Home Manager Configuration

A reproducible Home Manager configuration using Nix flakes for managing user environments across different systems and use cases.

Installation

Quick Install (without cloning)

Run the following command to install Nix and apply the base configuration directly from GitHub:

wget --output-document=/dev/stdout https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh -s -- --daemon --yes \
&& source /etc/profile \
&& nix --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' run github:Ev-Mu/home-manager/main#homeConfigurations.base.activationPackage

Install with Clone

For ongoing development and customization, clone the repository first:

1. Generate an SSH key and add it to GitHub:

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -N "" -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa && cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

2. Add the public key to your GitHub account

3. Install Nix and apply the configuration:

   wget --output-document=/dev/stdout https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh -s -- --daemon --yes \
   && source /etc/profile \
   && nix-shell -p home-manager git \
       --run "git clone git@github.com:Ev-Mu/home-manager.git ~/.config/home-manager \
       && home-manager switch --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' --flake $HOME/.config/home-manager#base"

Repository Structure

.
├── flake.nix          # Main flake configuration with inputs and outputs
├── home.nix           # Core Home Manager configuration
├── modules/           # Modular configuration files
│   ├── base/          # Base configuration (includes scripts.nix)
│   └── gui/           # GUI-specific configuration
├── templates/         # Nix flake templates for development environments
└── bin/               # Binary files and executables

Key Files

• flake.nix - Defines flake inputs (nixpkgs, home-manager, nixgl) and outputs (configurations, templates)
• home.nix - Main Home Manager configuration that imports modules and sets up the user environment
• modules/base/scripts.nix - Helper scripts for common operations (nfi, switch)

Available Configurations

The flake defines three Home Manager configurations for different use cases:

base

• User: emusic
• Type: CLI-only configuration
• Purpose: Lightweight setup with Essential CLI tools, no GUI applications

gui

• User: emusic
• Type: GUI-enabled configuration
• Purpose: Full desktop environment with all base packages plus GUI applications

runner

• User: runner
• Type: GUI-enabled configuration
• Purpose: Configuration for testing configuration changes in GitHub Actions

These configurations exist to support different environments and users while maintaining a consistent configuration approach.

Templates

This repository includes Nix flake templates for quickly setting up development environments:

Available Templates

• go - Go development environment with necessary tooling
• npm - Node.js development environment with npm/yarn support
• python - Python development environment with pip and common tools

Using Templates

Each template includes a flake.nix file for dependency management and a .envrc file for direnv integration.

To initialize a new project using a template:

# Using nix directly
nix flake init -t "$HOME/.config/home-manager#<template-name>"

# Using the helper script (after applying configuration)
nfi <template-name>

Helper Scripts

The configuration includes helper scripts defined in modules/base/scripts.nix:

nfi

Initialize a new project using a flake template from this repository.

Usage:

nfi <template-name>

Example:

nfi go     # Initialize a Go project
nfi npm    # Initialize a Node.js project
nfi python # Initialize a Python project

switch

Switch Home Manager configurations with automatic backup.

Usage:

switch [config-name]

Examples:

switch        # Switch to base configuration (default)
switch gui    # Switch to gui configuration
switch runner # Switch to runner configuration

This script automatically creates a backup before switching, making it safe to experiment with configuration changes.

Resources

For more information about Nix, Home Manager, and flakes, see RESOURCES.md for a curated collection of documentation, guides, and references.