The Nix Arms

Off Windows by Friday. Settled in by the weekend.

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You’ll need: a USB stick (8 GB or more), a backup of anything you care about, about two hours, and a cuppa.

Read this before you install

The installer can wipe your disk. Its Erase disk option deletes everything on the drive, Windows and your files included, and there’s no undo.

Back up anything you’d miss to another drive or the cloud first.
If you want to keep Windows, choose Install alongside (or install to a second drive), not Erase disk.
If your drive is encrypted with BitLocker, save your recovery key from your Microsoft account before you start. Windows may ask for it afterwards.

Round 1 below runs NixOS in a virtual machine, which touches none of this. Start there.

Misterio77/nix-starter-configs

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Minimal and standard flake templates with heavy comments, designed to be the thing you copy on day one.

Vanilla configuration.nix

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The pour

The installer writes two files to /etc/nixos/. You edit configuration.nix; hardware-configuration.nix describes your disks and drivers and is best left alone.

# /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
{ config, pkgs, ... }:
{
 imports = [ ./hardware-configuration.nix ];

 programs.steam.enable = true;
}

Then apply it:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch

How it works

The channel decides which version of every package you get: a stable release, or unstable. sudo nixos-rebuild switch --upgrade updates the channel and rebuilds in one go.

When the file gets long, split it up. Any file can pull in others:

You already like control. Now keep it.

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You already know Linux, so there’s little new to learn about what to configure. The change is in how: you stop editing the live system and describe it in a file. NixOS rebuilds the system from that file every time, so it can’t drift.

Arch habits, translated

On Arch	On NixOS	What changes
`pacman -S foo`	Add `foo` to `environment.systemPackages`, rebuild	Installed software is part of your config, not your history.
The AUR	nixpkgs (it probably has it), overlays, or a flake input	nixpkgs is very large. For anything missing, you write a small package.
Editing files in `/etc`	NixOS options, e.g. `services.openssh.settings`	`/etc` is generated. Your edits live in one place and survive rebuilds.
`systemctl enable foo`	`services.foo.enable = true;`	Services, users and firewall rules are all declared.
Dotfiles with stow or a bare repo	Home Manager	Your user config gets generations and rollbacks too.
Rolling release	The `nixos-unstable` channel	Still rolling, but any update can be rolled back from the boot menu.
The Arch Wiki	search.nixos.org options + the NixOS Wiki	The Arch Wiki is still great for concepts.

Hyprland, as an example

Your Hyprland setup becomes part of the config, so it survives reinstalls:

Flakes

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The pour

Your configuration.nix doesn’t change at all. A flake.nix sits next to it and says where everything comes from:

# flake.nix
{
 inputs.nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-26.05";

 outputs = { nixpkgs, ... }: {
 nixosConfigurations.endgame = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
 modules = [ ./configuration.nix ]; # programs.steam.enable = true; lives in here
 };
 };
}

Build the machine called endgame:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#endgame

How it works

The first build writes flake.lock, pinning the exact nixpkgs commit. Commit both files. To update, run nix flake update and rebuild. If the new versions misbehave, roll back as usual or revert the lock file in git.

tomwrw/megadots

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An AMD gaming desktop and a Surface Pro tablet from one den config, with every feature written as a reusable aspect.

Same desktops, fewer surprises.

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If you’ve had a release upgrade fail halfway, or a PPA leave your system in a strange state, this is the part of NixOS you’ll like. Every change builds a complete new system first, and NixOS only switches to it if the build succeeded.

Ubuntu habits, translated

On Ubuntu	On NixOS	What changes
`sudo apt install foo`	Add `foo` to `environment.systemPackages`, rebuild	Your installed apps are a list you can read, copy and share.
PPAs for newer versions	Pull single packages from `nixos-unstable`	No third-party repos to break your upgrades.
Snaps	Flatpak: `services.flatpak.enable = true;`	Snaps aren’t supported out of the box. Flatpak and Flathub are.
`do-release-upgrade`	Switch channel, then `nixos-rebuild switch --upgrade`	If the new release misbehaves, boot the old one.
LTS every two years	A stable release every May and November	Each release gets about seven months of updates, so you move up twice a year.

Your desktop

{
 services.desktopManager.gnome.enable = true;
 services.displayManager.gdm.enable = true;
}

For KDE, swap those two lines for services.desktopManager.plasma6.enable = true; and services.displayManager.sddm.enable = true;.

flake-parts

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The pour

flake.nix hands over to flake-parts, and each machine becomes its own module:

# flake.nix
{
 inputs = {
 nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-26.05";
 flake-parts.url = "github:hercules-ci/flake-parts";
 };

 outputs = inputs@{ flake-parts, ... }:
 flake-parts.lib.mkFlake { inherit inputs; } {
 systems = [ "x86_64-linux" ];
 imports = [ ./hosts/endgame.nix ];
 };
}

# hosts/endgame.nix (a flake-parts module)
{ inputs, ... }:
{
 flake.nixosConfigurations.endgame = inputs.nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
 modules = [ ../configuration.nix ]; # Steam still lives in here
 };
}

How it works

flake-parts runs the same module system as NixOS, but one level up: its modules describe the flake’s outputs instead of a machine. That’s why it’s mainly useful once there are several outputs to organise, such as machines, dev shells, packages and checks.

