Some NixOS native packages and options change the defaults to be more security conscious rather than “easy to spin up.” Doing a basic nginx config in NixOS will be more secure than if you had installed it through debian’s apt or from source. Similar for ssh, you just don’t have to think as much about doing those few obvious config changes you always have to do when spinning up a new machine. Of course, there are some things you have to customize for yourself (like custom ports, paths, etc.), but they make it a little simpler by assuming you’re using NixOS in a production environment.

A couple of other links that you’ll end up referencing all the time if you get into NixOS:

• https://search.nixos.org/packages
• https://search.nixos.org/options

The first link is the native package repo, and the second link are all the NixOS config parameters for each of those packages and the system in general.

they don’t complain but I know it will make their lives easier

Perfect. So when you do provide them with an efficiency boost when they never asked about it, you can be a rockstar and get a raise. Or keep it in your back pocket until they do complain and implement it then for a similar effect 😜