Ansible is more like a bash script, NixOS is a Config File

If i remove a line from Ansible, nothing happens.

If i remove a Line from my NixOS Config, it resets that Setting to its Default / uninstalls the Package / whatever.

• You can always be sure that your NixOS is exactly like in the Config, since most of the OS is Read-Only. You can basically debug your entire OS in the Config Files.

• some other Comfort Features. Better Readability of NixOS Configs, better integration, and obviously the nixpkgs package manager which is just chefs kiss

Edit: sorry, didn't see the last part.

The difference between Nix and NixOS:

Nix refers to the Nix Packege Manager. Its Packages are called Nixpkgs

Nixpkgs are a new way to package packages without dependencies overwriting each other. Each package gets a uuid. So if one package needs dependency-x version 1.2 and another needs version 3.5, you can have both installed at the same time, since they're installed in folders like "hansfhanazavdialavsislbajsknsvsjsksbhalvsja-dependency-x-1.2" instead of both trying to install into /etc/dependencyx (i know they don't belong into /etc, this is for demonstration purposes)

This is pretty cool and solves the dependency-hells you otherwise deal with. Many tout this as the real alternative Solution to Snaps and Flatpaks, although i personally don't see it that way since i think we need to move towards a sandboxed package-format and nixpkgs isn't that. So i personally use nixpkgs for system-applications and install user-applications via flatpak.

Then there's NixOS:

NixOS isn't a Fork of any Distro. Those madlads decided to take the nixpkgs and the Linux Kernel and just create a new Distro from thin air. And it somehow worked.

NixOS uses the Nix-Daemon to read your configuration, install your packages, link them (from /nix/hwghaajvshkavahakaj-bash to /etc/bin/bash etc) and to configure your System (i.e. what ssh keys are allowed to connect)

This way NixOS has become a declarative Distro on top of the Nix Package Manager