Installing a minimal working image of nixos
🛑 No using Flakes
if you don't have nmcli ❗
# 🔍 Check Wi-Fi interface name
ip a
# 📡 Scan available Wi-Fi networks and copy your network name
sudo iwlist wlp2s0 scan | grep ESSID
# 📝 Create a file to store Wi-Fi credentials
nano /tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf
# 📌 Paste this into the file `/tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf` and save it
network={
ssid="Wifi_name"
psk="Wifi_password"
}
# 🔄 Replace the template file with your configuration
sudo mv /tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
# 🔗 Connect to Wi-Fi
sudo wpa_supplicant -B -i wlp2s0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
# 🌍 Obtain an IP address using DHCP
sudo dhclient wlp2s0
# ✅ Test network connection
ping google.com
as in the official instructions on nix.wiki ❗
g (gpt disk label)
n
1 (partition number [1/128])
2048 first sector
+500M last sector (boot sector size)
t
1 (EFI System)
n
2
default (fill up partition)
default (fill up partition)
w (write)all actions in root ❗
su root
# 📀 Label FAT
lsblk # Check your /dev/sdX
mkfs.fat -F 32 /dev/sdX1
fatlabel /dev/sdX1 NIXBOOT
# 🔒 Create LUKS Btrfs
cryptsetup -y -v --type luks2 luksFormat /dev/sdX2
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdX2 space
cryptsetup -v status space # Check it's ok
mkfs.btrfs /dev/mapper/space -L NIXROOT
# 🔄 Create Swap on Btrfs size 4gb
btrfs subvolume create /mnt/swap
btrfs filesystem mkswapfile --size 4g --uuid clear /mnt/swap/swapfile
swapon /mnt/swap/swapfile
# 📦 Mount Boot and Filesystem
mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXROOT /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/boot
mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXBOOT /mnt/boot # 🏗️ Generate configuration files
sudo nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
# 📂 Navigate to config directory
cd /mnt/etc/nixos/
# 🪂 Install temporary wget and copy my configuration.nix and kernel
nix-shell -p wget
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikil0dion/nix-config/refs/heads/main/nixos/configuration.nix
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nikil0dion/nix-config/refs/heads/main/nixos/linux-kernel.nixcd /mnt
sudo nixos-install If you add a user via configuration.nix and then do a nixos-rebuild switch, you won't be able to login the user because it doesn't have a password, so it's easier to create the user the old way 👴
# 👤 Create a new user
useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash your_username
# 🔑 Set a password for the user
passwd your_username
# 🔓 Grant sudo privileges (optional)
echo "your_username ALL=(ALL) ALL" | sudo tee -a /etc/sudoers.d/your_username
# ✏️ Uncomment line an change your new username
nano /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
# 📦 Change Line Add user in group vboxusers
users.extraGroups.vboxusers.members = [ "your_username" ];
# 🐳 Change Line Add user in group docker
users.extraGroups.docker.members = [ "your_username" ];
# 🚀 And rebuild
nixos-rebuild switchAnd restart your system and now login your new user
You can go 2 ways
- Easy 😎
- go to the site
search.nixos.org/packages - find the desired package
- and install it
nix-env -iA nixos.dnf
- Hard 💪
# Create base home.nix
nano /etc/nixos/home.nix
# Paste and modify this template in /etc/nixos/home.nix
{ config, pkgs, ... }: {
imports = [ ];
home = {
username = "your_username"; # 👤 Your username
homeDirectory = "/home/your_username"; # 🏠 Home directory
stateVersion = "24.11"; # 📅 State version
packages = with pkgs; [
# 🧑💻 ALL THE PROGRAMS YOU WANT TO INSTALL, SEARCH NIXOS PACKAGES
firefox # 🌍 Firefox
brave # 🦸 Brave
... # 🔄 Add other packages you need
];
};
}
# 🚀 Of course need rebuild OS after and everything will be installed
nixos-rebuild switch --profile-name MyNixOS_v1.0