The Dutch government is developing a new software ecosystem based on NixOS to reduce reliance on foreign technology providers. The initiative, overseen by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, involves three service providers: SSC-ICT, DICTU, and DUO-ICT.
NixOS was selected for its package manager, which allows for immutable and signed contents. This architecture simplifies deployment across government infrastructure, with estimates suggesting that up to 90% of configurations can be reused between systems. Additionally, the platform supports hardware that does not meet Windows 11 requirements.
The transition process is currently in the trial phase, with eight municipalities testing the new software. A stable release of the platform is scheduled for the end of 2027. This move follows similar efforts by Germany, France, and Denmark to secure their national digital infrastructure against potential external access restrictions.
