Simplifying NixOS-Related Commands
To simplify NixOS-related commands, I utilize a Makefile, which proves to be very convenient.
Alternatively, you can also use similar tools like just and cargo-make for this purpose. Here, I will provide my approach as a reference.
Below is an example of how my Makefile looks:
NOTE: The target names in the Makefile should not conflict with any file or directory names in the current directory. Otherwise, the targets will not execute.
############################################################################
#
# Nix commands related to the local machine
#
############################################################################
deploy:
nixos-rebuild switch --flake . --use-remote-sudo
debug:
nixos-rebuild switch --flake . --use-remote-sudo --show-trace --verbose
update:
nix flake update
history:
nix profile history --profile /nix/var/nix/profiles/system
gc:
# remove all generations older than 7 days
sudo nix profile wipe-history --profile /nix/var/nix/profiles/system --older-than 7d
# garbage collect all unused nix store entries
sudo nix store gc --debug
############################################################################
#
# Idols: Commands related to my remote distributed building cluster
#
############################################################################
add-idols-ssh-key:
ssh-add ~/.ssh/ai-idols
aqua: add-idols-ssh-key
nixos-rebuild --flake .#aquamarine --target-host aquamarine --build-host aquamarine switch --use-remote-sudo
aqua-debug: add-idols-ssh-key
nixos-rebuild --flake .#aquamarine --target-host aquamarine --build-host aquamarine switch --use-remote-sudo --show-trace --verbose
ruby: add-idols-ssh-key
nixos-rebuild --flake .#ruby --target-host ruby --build-host ruby switch --use-remote-sudo
ruby-debug: add-idols-ssh-key
nixos-rebuild --flake .#ruby --target-host ruby --build-host ruby switch --use-remote-sudo --show-trace --verbose
idols: aqua ruby
idols-debug: aqua-debug ruby-debug2
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By Save the above Makefile to the root directory of your Nix flake. Then, I can use make deploy to deploy the configuration to my local machine, and make idols to deploy the configuration to all my remote servers.
This approach simplifies the execution of NixOS commands by abstracting them behind target names in the Makefile, providing a more user-friendly and convenient experience.