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 11 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"ServiceNow"},{"name":"VMware"},{"name":"Argo CD"},{"name":"Jenkins"},{"name":"Dynatrace"},{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"New Relic"},{"name":"CIS Benchmarks"},{"name":"Tenable Nessus"},{"name":"DISA STIG"},{"name":"Splunk"}]` |
| language.primary | C++ | - |
| license.spdx | LGPL-2.1 | - |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"NL","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://nixos.org","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T15:12:22.888Z"}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6.2 | - |
| security.trust_center | https://nixos.org/community/teams/security | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=conda&package_name=nix&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | NixOS / Nix | Puppet Bolt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Declarative-OS | - |
| Push / pull model | - | - |
| Config language | Nix | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | ✓ | - |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Correctness** |  |  |
| Idempotent | ✓ | - |
| **Model** |  |  |
| Desired-state declarative | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Content registry | ✓ | - |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Cloud provisioning | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Policy / compliance | - | ✓ |
| **Commercial** |  |  |
| Enterprise edition | - | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source core | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:00:10.816Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*