# nix-community/nix-ld

Run unpatched dynamic binaries on NixOS [maintainer=@Mic92]

Repository: https://github.com/nix-community/nix-ld
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nix-ld
Language: Rust
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: build-with-buildbot, managed-by-renovate
Last push: 2026-08-24T08:47:28+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 78/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 38, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2117, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 336, "gap_med": 78, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1695, forks 26 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:23.790383+00:00)

## What it is
nix-ld is a shim dynamic linker that lets unpatched precompiled Linux binaries run on NixOS by installing itself at the conventional loader path and delegating to the real loader via NIX_LD environment variables. It is integrated into nixpkgs as a NixOS module enabled with programs.nix-ld.enable.

## Use cases
- run unpatched dynamic binaries on NixOS
- run binaries installed via npm or pip without repatching on every update
- run proprietary software or games that verify their integrity
- run programs too large for the nix store
- avoid limitations of buildFHSUserEnv like setuid or nested sandboxes
- use direnv with precompiled executables

## When to choose
- you are on NixOS and need to run precompiled binaries with hardcoded linker paths
- autoPatchelfHook is impractical because binaries update frequently or are huge
- you need setuid binaries or nested sandboxing that buildFHSUserEnv cannot provide

## When to avoid
- you are not on NixOS and standard Linux loader paths already work
- you can simply patch binaries with autoPatchelfHook at build time
- you need a full FHS environment with a complete filesystem layout

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: developer-tools, configuration-management, security
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: -
- tags: nixos, dynamic-linker, binary-compatibility, nix, rust, shim, linux

## Member repositories
- nix-community/nix-ld (main) score 78

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:23.790383+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:37:56.591423+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nix-community/nix-ld (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:23.790383+00:00, sha 42503cfe10a7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.