NixOS as a desktop: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 05:49, 9 June 2025

NixOS is a versatile operating system suitable for a wide range of use cases. This page is intended for users who wish to run NixOS as their primary desktop environment, either on physical hardware or within a virtual machine. Additionally, users planning to deploy NixOS in cloud environments or on specialized server infrastructure may find it helpful to begin with the concepts and practices introduced here, as they provide a useful foundation for working within the broader Nix ecosystem.

Installation

Refer to NixOS Installation Guide to get started. Keep in mind that, for a desktop installation, you will probably want to make sure you start with at least 30 GiB of available disk space to allow for the desktop environments, web browsers, and other graphical applications, that would be typical of daily use. 15 GiB might be enough for a fairly bare-bones setup.

Managing your configuration

As described in the Overview of the NixOS Linux distribution#Declarative Configuration, NixOS is designed to be configured declaratively. This means the entire system configuration, including installed packages, system services, kernel parameters, and user accounts is defined in configuration files, typically in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix. These settings can then be applied consistently and reproducibly across machines.

The process for managing your configuration is documented in the NixOS official manual.

System Configuration

Main article: NixOS system configuration

The primary configuration file, /etc/nixos/configuration.nix, defines system-wide settings. This includes options like enabling services, managing system users, setting hardware options, and specifying installed packages. Changes are applied with:

# nixos-rebuild switch

User configuration with Home Manager

For managing per-user configurations such as application preferences, command-line tools, and dotfiles, Home Manager provides a convenient, declarative approach. It allows users to define which programs should be installed and how they should be configured, without needing to include those settings in the system-wide configuration.nix.

Home Manager can be used independently of the system configuration and works with both traditional setups and newer Flakes-based configurations.

With Flakes

For users looking for a more streamlined and reproducible way to manage NixOS configurations, the Flakes feature has been gaining popularity within the community. While Flakes introduce some new concepts compared to traditional workflows, many users find them a convenient and organized approach to managing system and development configurations.

Refer to NixOS system configuration#Defining NixOS as a flake for details on getting started.

Beyond initial setup

Once your basic NixOS installation is complete and functional, you can further customize your system with a variety of optional configurations tailored for desktop use. For a list of recommended initial system configurations, see NixOS Installation Guide#NixOS configuration.

Common configuration areas include:

Desktop Environments

Install and configure full-featured environments such as GNOME, KDE Plasma, or Xfce.

See Category:Desktop environment for a full list.

Window Managers

Set up lightweight or tiling window managers like i3, Sway, Hyprland, or xmonad.

See Category:Window managers for a full list.

Display Managers (Login Managers)

Configure graphical session managers such as GDM, SDDM, or LightDM.

Audio Setup

Enable and configure audio systems like PipeWire, PulseAudio, or ALSA.

Network Management

Use tools such as NetworkManager or systemd-networkd for managing network connections.

Bluetooth Support

Set up Bluetooth with blueman or other management tools.

Power Management

Configure laptop battery management, suspend, and hibernation with tools like tlp or systemd services.

Printing and Scanning

Enable Cups for printer support and tools like Sane for scanning devices.

Tips and tricks

Modularizing your configuration with modules

Main article: NixOS system configuration#Modularizing your configuration with modules

