nix packages sans root

Scripts and info for using nix packages without root access. Install and use nixpkgs instead of using apt or compiling manually.

Install

Steps to setup on Linux (e.g. Ubuntu 22.04) without root.

Install rustup

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Install nix-user-chroot
```
cargo install nix-user-chroot
```

Setup ~/.nix

mkdir -m 0755 ~/.nix
nix-user-chroot ~/.nix bash -c 'curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh'

See https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Nix_Installation_Guide

Auto startup using nix: Add to ~/.bashrc

if [ -z "$NIX_CONF_DIR" ]; then
    exec nix-user-chroot ~/.nix bash
else
    # nix-user mode
    . "$HOME/.nix-profile/etc/profile.d/nix.sh"
    
    if [[ $(ps --no-header --pid=$PPID --format=comm) != "fish" && -z $BASH_EXECUTION_STRING ]] && type -P fish >/dev/null
    then
        exec fish
    fi
fi

Install scripts

This repo contains some helper scripts for using nix packages.

The main motivation is the poor performance of upstream operations (like search & update) managing nix-env adhoc packages.

git clone https://github.com/alexheretic/nix-user ~/nix

Usage

nix/search [--refresh] PACKAGE_REGEX
nix/update [--check]

Use nix-env for installing/uninstalling packages e.g. nix-env -iA nixpkgs.foo.

Issues

Using nix-env to search, check for updates & update all packages is very slow and memory intensive. The scripts in this repo provide fast alternatives.
It can be difficult to use programs inside the nix-root from outside. It's best to try and do everything inside, e.g. install and use nix vscode instead of the ubuntu system version.
Graphical apps & daemons can break if the terminal they were started with is exitted.
Dynamic link dependency packages (like openssl) don't work by default for compiling. On nix you are intended to use nix-shell and explicitly declare linking dependencies. An alternative is installing such link dependencies on the system or compiling them into $HOME and setting the necessary env vars.