Features of the NixOS Test Driver

The NixOS integration test driver is a powerful tool with many advanced features:

• Virtual machines

  ---

  The default way to run tests, providing full isolation and kernel customization.

• Containers

  ---

  A lighter and faster alternative to VMs for tests that don't require custom kernels.

• Networking

  ---

  Automated DNS, internal IP schemes, and complex multi-network VLAN setups.

• Interactive mode

  ---

  Effortless local debugging of tests.

• Test modules

  ---

  How to compose test modules efficiently for reduced code duplication.

• Screenshots and OCR

  ---

  Set up graphics support and optical character recognition for graphical tests.

• Test script linting

  ---

  Automatically check your testScript for Python errors before the tests run.

• Breakpoint hook

  ---

  Can't reproduce rare flaky test failures? Hook into the test sandbox when it happens!

• Driver log levels

  ---

  Control how verbose the driver output is — useful for cleaner CI logs.