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diff --git a/nix/nix-1p/README.md b/nix/nix-1p/README.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..bdb49c7defe7 --- /dev/null +++ b/nix/nix-1p/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,599 @@ +Nix - A One Pager +================= + +[Nix](https://nixos.org/nix/), the package manager, is built on and with Nix, +the language. This page serves as a fast intro to most of the (small) language. + +Unless otherwise specified, the word "Nix" refers only to the language below. + +Please file an issue if something in here confuses you or you think something +important is missing. + +<!-- markdown-toc start - Don't edit this section. Run M-x markdown-toc-refresh-toc --> +**Table of Contents** + +- [Overview](#overview) +- [Language constructs](#language-constructs) + - [Primitives / literals](#primitives--literals) + - [Operators](#operators) + - [Variable bindings](#variable-bindings) + - [Functions](#functions) + - [Multiple arguments (currying)](#multiple-arguments-currying) + - [Multiple arguments (attribute sets)](#multiple-arguments-attribute-sets) + - [`if ... then ... else ...`](#if--then--else-) + - [`inherit` keyword](#inherit-keyword) + - [`with` statements](#with-statements) + - [`import` / `NIX_PATH` / `<entry>`](#import--nix_path--entry) + - [`or` expressions](#or-expressions) +- [Standard libraries](#standard-libraries) + - [`builtins`](#builtins) + - [`pkgs.lib`](#pkgslib) + - [`pkgs` itself](#pkgs-itself) +- [Derivations](#derivations) +- [Nix Idioms](#nix-idioms) + - [File lambdas](#file-lambdas) + - [`callPackage`](#callpackage) + - [Overrides / Overlays](#overrides--overlays) + +<!-- markdown-toc end --> + + +# Overview + +Nix is: + +* **purely functional**. It has no concept of sequential steps being executed, + any dependency between operations is established by depending on *data* from + previous operations. + + Everything in Nix is an expression, meaning that every directive returns + some kind of data. + + Evaluating a Nix expression *yields a single data structure*, it does not + execute a sequence of operations. + + Every Nix file evaluates to a *single expression*. +* **lazy**. It will only evaluate expressions when their result is actually + requested. + + For example, the builtin function `throw` causes evaluation to stop. + Entering the following expression works fine however, because we never + actually ask for the part of the structure that causes the `throw`. + + ```nix + let attrs = { a = 15; b = builtins.throw "Oh no!"; }; + in "The value of 'a' is ${toString attrs.a}" + ``` +* **purpose-built**. Nix only exists to be the language for Nix, the package + manager. While people have occasionally used it for other use-cases, it is + explicitly not a general-purpose language. + +# Language constructs + +This section describes the language constructs in Nix. It is a small language +and most of these should be self-explanatory. + +## Primitives / literals + +Nix has a handful of data types which can be represented literally in source +code, similar to many other languages. + +```nix +# numbers +42 +1.72394 + +# strings & paths +"hello" +./some-file.json + +# strings support interpolation +"Hello ${name}" + +# multi-line strings (common prefix whitespace is dropped) +'' +first line +second line +'' + +# lists (note: no commas!) +[ 1 2 3 ] + +# attribute sets (field access with dot syntax) +{ a = 15; b = "something else"; } + +# recursive attribute sets (fields can reference each other) +rec { a = 15; b = a * 2; } +``` + +## Operators + +Nix has several operators, most of which are unsurprising: + +| Syntax | Description | +|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| +| `+`, `-`, `*`, `/` | Numerical operations | +| `+` | String concatenation | +| `++` | List concatenation | +| `==` | Equality | +| `>`, `>=`, `<`, `<=` | Ordering comparators | +| `&&` | Logical `AND` | +| <code>||</code> | Logical `OR` | +| `e1 -> e2` | Logical implication (i.e. <code>!e1 || e2</code>) | +| `!