path: root/doc/manual/hacking.xml

<appendix xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
          xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
          xml:id="chap-hacking">

<title>Hacking</title>

<para>This section provides some notes on how to hack on Nix.  To get
the latest version of Nix from GitHub:
<screen>
$ git clone git://github.com/NixOS/nix.git
$ cd nix
</screen>
</para>

<para>To build it and its dependencies:
<screen>
$ nix-build release.nix -A build.x86_64-linux
</screen>
</para>

<para>To build all dependencies and start a shell in which all
environment variables are set up so that those dependencies can be
found:
<screen>
$ nix-shell
</screen>
To build Nix itself in this shell:
<screen>
[nix-shell]$ ./bootstrap.sh
[nix-shell]$ configurePhase
[nix-shell]$ make
</screen>
To install it in <literal>$(pwd)/nix</literal> and test it:
<screen>
[nix-shell]$ make install
[nix-shell]$ make installcheck
</screen>

</para>

</appendix>