Just start easy with MOKKA, you can test with the live ISO also Hyprland.
Hyprland is for advanced user, and if you know all about Arch Linux you can start with NIX.
Hyprland is a (tiling) desktop environment and for Garuda it is an Edition, like Dr460nized, Mokka, etc., as said for advanced users.
Some people like to try multiple desktop environments on the same system (e.g., Mokka and Hyprland), but this is even more for advanced users because it would not be officially supported.
Nix is a package manager. But since it is used in the team for infrastructure management, a Nix sub-system has been made available in Garuda to use it easily (or try it out).
As far as the Mokka (actually Catpuccin theme) is concerned, some interesing details to play with it, maybe also from other editions, are here:
I understand all this. Which is why I don’ understand why i see these different flavors. Clearly we could have Nix and Hyprland. And, Nix is not just a package manager, it’s an OS.
What is the difference between having Garuda Nix flavor and going hyprland as the windo/tiling manager and going Garuda Hyprland and then using Nix as a package manager?
Maybe you know the distinction, but I can’t tell from having spent the last week wanting to be your avid customer.
install garuda add the subsystem in your nixconfig add hyprland and log in to it with new user takes no time at all. Or install nixos install the garuda module add hyperland to the config. If you want the garuda hyperland look grab the configs off the gitlab. add the programs for the config items to your config. its not that hard if you understand nix a little or just linux.
Garuda is completely gratis, and we never try to pressure our users into contributing to Garuda financially. Monetary contributions to the project are greatly appreciated, but are totally voluntary and at the discretion of our users. Garuda sells no products, and therefor we have no paying “customers”.
Our users also contribute to the distro in many other ways that are greatly appreciated, such as:
Providing language translations for our project documentation.
We certainly could have any flavor DE/WM under the sun that users desire. However, we would need volunteers to step forward to produce and maintain these new editions, as the Garuda devs already have their plates full with our current offerings.
Welcome to the Garuda forum @mpstaton, and hopefully you can find a Garuda flavor that suits your fancy, (or you can always customize your own).
No, that’s not right. Hyprland is its own independent spin. Hyprland is opinionated enough that it is unlikely you would be able to successfully install it alongside a full-fledged DE without breaking things. Often when two DEs are installed concurrently, there are long-term issues which are difficult to troubleshoot and impossible to fully resolve without major sweeping changes to one DE or the other.
The Garuda Nix subsystem currently only supports setting up a D460nized desktop (source), which is a KDE DE. Hyprland is a separate WM. The installation process facilitates installing one or the other.
You can install Nix the package manager on any DE. Nix - ArchWiki
You are conflating several different ideas. This is likely the source of your confusion.
NixOS is a Linux distro based on the Nix package manager. NixOS - Wikipedia
You can use Hyprland with NixOS or Garuda Linux, but NixOS and Garuda Linux are two different distros, so you obviously can’t install them both at the same time. You can use the Nix package manager on Garuda Linux, and then obviously Nix is the package manager on NixOS.
The Garuda Nix flake will not work with Hyprland out of the box, you will need to rework the flake a bit if that is what you want to achieve.