` | Boolean negation | +| `set.attr` | Access attribute `attr` in attribute set `set` | +| `set ? attribute` | Test whether attribute set contains an attribute | +| `left // right` | Merge `left` & `right` attribute sets, with the right set taking precedence | + +Make sure to understand the `//`-operator, as it is used quite a lot and is +probably the least familiar one. + +## Variable bindings + +Bindings in Nix are introduced locally via `let` expressions, which make some +variables available within a given scope. + +For example: + +```nix +let + a = 15; + b = 2; +in a * b + +# yields 30 +``` + +Variables are immutable. This means that after defining what `a` or `b` are, you +can not *modify* their value in the scope in which they are available. + +You can nest `let`-expressions to shadow variables. + +Variables are *not* available outside of the scope of the `let` expression. +There are no global variables. + +## Functions + +All functions in Nix are anonymous lambdas. This means that they are treated +just like data. Giving them names is accomplished by assigning them to +variables, or setting them as values in an attribute set (more on that below). + +``` +# simple function +# declaration is simply the argument followed by a colon +name: "Hello ${name}" +``` + +### Multiple arguments (currying) + +Technically any Nix function can only accept **one argument**. Sometimes +however, a function needs multiple arguments. This is achieved in Nix via +[currying][], which means to create a function with one argument, that returns a +function with another argument, that returns ... and so on. + +For example: + +```nix +name: age: "${name} is ${toString age} years old" +``` + +An additional benefit of this approach is that you can pass one parameter to a +curried function, and receive back a function that you can re-use (similar to +partial application): + +```nix +let + multiply = a: b: a * b; + doubleIt = multiply 2; # at this point we have passed in the value for 'a' and + # receive back another function that still expects 'b' +in + doubleIt 15 + +# yields 30 +``` + +### Multiple arguments (attribute sets) + +Another way of specifying multiple arguments to a function in Nix is to make it +accept an attribute set, which enables multiple other features: + +```nix +{ name, age }: "${name} is ${toString age} years old" +``` + +Using this method, we gain the ability to specify default arguments (so that +callers can omit them): + +```nix +{ name, age ? 42 }: "${name} is ${toString age} years old" + +``` + +Or in practice: + +```nix +let greeter = { name, age ? 42 }: "${name} is ${toString age} years old"; +in greeter { name = "Slartibartfast"; } + +# yields "Slartibartfast is 42 years old" +# (note: Slartibartfast is actually /significantly/ older) +``` + +Additionally we can introduce an ellipsis using `...`, meaning that we can +accept an attribute set as our input that contains more variables than are +needed for the function. + +```nix +let greeter = { name, age, ... }: "${name} is ${toString age} years old"; + person = { + name = "Slartibartfast"; + age = 42; + # the 'email' attribute is not expected by the 'greeter' function ... + email = "slartibartfast@magrath.ea"; + }; +in greeter person # ... but the call works due to the ellipsis. +``` + +Nix also supports binding the whole set of passed in attributes to a +parameter using the `@` syntax: + +```nix +let func = { name, age, ... }@args: builtins.attrNames args; +in func { + name = "Slartibartfast"; + age = 42; + email = "slartibartfast@magrath.ea"; +} + +# yields: [ "age" "email" "name" ] +``` + +**Warning:** Combining the `@` syntax with default arguments can lead +to surprising behaviour, as the passed attributes are bound verbatim. +This means that defaulted arguments are not included in the bound +attribute set: + +```nix +({ a ? 1, b }@args: args.a) { b = 1; } +# throws: error: attribute 'a' missing + +({ a ? 1, b }@args: args.a) { b = 1; a = 2; } +# => 2 +``` + +## `if ... then ... else ...` + +Nix has simple conditional support. Note that `if` is an **expression** in Nix, +which means that both branches must be specified. + +```nix +if someCondition +then "it was true" +else "it was false" +``` + +## `inherit` keyword + +The `inherit` keyword is used in attribute sets or `let` bindings to "inherit" +variables from the parent scope. + +In short, a statement like `inherit foo;` expands to `foo = foo;`. + +Consider this example: + +```nix +let + name = "Slartibartfast"; + # ... other variables +in { + name = name; # set the attribute set key 'name' to the value of the 'name' var + # ... other attributes +} +``` + +The `name = name;` line can be replaced with `inherit name;`: + +```nix +let + name = "Slartibartfast"; + # ... other variables +in { + inherit name; + # ... other attributes +} +``` + +This is often convenient, especially because inherit supports multiple variables +at the same time as well as "inheritance" from other attribute sets: + +```nix +{ + inherit name age; # equivalent to `name = name; age = age;` + inherit (otherAttrs) email; # equivalent to `email = otherAttrs.email`; +} +``` + +## `with` statements + +The `with` statement "imports" all attributes from an attribute set into +variables of the same name: + +```nix +let attrs = { a = 15; b = 2; }; +in with attrs; a + b # 'a' and 'b' become variables in the scope following 'with' +``` + +## `import` / `NIX_PATH` / `<entry>` + +Nix