# How to manage nixos and nixpkgs using flakes

**URL:** https://discourse.nixos.org/t/how-to-manage-nixos-and-nixpkgs-using-flakes/62463
**Category:** Help
**Created:** [April 1, 2025, 1:45am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/how-to-manage-nixos-and-nixpkgs-using-flakes/62463 "2025-04-01T01:45:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 6

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### Author: ![waffle8946](https://discourse.nixos.org/user_avatar/discourse.nixos.org/waffle8946/32/27221_2.png) [@waffle8946](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/waffle8946)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2025, 3:45am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/how-to-manage-nixos-and-nixpkgs-using-flakes/62463/6 "2025-04-01T03:45:17Z")

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> [@0x-Avant-Garde](#):
>
> want to change my OS to nixos-23.11.

You don’t, because 23.11 doesn’t get updates.

I don’t understand your question, this is my best guess at what you’re looking for.  
I also would not recommend this, though. Just pick either stable or unstable and stick with it, don’t mix.

> [@Mixing stable and unstable packages on flake-based NixOS system](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/mixing-stable-and-unstable-packages-on-flake-based-nixos-system/50351/4):
>
> EDIT: Huge caveat - I strongly recommend not mixing stable with unstable on the same system. It’s unsupported and can lead to confusing errors when going to run programs, due to glibc and graphics driver mismatches. Never set pkgs directly in the NixOS module system, as the other answers are indicating. Here’s a couple of concepts you need to know: If you want to access some inputs, or some other value across your config without creating an explicit option for it, use specialArgs or \_module.…

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