:snowflake: Ryan4Yin's Nix Config :snowflake:
> My configuration is becoming more and more complex, and **it will be difficult for beginners to
> read**. If you are new to NixOS and want to know how I use NixOS, I would recommend you to take a
> look at the [ryan4yin/nix-config/releases](https://github.com/ryan4yin/nix-config/releases) first,
> **check out to some simpler older versions, such as
> [i3-kickstarter](https://github.com/ryan4yin/nix-config/tree/i3-kickstarter), which will be much
> easier to understand**.
This repository is home to the Nix code that builds all of my systems:
1. **NixOS desktops** — Home Manager, [Niri][Niri] (Wayland), the [Noctalia][noctalia] shell,
agenix.
2. **macOS desktops** — nix-darwin + Home Manager, sharing the same `home/` configuration with the
NixOS desktops.
3. **NixOS servers** — three physical mini PCs running the VMs (libvirt and microVMs), the K3s test
cluster and the self-hosted services.
See [./hosts](./hosts) for the host inventory, [./outputs](./outputs) for how the flake outputs are
composed, [./BACKUP.md](./BACKUP.md) for the backup design, and [./AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md) for the
repository conventions.
## Why NixOS & Flakes?
Nix allows for easy-to-manage, collaborative, reproducible deployments. This means that once
something is setup and configured once, it works (almost) forever. If someone else shares their
configuration, anyone else can just use it (if you really understand what you're copying/referring
now).
As for Flakes, refer to
[Introduction to Flakes - NixOS & Nix Flakes Book](https://nixos-and-flakes.thiscute.world/nixos-with-flakes/introduction-to-flakes)
**Want to know NixOS & Flakes in detail? Looking for a beginner-friendly tutorial or best practices?
You don't have to go through the pain I've experienced again! Check out my
[NixOS & Nix Flakes Book - 🛠️ ❤️ An unofficial & opinionated :book: for beginners](https://github.com/ryan4yin/nixos-and-flakes-book)!**
> If you're using macOS, check out
> [ryan4yin/nix-darwin-kickstarter](https://github.com/ryan4yin/nix-darwin-kickstarter) for a quick
> start.
## Components
| | NixOS (Wayland) |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Display Manager** | [greetd][greetd] + [tuigreet][tuigreet] |
| **Window Manager** | [Niri][Niri] |
| **Desktop Shell** | [Noctalia][noctalia] — bar/notifications/launcher/lock screen/control center/power menu/screenshots, one native shell |
| **Terminal Emulators** | [Kitty][Kitty], [Ghostty][Ghostty] |
| **Terminal Multiplexer** | [tuios][tuios] |
| **Shell** | [Nushell][Nushell] + [Starship][Starship] |
| **Editors / IDE** | [Zed][Zed] (GUI, primary), VS Code (GUI); [Helix][Helix] (TUI, primary), [Neovim][Neovim] (TUI, backup) |
| **Color Scheme** | [catppuccin-nix][catppuccin-nix] |
| **Networking** | systemd-networkd / [NetworkManager][NetworkManager] |
| **Input Method** | [Fcitx5][Fcitx5] + [rime][rime] + [小鹤音形 flypy][flypy] |
| **System Monitor** | [Btop][Btop] (+ Noctalia's built-in sysmon widgets) |
| **File Manager** | [Yazi][Yazi] (TUI) + [thunar][thunar] (GUI) |
| **Media Player** | [mpv][mpv] |
| **Image Viewer** | [imv][imv] |
| **Screenshots** | Native Noctalia capture: region / fullscreen / display picker, with a built-in annotation editor |
| **Screen Recording** | [OBS][OBS], gpu-screen-recorder, wf-recorder |
| **Fonts** | [Nerd fonts][Nerd fonts] |
| **Filesystem & Encryption** | tmpfs as `/`, [Btrfs][Btrfs] subvolumes on a [LUKS][LUKS] encrypted partition for persistent data; unlock via passphrase |
| **Secure Boot** | [lanzaboote][lanzaboote] |
Wallpapers: https://github.com/ryan4yin/wallpapers
## Screenshots
## Editors / IDE
- **Terminal editors:** [./home/base/core/editors/](./home/base/core/editors/) — Helix / Neovim,
`$EDITOR`, docs.
- **GUI editor:** [Zed](./home/base/gui/zed-editor.nix).
- **LLM coding agents:** [./agents](./agents/) — rules, installers, CLI snippets; see
[./agents/README.md](./agents/README.md).
## Secrets Management
See [./secrets](./secrets) for details.
## Security & Hardening
See [./SECURITY.md](./SECURITY.md) for the threat model, security architecture, controls and audit
status, [./hardening/README.md](./hardening/README.md) for application sandboxing and Linux
hardening, and [./WORKAROUNDS.md](./WORKAROUNDS.md) for temporary exceptions and known gaps.