files can import each other by using the `import` keyword and a literal +path: + +```nix +# assuming there is a file lib.nix with some useful functions +let myLib = import ./lib.nix; +in myLib.usefulFunction 42 +``` + +Nix files often begin with a function header to pass parameters into the rest of +the file, so you will often see imports of the form `import ./some-file { ... }`. + +Nix has a concept of a `NIX_PATH` (similar to the standard `PATH` environment +variable) which contains named aliases for file paths containing Nix +expressions. + +In a standard Nix installation, several [channels][] will be present (for +example `nixpkgs` or `nixos-unstable`) on the `NIX_PATH`. + +`NIX_PATH` entries can be accessed using the `<entry>` syntax, which simply +evaluates to their file path: + +```nix +<nixpkgs> +# might yield something like `/home/tazjin/.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs` +``` + +This is commonly used to import from channels: + +```nix +let pkgs = import <nixpkgs> {}; +in pkgs.something +``` + +## `or` expressions + +Nix has a keyword called `or` which can be used to access a value from an +attribute set while providing a fallback to a default value. + +The syntax is simple: + +```nix +# Access an existing attribute +let set = { a = 42; }; +in set.a or 23 +``` + +Since the attribute `a` exists, this will return `42`. + + +```nix +# ... or fall back to a default if there is no such key +let set = { }; +in set.a or 23 +``` + +Since the attribute `a` does not exist, this will fall back to returning the +default value `23`. + +Note that `or` expressions also work for nested attribute set access. + +# Standard libraries + +Yes, libraries, plural. + +Nix has three major things that could be considered its standard library and +while there's a lot of debate to be had about this point, you still need to know +all three. + +## `builtins` + +Nix comes with several functions that are baked into the language. These work +regardless of which other Nix code you may or may not have imported. + +Most of these functions are implemented in the Nix interpreter itself, which +means that they are rather fast when compared to some of the equivalents which +are implemented in Nix itself. + +The Nix manual has [a section listing all `builtins`][builtins] and their usage. + +Examples of builtins that you will commonly encounter include, but are not +limited to: + +* `derivation` (see [Derivations](#derivations)) +* `toJSON` / `fromJSON` +* `toString` +* `toPath` / `fromPath` + +The builtins also include several functions that have the (spooky) ability to +break Nix' evaluation purity. No functions written in Nix itself can do this. + +Examples of those include: + +* `fetchGit` which can fetch a git-repository using the environment's default + git/ssh configuration +* `fetchTarball` which can fetch & extract archives without having to specify + hashes + +Read through the manual linked above to get the full overview. + +## `pkgs.lib` + +The Nix package set, commonly referred to by Nixers simply as [nixpkgs][], +contains a child attribute set called `lib` which provides a large number of +useful functions. + +The canonical definition of these functions is [their source code][lib-src]. I +wrote a tool ([nixdoc][]) in 2018 which generates manual entries for these +functions, however not all of the files are included as of July 2019. + +See the [Nixpkgs manual entry on `lib`][lib-manual] for the documentation. + +These functions include various utilities for dealing with the data types in Nix +(lists, attribute sets, strings etc.) and it is useful to at least skim through +them to familiarise yourself with what is available. + +```nix +{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }: + +with pkgs.lib; # bring contents pkgs.lib into scope + +strings.toUpper "hello" + +# yields "HELLO" +``` + +## `pkgs` itself + +The Nix package set itself does not just contain packages, but also many useful +functions which you might run into while creating new Nix packages. + +One particular subset of these that stands out are the [trivial builders][], +which provide utilities for writing text files or shell scripts, running shell +commands and capturing their output and so on. + +```nix +{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }: + +pkgs.writeText "hello.txt" "Hello dear reader!" + +# yields a derivation which creates a text file with the above content +``` + +# Derivations + +When a Nix expression is evaluated it may yield one or more *derivations*. +Derivations describe a single build action that, when run, places one or more +outputs (whether they be files or folders) in the Nix store. + +The builtin function `derivation` is responsible