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-NixOS can be used for many purposes. If you want to use it as a primary desktop operating system for your daily use (either on bare metal or as a [https://twitter.com/mitchellh/status/1346136404682625024 secondary VM]), this page is for you. Even if your ambitions are to use NixOS in the cloud or on specially configured servers, you may want to start with the lessons outlined here in order to get more generally familiar with the Nix ecosystem.
+<languages/>
+<translate>
+<!--T:1-->
+[[NixOS]] is a versatile operating system suitable for a wide range of use cases. This page is intended for users who wish to run NixOS as their primary desktop environment, either on physical hardware or within a virtual machine. Additionally, users planning to deploy NixOS in [[NixOS friendly hosters|cloud]] environments or on specialized server infrastructure may find it helpful to begin with the concepts and practices introduced here, as they provide a useful foundation for working within the broader [[Nix ecosystem]].
-== Installation ==
+== Installation == <!--T:2-->
-=== Wiki method ===
+<!--T:4-->
+Refer to [[NixOS Installation Guide]] to get started. Keep in mind that, for a desktop installation, you will probably want to make sure you start with at least 30 GiB of available disk space to allow for the [[:Category:Desktop environment|desktop environments]], [[:Category:Web Browser|web browsers]], and other [[:Category:Applications|graphical applications]], that would be typical of daily use. 15 GiB might be enough for a fairly bare-bones setup.
-If you prefer reading, see [[NixOS Installation Guide]] to get started. For a well presented video option, see video guide section immediately below. Keep in mind that, for a desktop installation, you will probably want to make sure you start with at least 30 GiB of available disk space to allow for the desktop environments (e.g. GNOME, KDE, or XFCE), browsers (e.g. Firefox), and other graphical applications (e.g. VSCode) that would be typical of daily use. 15 GiB might be enough in a pinch for a fairly bare-bones setup.
+== Managing your configuration == <!--T:7-->
-=== Video guide ===
+<!--T:8-->
+As described in the [[Overview of the NixOS Linux distribution#Declarative Configuration]], NixOS is designed to be configured declaratively. This means the entire system configuration, including installed packages, system services, kernel parameters, and user accounts is defined in configuration files, typically in <code>/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</code>. These settings can then be applied consistently and reproducibly across machines.
-For a visual guide, see [[Wil T Nix Guides]]. The [[Wil_T_Nix_Guides#NixOS_Installation_Guide|second video]] is a concise installation guide. This 8-part series, produced in early 2021, also covers all the basics of using NixOS as a desktop and configuring it to your liking.
+The process for managing your configuration is documented in the {{NixOS Manual|name=NixOS official manual|anchor=#ch-configuration}}.
-== Managing your configuration ==
+=== System Configuration ===
-It is possible to manage your entire configuration using the methods documented in the [https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/index.html NixOS official manual]. However, most community members who use NixOS on the desktop prefer to manage their user configurations (e.g. "dotfiles") using [[Home Manager]] (citation needed). Home Manager is a user oriented tool for declaring what you want installed and how you want it configured, and thus would be used in lieu of most settings you would otherwise put into a [https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-changing-config configuration.nix] or through [[FAQ#How_can_I_manage_software_with_nix-env_like_with_configuration.nix.3F|nix-env]]
+{{main|NixOS system configuration}}
-=== Video guide ===
+The primary configuration file, <code>/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</code>, defines system-wide settings. This includes options like enabling services, managing system users, setting hardware options, and specifying installed packages. Changes are applied with:
-Wil T's guides are about an even mix of:
+<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
-# Hands-on bootstrapping to get to being able to very capably manage your system using Home Manager, git versioning, and eventually Flakes.
+# nixos-rebuild switch
-# Conceptual overviews and general exposition of the Nix ecosystem, community, and available resources.
+</syntaxhighlight>
-The [[Wil_T_Nix_Guides#NixOS_Installation_Guide|second video]], starting from about 27 minutes in, is also an introduction to and guide to setting up Home Manager.
+=== User configuration with Home Manager ===
-== Modularizing your configuration ==
+For managing per-user configurations such as application preferences, command-line tools, and dotfiles, [[Home Manager]] provides a convenient, declarative approach. It allows users to define which programs should be installed and how they should be configured, without needing to include those settings in the system-wide [https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-changing-config configuration.nix].
