NGIpkgs

This is what you can do with software from NGIpkgs:

• Run standalone programs locally with Nix
• Use libraries or tools to build software with Nixpkgs
• Deploy services to machines running NixOS

In order to do that:

• Install Nix on Linux or WSL

It will help you to go more quickly if you learn to:

• Read the Nix language
• Package existing software with Nixpkgs
• Work with NixOS modules
• Run NixOS in virtual machines
• Provision remote NixOS machines via SSH
• Set up your own cache for sharing binaries

Each piece of software in NGIpkgs is called a project and may consist of multiple packaging artefacts:

• NixOS configuration modules for adding application components to a NixOS system
• Examples for configuring these modules
• Tests to ensure the modules and examples work as intended
• Libraries for various progrmaming languages that can be composed with Nixpkgs package recipes
• Links to upstream documentation for using the application or maintaing or extending the NixOS packaging.

.
├── README.md            # this file
├── default.nix          # collection of project configuration modules (and some helper tooling)
├── projects
│   ├── default.nix      # aggregates all projects
│   ├── <project-name>
│   │   ├── default.nix  # packaging artefacts for a project
│   …   └── …            # other files for implementing a project package
├── pkgs
│   └── by-name
│       └── …            # directories with Nixpkgs-compatible package recipes
├── flake.nix            # CI setup
└── …

NixOS modules can be integrated into a NixOS configuration. Many of them expose options for configuring one or more systemd services that are designed to run on NixOS. These modules are ready to be deployed to a NixOS system running in a container, virtual machine, or on a physical machine.

Example configurations found in the corresponding per-project directory are a good starting point for anyone interested in using these modules, and can be expected to work because they are automatically tested in continuous integration.

Nixpkgs-style package recipes can in principle be built on any operating system supported by Nix. The output of building such a recipe is often a library or executable, including its dependencies. In NGIpkgs, these recipes are maintained in the pkgs directory.

Corresponding to projects funded by NGI through NLnet, there are per-project subdirectories within the projects directory. Each of these sub-directories contain a default.nix which:

• Picks packages associated with the project from those defined in pkgs and Nixpkgs,
• Exposes NixOS modules, tests, and configurations which are also maintained in the per-project directory,
• May contain additional metadata about the project.

• Users can discover projects on an overview page and use them immediately.
• Many software packages are research projects that would not (yet) make sense to distribute through Nixpkgs or NixOS.
• The funding organisations get an overview of the packaging situation.
• Maintainers of the NGI software collection can experiment with code architecture and user experience without interfering with upstream NixOS development or having to deal with stricter stability requirements.

Our intention is to eventually bring innovations to Nixpkgs and NixOS once they are proven to work well and there is a realistic migration path that won't break upstream contributors' and users' workflows.