# elitak/nixos-infect

[GPLv3+] install nixos over the existing OS in a DigitalOcean droplet (and others with minor modifications)

Repository: https://github.com/elitak/nixos-infect
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nixos-infect
Language: Shell
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-03-22T21:54:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 65/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 73, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3789, "days_push": 164, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1921, forks 303 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:55.244890+00:00)

## What it is
A shell script that replaces the existing operating system on a freshly provisioned VPS or cloud host with NixOS. It supports many providers like DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and Vultr, and is destructive by design, wiping the root filesystem.

## Use cases
- convert a DigitalOcean droplet to NixOS
- install NixOS on a Hetzner cloud server
- reprovision a Vultr VPS with NixOS
- bootstrap NixOS on a cloud provider without custom images
- replace Ubuntu with NixOS on a root server

## When to choose
- you want NixOS on a hoster that offers no NixOS image
- you are working with a freshly provisioned disposable server
- you prefer declarative NixOS configuration over the provider's default OS

## When to avoid
- the server holds data you cannot afford to lose
- you need a guaranteed-safe, supported installation path
- you are not comfortable debugging a failed, half-converted system

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, infrastructure-as-code, developer-tools
- domain: cloud-computing, self-hosted, operating-systems
- platform: cli, cloud
- tags: nixos, provisioning, vps, shell-script, system-installation, devops, linux

## Member repositories
- elitak/nixos-infect (main) score 65

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.244890+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 2026-08-30T03:09:42.173719+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/elitak/nixos-infect (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.244890+00:00, sha 9ed50efb3cfb)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.