os/profiles

Profiles

Profiles are simply NixOS modules which contain generic expressions suitable for any host. A good example is the configuration for a text editor, or window manager. If you need some concrete examples, just checkout the community branch.

Constraints

For the sake of consistency, there are a few minor constraints. First of all, a profile should always be defined in a default.nix, and it should always be a a function taking a single attribute set as an argument, and returning a NixOS module which does not define any new module options. If you need to make new module option declarations, just use modules.

These restrictions help simplify the import logic used to pass profles to suites.

Example

Correct ✔

profiles/develop/default.nix:

{  ... }:
{
  programs.zsh.enable = true;
}

Incorrect ❌

profiles/develop.nix:

{
  options = {};
}

Subprofiles

Profiles can also define subprofiles. They follow the same constraints outlined above. A good top level profile should be a high level concern, such a your personal development environment, and the subprofiles should be more concrete program configurations such as your text editor, and shell configs. This way, you can either pull in the whole development profile, or pick and choose individual programs.

Conclusion

Profiles are the most important concept in nixflk. They allow us to keep our nix expressions self contained and modular. This way we can maximize reuse while minimizing boilerplate. Always strive to keep your profiles as generic and modular as possible. Anything machine specific belongs in your host files.