for creating derivations at a +lower level. Usually when Nix users create derivations they will use the +higher-level functions such as [stdenv.mkDerivation][smkd]. + +Please see the manual [on derivations][drv-manual] for more information, as the +general build logic is out of scope for this document. + +# Nix Idioms + +There are several idioms in Nix which are not technically part of the language +specification, but will commonly be encountered in the wild. + +This section is an (incomplete) list of them. + +## File lambdas + +It is customary to start every file with a function header that receives the +files dependencies, instead of importing them directly in the file. + +Sticking to this pattern lets users of your code easily change out, for example, +the specific version of `nixpkgs` that is used. + +A common file header pattern would look like this: + +```nix +{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }: + +# ... 'pkgs' is then used in the code +``` + +In some sense, you might consider the function header of a file to be its "API". + +## `callPackage` + +Building on the previous pattern, there is a custom in nixpkgs of specifying the +dependencies of your file explicitly instead of accepting the entire package +set. + +For example, a file containing build instructions for a tool that needs the +standard build environment and `libsvg` might start like this: + +```nix +# my-funky-program.nix +{ stdenv, libsvg }: + +stdenv.mkDerivation { ... } +``` + +Any time a file follows this header pattern it is probably meant to be imported +using a special function called `callPackage` which is part of the top-level +package set (as well as certain subsets, such as `haskellPackages`). + +```nix +{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }: + +let my-funky-program = pkgs.callPackage ./my-funky-program.nix {}; +in # ... something happens with my-funky-program +``` + +The `callPackage` function looks at the expected arguments (via +`builtins.functionArgs`) and passes the appropriate keys from the set in which +it is defined as the values for each corresponding argument. + +## Overrides / Overlays + +One of the most powerful features of Nix is that the representation of all build +instructions as data means that they can easily be *overridden* to get a +different result. + +For example, assuming there is a package `someProgram` which is built without +our favourite configuration flag (`--mimic-threaten-tag`) we might override it +like this: + +```nix +someProgram.overrideAttrs(old: { + configureFlags = old.configureFlags or [] ++ ["--mimic-threaten-tag"]; +}) +``` + +This pattern has a variety of applications of varying complexity. The top-level +package set itself can have an `overlays` argument passed to it which may add +new packages to the imported set. + +Note the use of the `or` operator to default to an empty list if the +original flags do not include `configureFlags`. This is required in +case a package does not set any flags by itself. + +Since this can change in a package over time, it is useful to guard +against it using `or`. + +For a slightly more advanced example, assume that we want to import `<nixpkgs>` +but have the modification above be reflected in the imported package set: + +```nix +let + overlay = (self: super: { + someProgram = super.someProgram.overrideAttrs(old: { + configureFlags = old.configureFlags or [] ++ ["--mimic-threaten-tag"]; + }); + }); +in import <nixpkgs> { overlays = [ overlay ]; } +``` + +The overlay function receives two arguments, `self` and `super`. `self` is +the [fixed point][fp] of the overlay's evaluation, i.e. the package set +*including* the new packages and `super` is the "original" package set. + +See the Nix manual sections [on overrides][] and [on overlays][] for more +details. + +[currying]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currying +[builtins]: https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#ssec-builtins +[nixpkgs]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs +[lib-src]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/lib +[nixdoc]: https://github.com/tazjin/nixdoc +[lib-manual]: https://nixos.org/nixpkgs/manual/#sec-functions-library +[channels]: https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#sec-channels +[trivial builders]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders.nix +[smkd]: https://nixos.org/nixpkgs/manual/#chap-stdenv +[drv-manual]: https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#ssec-derivation +[fp]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/lib/fixed-points.nix +[on overrides]: https://nixos.org/nixpkgs/manual/#sec-overrides +[on overlays]: https://nixos.org/nixpkgs/manual/#chap-overlays |