NixOS 26.05 "Yarara" released

Category: Linux/Kernel
Status: confirmed
Sources: NixOS announcement, HN discussion
Summary: NixOS 26.05 "Yarara" was released on 2026-05-30 and resurfaced on Hacker News on 2026-06-30 (102 points). The release makes systemd stage 1 (initrd) the default and deprecates the old scripted initrd implementation. Nixpkgs added 20,442 packages and updated 20,641, and NixOS added 85 modules and 1,547 configuration options; the release gets bugfixes and security updates through 2026-12-31. The prior release 25.11 "Xantusia" reached end of life on 2026-06-30.
Why it matters: The 25.11 end of life on 2026-06-30 forces teams on Nix to move to 26.05 to keep security updates, and the systemd stage 1 default changes early-boot behavior.
Follow-up: Watch for regressions reported from the systemd stage 1 default and from the 25.11 to 26.05 migration.