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diff --git a/content/posts/2025-10.18-local-setup.md b/content/posts/2025-10.18-local-setup.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dae4761 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2025-10.18-local-setup.md @@ -0,0 +1,255 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Notes on getting my local setup up to speed" +date: 2025-10-18 +lastmod: 2025-10-18 +tags: ['alpine', 'nix'] +--- + +Before we get to the actual setup, I'll first share some background on how I +arrived at the solution I'm currently using. If you want to go to the actual +steps jump to [provisioning](#provisioning). + +# Git + +One of the many chores in my day to day digital life is keeping the +configurations between my home and work machines synced and tidy. I tried +chezmoi[^1] at some point but it didn't stick (I don't recall why as it was many +years ago). After some trial and error I have settled on using simple git +repository in my home folder which I used for many years. The setup would be +like: + +```bash +cd $HOME +git init +echo "*" > .gitignore +``` + +And for every new file I wanted to keep track I'd add it by `git add -f <FILE>` +and once I'm on a new computer I'd git clone the repository on home folder to +get configuration in their correct place. + +That repository contains all my essential configuration; shell files (.profile, +fish configuration), applications (waybar, git, niri), my email configuration +(aerc, maildir, notmuch), and yes, some of those have secrets stored in plain +text (in a private repository, of course 😅). + +However that approach has some shortcomings when the configuration between +computers differ. For example I can't simply commit my mail connection +configuration (`aerc/accounts.conf`) since I have one for work with corporate +email and one on my home machine with my private email as they would conflict. + +# Nix to rescue + +Now it comes Nix to the rescue! Or more specifically home-manger[^2]. + +It all started at work where we had expanded our nix usage as a way to share +resource between repositories (e.g.: linter configuration, required binaries to +run tests). This daily exposure helped me to better understand its capabilities +and it gradually started to grow with me. + +So naturally I have gravitated toward home-manger as way to have a global +configuration for nix without having to use nixos, and the more I learned the +more I saw the potential to use as my local configuration. After a couple of +months gradually migrating my setup, I've now moved everything over to +home-manager. + +Besides just dotfiles managing home-mamager allows me to supplement my setup +with binaries that are not available on latest alpine. So lets share some +details how I'm setting up home manger. Here[^7] is my full configuration +repository for reference which runs on flake mode[^8]. I won't go into every +details of all those files. You're better off following a dedicated guide on nix +for that, but I'll share some key points. + +Looking at `flake.nix` we have two hostnames/profiles; home and work. + +```nix + "gabrielgio@workstation.lan" = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration { + inherit pkgs; + + extraSpecialArgs = { + inherit inputs; + git = { + name = "Gabriel A. Giovanini"; + email = "g.arakakigiovanini@gridx.de"; + }; + }; + + modules = [ + ./home.nix + ./secrets/gridx/gridx.nix + ]; + }; + "gabrielgio@homestation.lan" = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration { + inherit pkgs; + + extraSpecialArgs = { + inherit inputs; + git = { + name = "Gabriel A. Giovanini"; + email = "mail@gabrielgio.me"; + }; + }; + + modules = [ + ./home.nix + ]; + }; +``` + +Both inherit the base packages and share the same core configuration on +`home.nix`, which contains shared dotfiles and packages. While you won't be able +to see the contents for obvious reasons, this file includes work related tools, +terraform linter, awscli2, internal tooling and much more. + +Now that extra git configuration is used to configure the proper git +configuration for each profiles. That later[^9] is used to set the jj config +files with the correct values. + +```nix +{ + pkgs, + inputs, + git, + ... +}: let + tomlFormat = pkgs.formats.toml {}; +in { + xdg.configFile."jj/config.toml".source = tomlFormat.generate "config.toml" { + user = { + name = git.name; + email = git.email; + }; + ... +} +``` + +### Git crypt + +I use git-crypt[^10] to be able so share secrets between machines and still be +able to publicly share most of my configuration. + +## Why not nix-os? + +Pretty much because I like alpine. It is a simple, small and because of that, +the entire distro fits on my head[^4]. APK is straightforward to understand and +build yourself[^3]. OpenRC follows a simple model that's easy to make sense of +and dead simple to configure. I run it as my home and work computer as well as +my server (even running on diskless mode). It gets out of my way, and I haven't +seen any major issues even on major upgrades. + +Also there's something about having 12 version of glibc installed that just does +not sit well with me. (some could argue I have felt for the sunk cost fallacy +but I will deny it!) + +# Provisioning {#provisioning} + +I have recently formatted my home computer and as always I forgot to take notes +so as ~~punishiment~~ exercise, I'll setup a VM from scratch to validate all +the steps are correct. In the end it should be a couple steps only. + +Similar to my other post[^5] we will be using qemu. First create the disk: + +```bash +qemu-img create -f qcow2 var.cow2 30G +``` + +Later go to alpine and download the latest image for virtual[^6]. + +Now we can start VM with: + +```bash +qemu-system-x86_64 \ + -machine accel=kvm \ + -display gtk \ + -smp $(nproc) \ + -m 2048 \ + -cdrom alpine-virt-3.22.2-x86_64.iso \ + -drive file=var.cow2,if=virtio +``` + +Now run the classic `setup-alpine` then reboot and run `setup-desktop sway` and +`setup-devd udev`. + +## Niri for 3.22 and bonus building APKBUILD + +Now there is niri. On alpine it is already on community folder but it is not +available on 3.22. This means I need to setup APK building to build that +package. This approach is actually easier than build from source code directly, +since APKBUILD takes care of all development dependencies. + +```bash +# make sure you have community repository enabled on /etc/apk/repositories +doas apk add git alpine-sdk +addgroup <USER> abuild # might need to re-login or run: su <USER> +abuild-keygen -a -i +git clone --depth 1 https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine/aports.git +cd aports/community/niri +abuild -r +``` + +Depending on your system configuration it will take some time to build but at +the end there will be a new folder `$HOME/packages` which contains the result of +the build. Add it to your `/etc/apk/repositories`. + +```bash +echo "/home/<USER>/packages/community" >> /etc/apk/repositories +apk add -U niri +``` + + +To continue, here are the basic packages I typically install. I maintain a +shared list of common packages that can all be installed with a single command: + +```bash +curl https://artifacts.gabrielgio.me/world | xargs -I{} apk add {} +``` + +## Getting home-manager off the ground + +Before we do anything with nix make sure you have `nix-daemon` running and your +user added to `/etc/nix/nix.conf` + +```bash +allowed-users = @nix <USERNAME> +build-users-group = nixbld +max-jobs = <CPU_COUNT> +extra-nix-path = nixpkgs=flake:nixpkgs +experimental-features = nix-command flakes +``` + +Then: + +```bash +rc-service nix-daemon restart +``` + +Clone home-manager repository: + +```bash +cd .config +git clone https://git.gabrielgio.me/home-manager +``` + +Now run the shell with nh utility inside of the cloned folder: + +```bash +nix shell nixpkgs#nh +# inside of the shell run: +nh home switch . +``` + +Now on the home folder we should see .profile linked `ls -lha $HOME`. Once here +exit tty1 and log in again and you should see niri. After that I have to add ssh +and pgp keys and I'm set. + +[^1]: https://github.com/twpayne/chezmoi +[^2]: https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager +[^3]: https://apkdoc.gabrielgio.me/ +[^4]: https://drewdevault.com/2021/05/06/Praise-for-Alpine-Linux.html +[^5]: https://gabrielgio.me/posts/2023-04-30-using-data-mode-alpine/ +[^6]: https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ +[^7]: https://git.gabrielgio.me/home-manager/tree/ +[^8]: https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.xhtml#ch-nix-flakes +[^9]: https://git.gabrielgio.me/home-manager/tree/jj.nix +[^10]: https://github.com/AGWA/git-crypt |