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Nix-Darwin Fresh Install guide

rsc/Nix-Darwin.svg

Table of Content

Nix-Darwin

Introduction

  1. Used to run Nix Modules on macOS using the Darwin Unix-based core set of components
  2. Like a /etc/nixos/configuration.nix but for macOS
  3. Since it will use the Nix Package Manager, just like NixOS, supports declarative reproductible system configurations
  4. Alternative or addition to Homebrew

Getting Started

Nix-Darwin Website

Installing Nix

This command will install the Nix Package Manager on your system. More information can be found here. When prompted, allow the installer to use root priviliges and to set up Nix as a Multi User.

  • $ sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install)

Installing Packages

If you just want to use the Nix Package Manager, great, you are done. You can install new packages using the command below. Available packages can be found here:

  • $ nix-env -iA nixpkgs.<package name>
  • $ nix-shell -p <package name>

If you would also like to configure these packages using their options, it’s recommended that you keep reading.

Installation

  • Nix-Darwin can be installed by using the commands below:
$ nix-build https://github.com/LnL7/nix-darwin/archive/master.tar.gz -A installer
$ ./result/bin/darwin-installer
  • The script above will not take care of files in /etc. If, after the installation, you get prompted that the script was not able to create a symlink in /etc, it’s probably because the file already exists. In this case its best to # mv. For example:
# mv /etc/bashrc /etc/bashrc.orig
$ darwin-rebuild switch

Declaring Packages

Links

  • Packages: Don’t forget to check that the package is available for your system: x86_64-darwin (older MacBooks) or aarch64-darwin (Apple silicon).
  • Options
  • $ man 5 configuration.nix

Declaring Packages

After installation a darwin-configuation.nix file will be created in /Users/<user>/.nixpkgs

{ pkgs, ... }:
{
  # Packages
  environment.systemPackages = [
    pkgs.vim
  ]

  # Auto upgrade nix packages and the daemon service.
  services.nix-daemon.enable = true;
  nix.package = pkgs.nix;
}

Applying

  • $ darwin-rebuild switch

Running apps

  • In the past nix-darwin *.app files where places in /Users/<user>/Applications
  • Now nix-darwin should create a “Nix App” dir inside /Applications, so symlinking is no longer required.
  • They should all become available in the Launchpad.
  • If your app is not available:
$ ls -la /nix/store | grep "<pkg name>"
-- find correct path to package --
$ ln -s /nix/store/<correct path>/bin/<pkgname>.app /Applications/.

Homebrew

If you already have homebrew installed (which is a must), it’s possible to manage all packages in your configuration file.

homebrew = {
  enable = true;
  autoUpdate = true;
  cleanup = "uninstall";
  brews = [ "..." ];
  casks = [ " " ];
  taps = [ " " ];
  ...
}

But honestly, if it’s packaged in for Nix, use Nix;

Extras

Useful Options

system = {
  defaults = {
    NSGlobalDomain = { ... };
    dock = { autohide = true; orientation = "bottom"; tilesize = int; };
    finder = {};
    trackpad = { Clicking = true; TrackpadRightClick = true; };
  };
  keyboard = { enableKeyMapping = true; };
};

environment = {
  variables = {
    EDITOR = "...";
    VISUAL = "...";
  };
};

Garbage Collection

Command-line

  • Remove undeclared packages, dependencies and symlinks:
    • $ sudo nix-collect-garbage -d

Darwin-configuration.nix

nix = {
  gc = {
    automatic = true;
    interval.Day = 7; #Hours, minutes
    options = "--delete-older-than 7d";
  };
};

Home-Manager

Introduction

  • It’s like configuration.nix, but for the user environment.
  • Plenty more options to declare packages

Getting Started

Home-Manager Website

Setup

Initial

As a user

  • Add the channel:
    • $ nix-channel --add https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager/archive/master.tar.gz home-manager
    • $ nix-channel --add https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager/archive/release-21.11.tar.gz home-manager
  • $ nix-channel --update
  • Just to be sure, relog.

Standalone

  • If installation give NIX-PATH errors
    • $ sudo nix-collect-garbage -d
    • $ export NIX_PATH=$HOME/.nix-defexpr/channels:/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels${NIX_PATH:+:$NIX_PATH}
  • Installation:
    • $ nix-shell ‘<home-manager>’ -A install
  • Configuration file:
    • $ cd ~/.config/nixpkgs/home.nix

Nix-Darwin Module

Add to configuration.nix

{
  imports = [ <home-manager/nix-darwin> ];

  users.users.<name> = {
    name = "<name>";
    home = "/User/<name>";
  }

  home-manager.users.<name> = { pkgs, …}: {
    # declared packages. for example:
    home.packages = [ pkgs.btop ];
  };
}

Configuration

Links

Declare user packages

home.packages = with pkgs; [
  firefox
];

services.dunst = {
  enable = true;
};

Applying

  • $ home-manager switch

Flakes

Introduction

  • Flakes are an “upcoming feature” of the Nix package manager.
  • Specify code dependencies declaratively (will be stored in flake.lock)
    • For example: home-manager
  • Rebuilding and updating whole system made easy
  • Very useful tool to build your own config
    • Multiple configs in one
    • People with github dotfiles will feel right at home

