How to Try eza Without Installing It

Updated

If you already have Nix set up with flake support, you can run eza directly from its GitHub repository with a single command — no permanent installation required:

nix run github:eza-community/eza

Nix will build eza and run it for you. This is the fastest way to evaluate eza before deciding whether to install it system-wide.

What happens when you run it

The nix run command fetches the eza source from the eza-community/eza repository, builds the binary in Nix's isolated environment, and executes it immediately. Nothing is added to your system PATH or package database, so there is no cleanup needed afterward.

Passing arguments to eza

Because nix run treats everything after the repository reference as its own arguments, you need a -- separator before eza's own flags. For example, to run eza with the long listing format on the current directory:

nix run github:eza-community/eza -- -ol .

Everything after -- is forwarded to eza itself. Without the separator, Nix would try to interpret -ol as its own option and fail.

When this approach fits

  • You want to see eza's output, colours, and Git integration on your own files before committing to an install.
  • You are on a machine where you cannot or do not want to modify the system package set.
  • You already use Nix flakes and are comfortable with the build-on-demand model.

When to install instead

If you plan to use eza regularly, the build-and-run cycle of nix run adds startup overhead each time. In that case, install it through your normal channel — for example nix profile install nixpkgs#eza for Nix profile users, or nix-env -i eza for nix-env users. eza is also packaged for Windows, macOS, Linux, and BSDs, with distribution-specific instructions for Cargo, Arch Linux, Debian/Ubuntu, and Gentoo.

A note on what you are trying

eza is a maintained replacement for ls that uses colours to distinguish file types and metadata, understands symlinks, extended attributes, and Git, and ships as a single small binary. Compared with exa, it adds fixes for the 2021 "Grid Bug", hyperlink support, mount point details, SELinux context output, Git repo status output, human-readable relative dates, and several security fixes. Trying it via nix run lets you confirm those behaviours match your expectations before installing.