Any Nix package, live in your browser

Farid Zakaria has developed a remarkable project called trynix.dev, which allows you to run any Nix package directly in your web browser. This achievement is the result of years of dedication, and the project stands as his magnum opus in the realm of Nix work.

Trynix.dev leverages a powerful tool called qemu-wasm, which creates an x86_64 Linux virtual machine running entirely within the browser through WebAssembly technology. With this innovative approach, users can access a virtual machine and boot any Nix package from the past thirteen years.

The virtual machine is URL addressable, meaning you can navigate to a specific URL and immediately get an interactive shell within the virtual machine. For example, by visiting a certain page and clicking the "Load" button, users can obtain a Python 3.6.2 shell from 2017, running within a virtual machine.

Farid is continually expanding the capabilities of trynix.dev. One recent example is the introduction of trynix-preview, a tool that enables users to boot a pull request and review its build directly in their browser. This is achieved through a GitHub action that leaves a comment with a link on the pull request, allowing developers to instantly test their code without the need for any servers.

Simon Willison, a contributor to the project, shared news about trynix.dev on September 10th, 2026. He invites supporters to sponsor him for $10 a month, receiving a curated email digest featuring the month's most important developments in large language models.