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+## `manifest.nix`
+
+The manifest file records the provenance of the packages that are installed in a [profile](./profiles.md) managed by [`nix-env`](@docroot@/command-ref/nix-env.md).
+
+Here is an example of how this file might look like after installing `hello` from Nixpkgs:
+
+```nix
+[{
+  meta = {
+    available = true;
+    broken = false;
+    changelog =
+      "https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hello.git/plain/NEWS?h=v2.12.1";
+    description = "A program that produces a familiar, friendly greeting";
+    homepage = "https://www.gnu.org/software/hello/manual/";
+    insecure = false;
+    license = {
+      deprecated = false;
+      free = true;
+      fullName = "GNU General Public License v3.0 or later";
+      redistributable = true;
+      shortName = "gpl3Plus";
+      spdxId = "GPL-3.0-or-later";
+      url = "https://spdx.org/licenses/GPL-3.0-or-later.html";
+    };
+    longDescription = ''
+      GNU Hello is a program that prints "Hello, world!" when you run it.
+      It is fully customizable.
+    '';
+    maintainers = [{
+      email = "edolstra+nixpkgs@gmail.com";
+      github = "edolstra";
+      githubId = 1148549;
+      name = "Eelco Dolstra";
+    }];
+    name = "hello-2.12.1";
+    outputsToInstall = [ "out" ];
+    platforms = [
+      "i686-cygwin"
+      "x86_64-cygwin"
+      "x86_64-darwin"
+      "i686-darwin"
+      "aarch64-darwin"
+      "armv7a-darwin"
+      "i686-freebsd13"
+      "x86_64-freebsd13"
+      "aarch64-genode"
+      "i686-genode"
+      "x86_64-genode"
+      "x86_64-solaris"
+      "js-ghcjs"
+      "aarch64-linux"
+      "armv5tel-linux"
+      "armv6l-linux"
+      "armv7a-linux"
+      "armv7l-linux"
+      "i686-linux"
+      "m68k-linux"
+      "microblaze-linux"
+      "microblazeel-linux"
+      "mipsel-linux"
+      "mips64el-linux"
+      "powerpc64-linux"
+      "powerpc64le-linux"
+      "riscv32-linux"
+      "riscv64-linux"
+      "s390-linux"
+      "s390x-linux"
+      "x86_64-linux"
+      "mmix-mmixware"
+      "aarch64-netbsd"
+      "armv6l-netbsd"
+      "armv7a-netbsd"
+      "armv7l-netbsd"
+      "i686-netbsd"
+      "m68k-netbsd"
+      "mipsel-netbsd"
+      "powerpc-netbsd"
+      "riscv32-netbsd"
+      "riscv64-netbsd"
+      "x86_64-netbsd"
+      "aarch64_be-none"
+      "aarch64-none"
+      "arm-none"
+      "armv6l-none"
+      "avr-none"
+      "i686-none"
+      "microblaze-none"
+      "microblazeel-none"
+      "msp430-none"
+      "or1k-none"
+      "m68k-none"
+      "powerpc-none"
+      "powerpcle-none"
+      "riscv32-none"
+      "riscv64-none"
+      "rx-none"
+      "s390-none"
+      "s390x-none"
+      "vc4-none"
+      "x86_64-none"
+      "i686-openbsd"
+      "x86_64-openbsd"
+      "x86_64-redox"
+      "wasm64-wasi"
+      "wasm32-wasi"
+      "x86_64-windows"
+      "i686-windows"
+    ];
+    position =
+      "/nix/store/7niq32w715567hbph0q13m5lqna64c1s-nixos-unstable.tar.gz/nixos-unstable.tar.gz/pkgs/applications/misc/hello/default.nix:34";
+    unfree = false;
+    unsupported = false;
+  };
+  name = "hello-2.12.1";
+  out = {
+    outPath = "/nix/store/260q5867crm1xjs4khgqpl6vr9kywql1-hello-2.12.1";
+  };
+  outPath = "/nix/store/260q5867crm1xjs4khgqpl6vr9kywql1-hello-2.12.1";
+  outputs = [ "out" ];
+  system = "x86_64-linux";
+  type = "derivation";
+}]
+```
+
+Each element in this list corresponds to an installed package.
+It incorporates some attributes of the original derivation, including `meta`, `name`, `out`, `outPath`, `outputs`, `system`.
+This information is used by Nix for querying and updating the package.