## How to Deploy this Flake?
> :red_circle: **IMPORTANT**: **You should NOT deploy this flake directly on your machine :exclamation:
> It will not succeed.** This flake contains my hardware configuration (such as
> [hardware-configuration.nix](hosts/idols-ai/hardware-configuration.nix),
> [Nvidia support](hosts/idols-ai/hardware-nvidia.nix), etc.) which is not suitable for your
> hardware, and requires my private secrets repository
> [ryan4yin/nix-secrets](https://github.com/ryan4yin/nix-secrets) to deploy. You
> may use this repo as a reference to build your own configuration.
Updating flake inputs and rolling the result out safely is a procedure, not a single command. Follow
[`.agents/skills/nix-config-update/SKILL.md`](./.agents/skills/nix-config-update/SKILL.md).
For NixOS:
> To deploy this flake from NixOS's official ISO image (purest installation method), please refer to
> [./nixos-installer/](./nixos-installer)
```bash
# Desktops: deploy the -niri nixosConfiguration (e.g. ai-niri, shoukei-niri)
just niri # equals `sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#-niri`
just niri boot # set as the next boot configuration without switching
just niri switch debug # detailed output
# Other hosts (servers, VMs): deploy the nixosConfiguration matching the bare hostname
just local
just local boot
just local switch debug
```
For macOS (nix-darwin):
```bash
# If you are deploying for the first time,
# 1. install nix & homebrew manually.
# 2. prepare the deployment environment with essential packages available
nix shell nixpkgs#just nixpkgs#nushell
# 3. comment home-manager's code in lib/macosSystem.nix to speed up the first deployment.
# Deploy the darwinConfiguration by hostname match (fern, frieren)
just local
just local debug # detailed output (macOS has no switch/boot mode)
```
Remote / cluster hosts are deployed with [Colmena](https://github.com/nix-community/colmena) on top
of the same flake, e.g. `just col `, `just k3s-test`, `just lab`.
> [What y'all will need when Nix drives you to drink.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eni9PPPPBpg)
> (copy from hlissner's dotfiles, it really matches my feelings when I first started using NixOS...)
## Validation & Development
`nix develop` provides the formatters and linters used by the repository. The most useful commands:
```bash
just test # eval tests across Linux & Darwin (fails unless the result is `true`)
just fmt # format all Nix files with nixfmt
just --list # all recipes
nix flake check # broader flake checks
```
For Nix changes, run `just test` and inspect `just fmt`'s diff before committing. Non-Nix files are
formatted with `prettier`; spelling is checked with `typos`.
## References
Other dotfiles that inspired me:
- Nix Flakes
- [NixOS-CN/NixOS-CN-telegram](https://github.com/NixOS-CN/NixOS-CN-telegram)
- [notusknot/dotfiles-nix](https://github.com/notusknot/dotfiles-nix)
- [xddxdd/nixos-config](https://github.com/xddxdd/nixos-config)
- [bobbbay/dotfiles](https://github.com/bobbbay/dotfiles)
- [gytis-ivaskevicius/nixfiles](https://github.com/gytis-ivaskevicius/nixfiles)
- [davidtwco/veritas](https://github.com/davidtwco/veritas)
- [gvolpe/nix-config](https://github.com/gvolpe/nix-config)
- [Ruixi-rebirth/flakes](https://github.com/Ruixi-rebirth/flakes)
- [fufexan/dotfiles](https://github.com/fufexan/dotfiles): gtk theme, xdg, git, media, etc.
- [nix-community/srvos](https://github.com/nix-community/srvos): a collection of opinionated and
sharable NixOS configurations for servers
- Modularized NixOS Configuration
- [hlissner/dotfiles](https://github.com/hlissner/dotfiles)
- [viperML/dotfiles](https://github.com/viperML/dotfiles)
- Neovim / AstroNvim
- [maxbrunet/dotfiles](https://github.com/maxbrunet/dotfiles): astronvim with nix flakes.
- Misc
- [1amSimp1e/dots](https://github.com/1amSimp1e/dots)
[Niri]: https://github.com/YaLTeR/niri
[greetd]: https://github.com/kennylevinsen/greetd
[Kitty]: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty
[Ghostty]: https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty
[Nushell]: https://github.com/nushell/nushell
[Starship]: https://github.com/starship/starship
[Fcitx5]: https://github.com/fcitx/fcitx5
[rime]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Rime
[flypy]: https://flypy.cc/
[Btop]: https://github.com/aristocratos/btop
[mpv]: https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv
[tuios]: https://github.com/Gaurav-Gosain/tuios
[Helix]: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix
[Neovim]: https://github.com/neovim/neovim
[Zed]: https://zed.dev
[imv]: https://sr.ht/~exec64/imv/
[OBS]: https://obsproject.com
[Nerd fonts]: https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts
[catppuccin-nix]: https://github.com/catppuccin/nix
[NetworkManager]: https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/NetworkManager
[tuigreet]: https://github.com/apognu/tuigreet
[thunar]: https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/thunar
[Yazi]: https://github.com/sxyazi/yazi
[Btrfs]: https://btrfs.readthedocs.io
[LUKS]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dm-crypt/Encrypting_an_entire_system
[lanzaboote]: https://github.com/nix-community/lanzaboote
[noctalia]: https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctalia