asgard

Table of Contents #

• Features & Capabilities
• Machines
• Installation
• Folder Structure
• Commands
• Documentations
• Troubleshooting

Features & Capabilities #

This repository want this to be multi-user and multi-host so there is some workaround to make things work like i want and keep it simple.

• NixOS
• Nix Darwin
• Home management (hjem)
• Persistant storage (impermanence)
• MicroVM for servers (astro/microvm)
• Secrets management (agenix)
• Secure Boot (lanzaboot)
• Disk configuration (disko)
• Encrypted disks (?)
• Network topology (nix-topology)
• Automatic updates (cannot be entirely done, since tangled does not support pipeline based on time.)

Installation #

NixOS #

1. Boot the NixOS ISO, partition/format/mount your disks manually (no disko yet).
2. Clone the repo onto the target: git clone <repo-url> /mnt/etc/asgard && cd /mnt/etc/asgard
3. mkdir -p configurations/<hostname>
4. just generate-hardware → generates facter.json
5. Write configurations//configurations.nix (copy an existing host as a template), including your fileSystems entries matching step 1.
6. Install: sudo nixos-install --flake .#<hostname>
7. Reboot, then use nix develop && just switch for future rebuilds.

nix-darwin #

1. Install Nix on macOS (e.g. the Lix installer).
2. Clone the repo: git clone <repo-url> ~/asgard && cd ~/asgard
3. mkdir -p configurations/<hostname>, write configurations.nix (use njord as a reference — no facter.json needed on Darwin).
4. Bootstrap once: nix run nix-darwin -- switch --flake .#<hostname>
5. From then on: nix develop && just switch

Machines #

Folder structure #

This repository use a dentritic pattern combined with the logic of the flake output to make everything work with ease and easy to find.

.
├── configurations/     
│  └── <hostname>/
│  │  ├── configurations.nix
│  │  └── facter.json                 # Optionnal
├── devshells/          
├── docs/                             # Additonnal documentation needed
├── lib/                
├── modules/            
├── overlays/           
├── packages/           
├── secrets/      
│  ├── <secret name>.<format>.age     # Encrypted secrets
│  └── secrets.nix                    # Secrets entrypoint
├── templates/
│  ├── <lang>/
│  │  ├── <framework>.nix
│  │  └── default.nix                 # Basic template for the language, used as a base for the framework ones.
├── users/                            # User based configurations.
├── flake.nix           
├── flake-module.nix                  # Additionnal modules definition for flake-parts.
└── justfile                          # Command helper

Commands #

You can get all recipes using the just command and running one of the available commands below with just <command> <arguments*>:

Available recipes:
  boot hostname=hostname   # Build a new configuration
  clean                    # Cleanup all unused packages and generations
  format                   # Format code
  size                     # Print size of the nix store
  switch hostname=hostname # Rebuild the system
  update                   # Update dependencies
  generate-hardware        # Generate facter report from the current hardware into the host configuration folder

Documentations #

These are the things that help me the most to understand Nix ecosystem and help me build my configuration from scratch.

You can retrieve dotfiles that inspired me inside my dotfiles star list.

• Flakes book
• Nix Language
• Nix Tour
• Dentritic Pattern explanation

Troubleshooting #

• If the rebuild command failed because an experimental feature is disabled use this command:

sudo -E NIX_CONFIG="experimental-features = nix-command flakes pipe-operators" nixos-rebuild switch --flake .