Searching for Packages

With thousands of packages available in the Nix ecosystem, finding the right one can be challenging. Grove provides search functionality to help you discover what’s available.

Searching for packages

To search for packages by name:

kanuka grove search nodejs
kanuka grove search python
kanuka grove search postgres

This will show you all packages that match your search term, along with their descriptions and versions.

Search examples

Here are some useful search patterns:

# Find all Node.js related packages
kanuka grove search node

# Find Python packages
kanuka grove search python

# Find database packages
kanuka grove search database

# Find development tools
kanuka grove search dev

# Find specific tools
kanuka grove search docker
kanuka grove search git
kanuka grove search vim

Understanding search results

Search results show packages in this format:

✓ Search results for 'nodejs':

nodejs_24 @ 24.4.1
  Event-driven I/O framework for the V8 JavaScript engine

nodejs_20 @ 20.19.4
  Event-driven I/O framework for the V8 JavaScript engine

nodejs-slim @ 22.17.0
  Event-driven I/O framework for the V8 JavaScript engine

→ Found 3 packages (use --details for more details)
→ Add a package: kanuka grove add <package>

Each result shows:

Package name: The exact name to use with kanuka grove add.
Version: The current version available (after @).
Description: What the package does.

Advanced search options

You can use additional flags to refine your search:

# Limit the number of results
kanuka grove search python --max-results 5

# Search by exact package name
kanuka grove search --name python3

# Search for packages providing a specific program
kanuka grove search --program node

# Get detailed information including programs and homepage
kanuka grove search --name python3 --details

The --details flag shows additional information like available programs and homepage URLs.

What if you can’t find a package?

If you can’t find what you’re looking for:

Try different search terms: Search for variations or related terms.
Check the package name: Some packages have unexpected names in nixpkgs.
Look for alternatives: There might be a similar tool with a different name.
Use channels: Try searching in different channels if you need specific versions.

Next steps

To learn more about kanuka grove search, see the package management concepts and the command reference.

Or, continue reading to learn how to see what’s currently in your environment.