Misterio77/nix-config

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A widely copied personal config, with a clean separation of hosts, users and shared modules.

ryan4yin/nix-config

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From the author of the NixOS & Flakes Book: desktops, servers and macOS, all in one place.

The dendritic pattern

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The pour

flake.nix shrinks to almost nothing: it loads every file under modules/ with import-tree, and each file is a flake-parts module.

# flake.nix
{
 inputs = {
 nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-26.05";
 flake-parts.url = "github:hercules-ci/flake-parts";
 import-tree.url = "github:denful/import-tree";
 };

 outputs = inputs:
 inputs.flake-parts.lib.mkFlake { inherit inputs; } (inputs.import-tree ./modules);
}

Steam gets a file of its own, as a feature:

# modules/gaming.nix
{
 flake.modules.nixos.gaming = {
 programs.steam.enable = true;
 };
}

The machine then picks its features:

# modules/hosts/endgame.nix
{ config, inputs, ... }:
{
 flake.nixosConfigurations.endgame = inputs.nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
 modules = with config.flake.modules.nixos; [ gaming desktop ];
 };
}

How it works

Because every file is a module of the same top-level config, any file can add to any part of it (a NixOS setting, a Home Manager setting, a flake input), and features can be shared by any machine. The flake.modules option comes from flake-parts’ modules module, which you import once.

den

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The pour

Declare the machine and its user, then give the machine its aspects:

# modules/hosts.nix
{ den, ... }:
{
 den.hosts.x86_64-linux.endgame.users.tom = { };

 den.aspects.endgame.includes = [ den.aspects.gaming ];
}

The gaming aspect is where Steam lives. It could set Mac or Home Manager options in the same place:

# modules/aspects/gaming.nix
{
 den.aspects.gaming = {
 nixos = { pkgs, ... }: {
 programs.steam.enable = true;
 };
 };
}

How it works

den creates an aspect for every host and user you declare. Each aspect holds settings grouped by class (nixos, darwin, homeManager) and can include other aspects, so you build roles out of small, reusable pieces.

mitchellh/nixos-config

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Runs NixOS in a VM on a Mac as a daily development machine. A neat look at Nix outside a normal PC.

fufexan/dotfiles

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A polished Hyprland desktop, kept entirely in config.

mightyiam/infra

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The personal infrastructure of the person who first wrote up the dendritic pattern, and the reference for what one looks like in practice.

Gaming on NixOS: get a round in.

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The house pour

This is a full gaming setup in one file. Save it as gaming.nix, import it from your configuration.nix, and rebuild.

{ pkgs, ... }: {
 programs.steam = {
 enable = true;
 remotePlay.openFirewall = true;
 gamescopeSession.enable = true;
 };
 programs.gamemode.enable = true;
 hardware.graphics.enable = true;

 environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
 mangohud heroic lutris protonup-qt
 ];
}

Steam with Proton built in, plus ports opened for Remote Play.
gamemode nudges your CPU into performance mode while you play.
gamescope gives you a couch-friendly, Steam Deck-style session.
MangoHud shows FPS and temperatures; Heroic covers Epic and GOG.

Will my games run?

Mostly, yes. When a game doesn’t run, the cause is usually its anti-cheat, which blocks Linux in general. Check your exact titles on ProtonDB and Are We Anti-Cheat Yet? before you switch.

Privacy

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cookies and accounts

The site doesn’t set cookies, doesn’t store anything in your browser, and has no accounts, logins or forms.

Visit counting

The site counts visits with GoatCounter, an open-source analytics service. It records the page you visited, the site that linked you here, your browser and screen size, and your country (worked out from your IP address, which isn't stored). It doesn't use cookies and doesn't track you across other sites. The numbers are only used to see which pages are useful, never for advertising.

The Landlord

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’m Tom, and I run The Nix Arms.

I’m a firm believer in Nix. Once you’ve rebuilt a whole machine from your config, or rolled back a bad update from the boot menu, it’s hard to go back to anything else. But most of what’s written about Nix assumes you’re already a developer, and I think that puts off a lot of people who’d get on well with it.

So I opened a pub. The guides here are written for people who aren’t developers, and they say so when something doesn’t work. There’s a place to start whether you’re coming from Arch, Ubuntu or Windows.

Nix jargon, translated

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

When you're ready for more

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000