Configuration structure

All deployable NixOS configurations can be found in the flake.nix.

Use nix flake show to display them.

Each NixOS configuration exposed in the flake.nix assembles different configuration files from different directories together.

The directories contain configuration files for affecting different aspects of the system:

• The machines directory contains hardware specific configuration files for the different target hosts
• The dotfiles directory contains home-manager configuration files affecting a specific user
• The environments directory contains NixOS system configuration files that assemble configurations from the services, and options depending on the use of the final system.

In the following sections I describe what each subdirectory contains.

The machines directory

The machines directory contains a subdirectory for every physical machine running NixOS.

Each of those machine directories contains

• the generated hardware-configuration.nix
• hardware specific configuration files like bluetooth.nix and networking.nix

The dotfiles directory

The dotfiles directory contains configurations for user applications and services like nvim, git, etc.. It also contains the following files which assmble these configurations depending on the use of the final system.

• common.nix unifies all user application configurations that can be used on any machine.
• desktop.nix unifies all user application configurations that can be used on machines with a desktop.
• work.nix contains user applications that are only used for work.

The environments directory

The environments directory contains NixOS system configuration files that assemble configurations from the services, and options depending on the use of the final system:

• common.nix unifies all system configuration files that can be used on any machine.
• desktop.nix unifies all system configurations that can be used on machines with a desktop.
• work.nix contains system configurations that are only used for work.

The options directory

This directory contains all system configurations which are not services.

The services directory

This directory contains all system service configurations.