aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/doc/manual/glossary.xml
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/manual/glossary.xml')
-rw-r--r--doc/manual/glossary.xml79
1 files changed, 79 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/manual/glossary.xml b/doc/manual/glossary.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2c4f55c7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/glossary.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+<appendix><title>Glossary</title>
+
+<glosslist>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>derivation</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A description of a build action. The result of a
+ derivation is a store object.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The location in the file system where store objects
+ live. Typically <filename>/nix/store</filename>.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store path</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The location in the file system of a store object,
+ i.e., an immediate child of the Nix store
+ directory.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store object</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A file that is an immediate child of the Nix store
+ directory. These can be regular files, but also entire directory
+ trees. Store objects can be sources (objects copied from outside of
+ the store), derivation outputs (objects produced by running a build
+ action), or derivations (files describing a build
+ action).</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>substitute</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A substitute is a command invocation stored in the
+ Nix database that describes how to build a store object, bypassing
+ normal the build mechanism (i.e., derivations). Typically, the
+ substitute builds the store object by downloading a pre-built
+ version of the store object from some server.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>purity</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The assumption that equal Nix derivations when run
+ always produce the same output. This cannot be guaranteed in
+ general (e.g., a builder can rely on external inputs such as the
+ network or the system time) but the Nix model assumes
+ it.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>Nix expression</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A high-level description of software components and
+ compositions thereof. Deploying software using Nix entails writing
+ Nix expressions for your components. Nix expressions are translated
+ to derivations that are stored in the Nix store. These derivations
+ can then be built.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+</glosslist>
+
+
+</appendix> \ No newline at end of file