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❄️ dot.nix

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My NixOS & Home Manager Multi User/Host Configuration
A modular Nix flake managing multiple systems and users with a focus on reproducibility and ease of maintenance.

🏗️ Architecture Overview

This repository follows a layered, modular approach that separates system-level configurations from user environments, while promoting code reuse across different hosts and users.

📁 dot.nix/
├── ❄️ flake.nix                    # Central entry point & dependency management
├── 🔐 secrets.nix                  # Encrypted secrets (git-crypt)
├── 🏠 hosts/                       # System-level configurations
├── 👤 home/                        # User environment configurations  
├── 📦 modules/                     # Reusable configuration modules
├── 🎨 overlays/                    # Package customizations
├── 📋 pkgs/                        # Custom package definitions
└── 🛠️ lib/                         # Helper functions & utilities

🎯 Core Components

Flake Management (flake.nix)

The heart of the configuration, managing:

  • External Dependencies: nixpkgs, home-manager, stylix, hardware modules
  • System Outputs: Complete NixOS configurations for each host
  • Custom Packages: Exposed packages from pkgs/
  • Overlays: Package modifications and additions

Secret Management

  • Encryption: git-crypt secures sensitive data in secrets.nix
  • Structure: Defined by modules/global/secret-spec.nix
  • Content: SSH keys, API tokens, hashed passwords, SMTP credentials

Configuration Specifications

  • host-spec.nix: Defines host attributes (hostname, user, hardware type, desktop environment)
  • secret-spec.nix: Structures for secrets, firewall rules, Docker environments, Users, etc

🏠 System Architecture (hosts/)

Global Configurations

hosts/global/
├── core/                           # Essential base settings
│   ├── fonts.nix                   # Font management
│   ├── networking.nix              # Network configuration
│   ├── ssh.nix                     # SSH server setup
│   └── user.nix                    # User account setup
└── common/                         # Optional system features
    ├── audio.nix                   # PipeWire audio stack
    ├── gaming.nix                  # Steam, GameMode, hardware optimizations
    ├── gnome.nix                   # GNOME desktop environment
    ├── docker.nix                  # Docker setup
    └── libvirt.nix                 # VM tools and management

Host-Specific Configurations

Each system in hosts/nixos/<hostname>/ contains:

  • default.nix: Main configuration importing globals + host-specific settings
  • hardware.nix: Hardware-specific configuration (bootloader, filesystems, drivers)
  • config/: Service-specific configurations (optional)

🖥️ Current Hosts

Host Type Purpose Hardware Services
rune Desktop My workstation Ryzen 9 7900X3D, RX 9070 XT Gaming, Development, VMs
gojo Desktop Giovanni's workstation Ryzen CPU, RX 6950 XT Gaming, Development
haze Desktop Cesar's workstation Ryzen 7, RX 6950 XT Gaming, Development
cloud LXC Container Storage & NFS 4C/4GB File storage, NFS server, Backups
komodo LXC Container Docker orchestration 12C/30GB Authentik, Komodo, Web services
proxy LXC Container Network proxy 3C/2GB Cloudflare tunnels, Caddy
nix LXC Container Development server 10C/12GB Remote development, VSCode server
vm VM Testing environment Variable System testing

👤 User Environment (home/)

Global Home Configurations

home/global/
├── core/                           # Essential user tools
│   ├── fastfetch/                  # System info shell prompt with custom scripts
│   ├── fish/                       # Shell configuration
│   ├── git.nix                     # Git setup with signing
│   └── ssh.nix                     # SSH client configuration
└── common/                         # Optional user applications
    ├── gaming/                     # Gaming tools & emulator backups
    ├── gnome/                      # GNOME-specific programs & settings
    ├── vscode/                     # VS Code with patched SSH
    └── zen.nix                     # Zen browser configuration

User-Specific Configurations

Each user in home/users/<username>/ includes:

  • Theme Configuration: Stylix-based theming with custom color schemes
  • Host Adaptations: Per-host overrides in home/hosts/<hostname>/

👥 Current Users

User Theme Primary Host Desktop Setup
toph Invincible (blue/yellow) rune GNOME + PaperWM
gio Gojo (red/white) gojo GNOME + PaperWM
cesar Soraka (purple/violet) haze GNOME + PaperWM

🎨 Theming & Customization

Stylix Integration

  • Unified Theming: Base16 color schemes applied system-wide
  • Custom Schemes: User-specific YAML color definitions
  • Coverage: GTK, terminal, VS Code (optional), wallpapers
  • Fonts: Consistent typography (Lexend, Monocraft, Laila)

GNOME Customization

  • Window Management: PaperWM for tiling workflow
  • Extensions: Blur My Shell, Vitals, Pano clipboard, custom keybindings, ...
  • Per-User: Customized dconf settings for each user's workflow