-=== With NixOS Modules ===
+Home Manager can be used independently of the system configuration and works with both traditional setups and newer [[Flakes]]-based configurations.
-configuration.nix is an instance of a [[NixOS modules|NixOS module]], which makes it easy to break your configuration into several files. Modules can:
-* Import other modules
+=== With Flakes === <!--T:17-->
-* Declare new options
-* Provide values for options (this is what most of your default configuration.nix does)
-* Reference option values from other modules (via the <code>config</code> attribute passed to all modules)
-As long as you declare options for any values you want to share between modules, you can divide your configuration however you like into files that get imported, directly or transitively, by your root configuration.nix file. You can also import modules from remote sources, using functions like <code>builtins.fetchTarball</code>. See the [[NixOS modules|wiki page]] or the [https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-writing-modules NixOS manual] for more information.
+<!--T:18-->
+For users looking for a more streamlined and reproducible way to manage NixOS configurations, the [[Flakes]] feature has been gaining popularity within the community. While Flakes introduce some new concepts compared to traditional workflows, many users find them a convenient and organized approach to managing system and development configurations.
-=== With Flakes ===
+Refer to [[NixOS system configuration#Defining NixOS as a flake]] for details on getting started.
-If you want a more composable<sup>[citation needed]</sup> NixOS configuration setup, the still-experimental [[Flakes]] feature is causing a lot of excitement in the community. Managing flakes requires a good basic understanding and some existing hands on experience with the Nix ecosystem.
-==== Video guide ====
+== Beyond initial setup == <!--T:21-->
-Videos [[Wil_T_Nix_Guides#Intro_to_Flakes|seven]] and [[Wil_T_Nix_Guides#Moving_NixOS_System_Configuration_into_a_Flake|eight]] of Wil T's original 8-part series are a good overview of what Flakes enable and how to get started with them.
-== Beyond initial setup ==
+<!--T:22-->
+Once your basic NixOS installation is complete and functional, you can further customize your system with a variety of optional configurations tailored for desktop use. For a list of recommended initial system configurations, see [[NixOS Installation Guide#NixOS configuration]].
-After you are familiar with the Nix ecosystem and have a functional desktop install of NixOS, you will likely be interested in customizations and more detailed setup.
+Common configuration areas include:
-=== Learn by example ===
+==== Desktop Environments ====
-If you are comfortable managing your system through a git repo using flakes, then there are many repositories you can learn from now!
+Install and configure full-featured environments such as [[GNOME]], [[KDE Plasma]], or [[Xfce]].
-Check out [[Comparison of NixOS setups]] for a table comparing some popular choices.
+See [[:Category:Desktop environment]] for a full list.
-See [[Configuration Collection]] for a long list within the wiki.
+==== Window Managers ====
-Additionally, the following topic searches on Github should uncover many useful examples.
+Set up lightweight or tiling window managers like [[i3]], [[Sway]], [[Hyprland]], or [[xmonad]].
-* [https://github.com/topics/nix-flake nix-flake]
-* [https://github.com/topics/nixos-configuration nixos-configuration]
+See [[:Category:Window managers]] for a full list.
-* [https://github.com/topics/nixos-dotfiles nixos-dotfiles]
+==== Display Managers (Login Managers) ====
+Configure graphical session managers such as [[Gnome|GDM]], [[KDE|SDDM]], or [[LightDM]].
+==== Audio Setup ====
+Enable and configure [[:Category:Audio|audio]] systems like [[PipeWire]], [[PulseAudio]], or [[ALSA]].
+==== Network Management ====
+Use tools such as [[NetworkManager]] or [[systemd-networkd]] for managing [[Networking|network]] connections.
+==== Bluetooth Support ====
+Set up [[Bluetooth]] with blueman or other management tools.
+==== Power Management ====
+Configure [[laptop]] [[Power Management|battery management]], suspend, and hibernation with tools like [[Laptop#tlp|tlp]] or [[systemd]] services.
+==== Printing and Scanning ====
+Enable [[Cups]] for printer support and tools like Sane for [[Scanners|scanning]] devices.
+== Tips and tricks == <!--T:12-->
+=== Modularizing your configuration with modules === <!--T:13-->
+{{main|NixOS system configuration#Modularizing your configuration with modules}}
+== See also == <!--T:23-->
+<!--T:25-->
+* [[Overview of the NixOS Linux distribution]]
+* [[Comparison of NixOS setups]] for a table comparing some popular choices.
+* [[Configuration Collection]] for a long list within the wiki.
+* [https://github.com/topics/nix-flake nix-flake], [https://github.com/topics/nixos-configuration nixos-configuration], [https://github.com/topics/nixos-dotfiles nixos-dotfiles] Github topics
+* [[Wil T Nix Guides]] Youtube video format guide
 [[Category:Desktop]]
 [[Category:Guide]]
+[[Category:NixOS]]
+</translate>