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kevinveenbirkenbach 7359e88f88 fix(dev-nix): use official installer on non-Arch x86_64 and fix localhost become

- Restrict pacman-based Nix install to Arch Linux x86_64 only
- Use official Nix installer as fallback on ARM and other platforms
- Prevent sudo usage on localhost when fetching installer checksum
- Align README with actual online, verified installer behavior

https://chatgpt.com/share/695e483c-1f68-800f-9f94-87d5295b871d

2026-01-07 12:49:04 +01:00

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dev-nix

This role installs the Nix package manager in a secure, reproducible, and idempotent way across multiple Linux distributions.

Description

The role installs Nix using either the native package manager (where supported and reliable) or the official installer with SHA256 verification.

On platforms where distro packages are known to be problematic (e.g. Arch Linux ARM), the role deliberately avoids the system package and falls back to the official installer to ensure a working and up-to-date Nix installation.

Installation Strategy

The role automatically selects the appropriate installation method:

Arch Linux (x86_64)
Installs nix via the system package manager (pacman).
All other platforms (including Arch Linux ARM, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, EL, Generic Linux)
Uses the official Nix installer in multi-user (daemon) mode.

This avoids ABI and SONAME mismatches on rolling or less frequently rebuilt distributions.

Security Model

The official installer is downloaded at runtime and verified before execution:

The installer script is fetched from the official release location
Its SHA256 checksum is fetched from the same release
The checksum is validated before execution
Installation aborts immediately if verification fails

No unverified code is executed on the target system.

Features

Automatic platform detection (Arch x86_64 vs others)
Verified official installer with SHA256 checksum validation
Multi-user (daemon) installation mode
Optional shell integration via /etc/profile.d
Optional activation of experimental features (nix-command, flakes)
Fully idempotent (safe to run multiple times)
Distro-agnostic fallback logic

Configuration Options

Key variables (see defaults/main.yml):

dev_nix_installer_version
Nix version to install via the official installer.
dev_nix_enable_experimental_features
Enable experimental features such as nix-command and flakes.
dev_nix_enable_shell_snippet
Whether to install a profile snippet for automatic environment loading.

Notes on Offline Usage

This role does not ship the installer script and therefore requires network access during installation.

If a fully offline or air-gapped setup is required, the role can be extended to use a locally vendored installer script with a pinned checksum.

Further Resources

Nix project: https://nixos.org
Nix releases: https://releases.nixos.org
Infinito.Nexus License: https://s.infinito.nexus/license

2.5 KiB Raw Blame History