🔧 Notable Features

🎮 Gaming Infrastructure

  • Steam Integration: Proton, GameScope, GameMode optimizations
  • Emulator Backup System: Automated Borg backups for save files 
    # Automatic save backup for Ryujinx with inotify monitoring
borg-wrapper -p "~/.config/Ryujinx/bis/user/save" 
             -o "/pool/Backups/Switch/RyubingSaves" 
             -m 30 -- ryujinx
  • Hardware Optimization: AMD GPU settings, VRR support

🗄️ Storage & Backup Strategy

Cloud Host (Storage Server)

  • MergerFS Pool: Unified storage across multiple drives
  • NFS Export: Mounted as /pool on other hosts
  • SnapRAID Protection: Parity-based data protection
  • Borg Backups: Incremental backups for critical data

Backup Chain

graph TD
    A[SnapRAID Sync] --> B[Borg Docker Storage]
    B --> C[Borg Forgejo]
    C --> D[Notification]
    
    E[inotify] --> F[Game Save Backups]
    F --> G[Borg Game Saves]

🐳 Container Management

  • Komodo Integration: Docker stack management through web UI
  • Service Definitions: Authentik SSO, Caddy reverse proxy, various applications
  • compose2nix: Docker Compose files converted to NixOS modules

🔐 Security & Access

  • SSH Key Management: Automated deployment of public/private keys
  • Cloudflare Integration: Zero Trust tunnels for external access
  • ACME Certificates: Automated Let's Encrypt with DNS challenge

🚀 Usage & Deployment

Initial System Installation

For setting up a new system (in NixOS) with this configuration:

1. Clone Configuration Repository

# Get yay.nix temporarily for installation
nix shell github:Tophc7/yay.nix --extra-experimental-features flakes --extra-experimental-features nix-commands --no-write-lock-file

# Clone the configuration repository using yay try
yay try git git-crypt micro
cd ~/Documents/
git clone https://github.com/tophc7/dot.nix

2. Unlock Encrypted Secrets

cd ~/Documents/dot.nix
git-crypt unlock <<path/to/symmetric.key>> # Or use GPG key

3. Configure Hardware Settings

  1. Compare hardware configurations:

    micro ~/Documents/dot.nix/hosts/nixos/gojo/hardware.nix
micro /etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix

  2. Update hardware.nix with the fileSystems and swapDevices from the generated /etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix

4. Install Configuration (TTY)

  1. Switch to TTY: Ctrl+Alt+F2
  2. Login to TTY
  3. Rebuild system: 
    nix shell github:Tophc7/yay.nix --extra-experimental-features flakes --extra-experimental-features nix-commands --no-write-lock-file
yay rebuild -H gojo -p ~/Documents/dot.nix -e
sudo reboot -f

Day-to-Day System Management

Once installed, use the integrated yay tool for all system management:

# Build and switch system configuration
yay rebuild

# Update flake inputs
yay update

# Clean up system
yay garbage

# Try packages temporarily
yay try fastfetch -- fastfetch

# Create archives
yay tar myfiles/

# Extract archives  
yay untar myfiles.tar.zst

Environment Variables

  • FLAKE: Set to your flake directory to avoid using -p flag repeatedly 
    export FLAKE="$HOME/Documents/dot.nix"
yay rebuild  # Will automatically use $FLAKE path

Custom Tools Integration

  • yay: Primary rebuild and management tool (see yay.nix)
  • nh: Nix helper for cleaner rebuild output
  • borgtui: Custom TUI for managing Borg repositories

📚 Development Philosophy

Modularity

  • Separation of Concerns: System vs. user configurations
  • Reusable Components: Shared modules across hosts
  • Parameterization: Host specs drive configuration choices

Maintainability

  • Structured Secrets: Clearly defined secret specifications
  • Documentation: Inline comments and clear naming
  • Testing: VM configurations for safe testing

Flexibility

  • Multiple Users: Support for different users with different preferences
  • Host Adaptation: Same user config adapts to different machines
  • Service Composition: Mix and match services per host needs

🔗 Key Technologies

Category Technologies
Core NixOS, Home Manager, Nix Flakes
Desktop GNOME, PaperWM, Stylix
Virtualization libvirt, QEMU, LXC containers
Storage MergerFS, SnapRAID, BorgBackup, NFS
Containers Docker, Komodo
Security git-crypt, ACME, Cloudflare
Monitoring Apprise notifications, systemd timers

📝 Quick Reference

Directory Structure

  • hosts/nixos/<name>/ - System configurations
  • home/users/<name>/ - User environments
  • home/hosts/<name>/ - Host-specific user overrides
  • modules/global/ - Shared specifications
  • pkgs/ - Custom packages
  • secrets.nix - Encrypted secrets (git-crypt)

Key Files

  • flake.nix - Dependency management & outputs
  • shell.nix - Recovery environment
  • modules/global/host-spec.nix - Host attribute definitions
  • modules/global/secret-spec.nix - Secret structure definitions

This configuration emphasizes reproducibility, security, and maintainability while supporting a complex multi-user, multi-host homelab environment. I quite love it, hope it serves as inspo to some of you out there.