nixos-anywhere is a deployment tool that installs NixOS on remote machines via SSH without manual intervention.
The tool solves the problem of setting up NixOS on distant or heterogeneous infrastructure by automating the entire installation process. It works by connecting to a target machine over SSH, detecting or loading a NixOS installer environment using kexec if needed, then executing a pre-configured sequence of disk partitioning, NixOS installation, and optional software provisioning. All of this happens unattended after a single command is issued from a source machine with Nix installed.
The tool suits teams managing machines across multiple platforms and hosting providers—cloud servers, bare metal providers like Hetzner, and local network machines can all use the same configuration. You define partitioning and NixOS setup in Nix configurations and flakes, then deploy identical systems anywhere. This is particularly valuable for commissioning new hardware or repurposing machines where you want to avoid interactive installation steps. The README emphasizes that the tool is designed for fresh installations only; it will completely overwrite the target system, so production servers must never be used as targets.
Development activity shows consistent engagement with the project. The maintainers actively review and merge contributions addressing both bug fixes and feature requests. The project receives regular updates that extend its capabilities, such as support for custom kexec images on non-x86_64 architectures. Documentation is maintained alongside code changes, including how-to guides for specialized scenarios like installations on machines with no operating system.