Getting Started

Flakes Wiki

Preparing the System

Allowing experimental features such as flake to be installed

  • If you already have a darwin-configuration.nix file. Rebuild the system with: 
    nix = {
  package = pkgs.nixFlakes;
  extraOptions = "experimental-features = nix-command flakes";
};
  • If you are installing a flake without nix-darwin on your system
$ mkdir -p ~/.config/nix
$ echo "experimental-features = nix-command flakes" >> ~/.config/nix/nix.conf

Installation

Generate

This command will generate a flake.nix and flake.lock file

  • pick a location to store in your system
  • $ nix flake init
{
  description = "A basic flake";

  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable"; #nixpkgs-22.05-darwin
    darwin.url = "github:lnl7/nix-darwin/master";
    darwin.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
  };

  outputs = { self, darwin, nixpkgs }: {
    darwinConfigurations."<host>" = darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
      system = "x86_64-darwin";
      modules = [ ./darwin-configuration.nix ];
    };
  };
}

Inputs and Outputs

Inputs

attribute set of all the dependencies used in the flake

inputs = {
  nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
};
Outputs

function of an argument that uses the inputs for reference

  • Configure what you imported
  • Can be pretty much anything: Packages / configurations / modules / etc…

First build

This is only for those who don’t have nix-darwin installed and have an existing flake they want to install on a fresh system If this is not your situation, move on to rebuild

  • For the first initial installation it recommended that your use $ nix build
  • The location of /result depends on what location you are building from. It’s maybe recommended that your build inside the flake.
$ cd <flake>
$ nix build .#darwinConfiguration.<host>.system
$ ./result/sw/bin/darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#<host>

Rebuild

  • After the first installation, you don’t need to target /darwin-rebuild inside /result
  • $ darwin-rebuild is now part of PATH and can be used from anywhere. Example:
    • /HOME/<USER>/ $ darwin-rebuild switch ~/<flake>/#<host>
  • If you already had nix-darwin installed, you can also use the command above.
    • Remember that flakes use pure evaluation mode, home-manager will have to be set up from the flake and can not be imported and set up in darwin-configuration.nix

Configuration

Nix-Darwin

Flake.nix

inputs = {
  nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
  darwin.url = "github:lnl7/nix-darwin/master";
  darwin.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
};
outputs = { self, nixpkgs, darwin … }: {
   darwinConfigurations  = {
     <host> = darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
       system = "x86_64-darwin";
       modules = [ ./configuration.nix ];
     };
     #<second host> = darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
       #system = "aarch64-darwin";
       #modules = [ ./configuration.nix ];
     #};
   };
};

Build

a “.(#)” will just build host found in location specify host with “<config path>#<host>” appended

  • $ darwin-rebuild build --flake .#

or build and automatically switch

  • $ darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#

Home-Manager

Flake.nix

Seperate
{
  inputs = {
    #other inputs
    home-manager = {
      url = github:nix-community/home-manager;
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
  };
  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, home-manager, ... }:
    let
      #variables
      system = "x86_64-darwin";
      pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.system.${system};
    in {
      #other outputs
      homeManagerConfigurations = {
        <user> = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
          inherit pkgs;
          extraSpecialArgs = { inherit <variables>; };
          modules = [
            </relative/path/to/home.nix>
            {
              home = {
                username = “<user>”;
                homeDirectory = “/Users/<user>”;
                packages = [ pkgs.home-manager ];
                stateVersion = "22.05";
              };
            }
          ];
        };
      };
    };
}
Inside darwinConfigurations
{
  inputs = {
    #other inputs
    home-manager = {
      url = github:nix-community/home-manager;
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
  };
  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, home-manager, ... }:
    let
      #variables
      system = "x86_64-darwin";
    in {
      darwinConfigurations = {
        <user> = darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
          inherit system;
          modules = [
            ./configuration.nix
            home-manager.darwinModules.home-manager {
              home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
              home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
              home-manager.users.<user> = {
                imports = [ ./home.nix ];
              };
            }
          ];
        };
      };
    };
}

Build

Seperate

This will build a directory with everything home-manager needs. An activation script is also located inside this dir

  • $ nix build .#homeManagerConfigurations.<user>.activationPackage
  • $ ./result/activate

Since home-manager is not installed, from now you can rebuild with:

  • $ home-manager switch --flake <config path>#<host>
Inside nixosConfiguraitons

Can be build with default rebuild command

  • $ sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#<host>

Updating

This will update the flake.lock file

  • $ nix flake update
  • Now rebuild and switch

Uninstall

Nix-Darwin

$ nix-build https://github.com/LnL7/nix-darwin/archive/master.tar.gz -A uninstaller
$ ./result/bin/darwin-uninstaller

Nix Package Manager

  • Full guide
  • $ sudo rm -rf /nix /etc/nix ~/.nix*
  • In /etc move all files with .backup-before.nix to original name (probably zshrc and bashrc)
  • Spotlight Search > Disk Utility > Unmount nix store > Delete volume
  • reboot

Resources

  1. NixOS Website
  2. NixOS Learn
  3. Nix Manual
  4. NixOS Wiki
  5. Nix Pills
  6. Nix-Darwin Github
  7. Nix-Darwin Manual
  8. Nix-Darwin Mini-Wiki
  9. Home-Manager Github
  10. Home-Manager Manual
  11. Home-Manager Appendix_A
  12. Home-Manager Appendix B