# Any Nix package, live in your browser

DevFeed: [Any Nix package, live in your browser](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/any-nix-package-live-in-your-browser-31159.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/10/trynix/>)

Author: Simon Willison

Published: 2026-09-10T23:44:15Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Simon Willison's Weblog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/simon-willison-s-weblog.md>)

Topics: [Nix](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/nix.md>), [WebAssembly](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/web-assembly.md>), [qemu](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/qemu.md>), [x86](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/x86.md>), [GitHub Actions](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/github-actions.md>), [Pull Request](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pull-request.md>)

Tags: [browser](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browser.md>), [code-review](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-review.md>), [code-review-16](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-review-16.md>), [github-actions](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github-actions.md>), [github-actions-72](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github-actions-72.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [linux-54](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux-54.md>), [qemu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/qemu.md>), [webassembly](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/webassembly.md>), [webassembly-131](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/webassembly-131.md>), [x86](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/x86.md>)

## AI overview

The article describes trynix.dev, which runs an x86_64 Linux virtual machine in the browser using qemu-wasm and WebAssembly. It can boot Nix packages from the past 13 years, including Python 3.6.2, and supports URL-addressable interactive shells. It also highlights trynix-preview, a GitHub Action that links pull requests to browser-based builds without servers.

## Source excerpt

Any Nix package, live in your browser Farid Zakaria calls this his "magnum opus of Nix work", and I can see why. trynix.dev provides a qemu-wasm powered x86_64 Linux virtual machine running entirely in your browser through WebAssembly. That VM can then be booted with any Nix package from the past 13 years. They are URL addressable, so you can navigate to this page: https://trynix.dev/?pkg=python3%403.6.2 Then click "Load" and get an interactive shell against a virtual machine running Python 3.6.2 from 2017. Farid is building all sorts of neat things on top of this. One recent example: Review a pull request by booting it introduces trynix-preview, described like this: GitHub action that comments a link on a pull request which lets you boot the PR's build in the browser using https://trynix.dev. No servers, just browsers. Via Lobste.rs Tags: code-review, linux, webassembly, github-actions