System definitions

System definitions configure individual hosts using the easy-hosts framework. Each system combines the appropriate module class with host-specific configuration.

System registry

All systems are registered in systems/default.nix:

{ self, inputs, ... }:
{
  imports = [ inputs.easy-hosts.flakeModule ];

  config.easy-hosts = {
    additionalClasses = {
      wsl = "nixos";  # WSL is treated as a NixOS subclass
    };

    perClass = class: {
      modules = [
        # Import the class module with common configurations
        "${self}/modules/${class}/default.nix"
      ];
    };

    hosts = {
      amaterasu = { };
      
      aphrodite = { };
      
      athena = { };
      
      lilith = {
        class = "iso";
      };
      
      skadi = {
        arch = "aarch64";
      };
      
      tatsumaki = {
        arch = "aarch64";
        class = "darwin";
      };
      
      valkyrie = {
        class = "wsl";
      };
    };
  };
}

Host defaults

Each host entry accepts these options:

arch

string

default:"x86_64"

System architecture. Use "aarch64" for ARM-based systems.

class

string

default:"nixos"

System class determining which modules are loaded. Options: "nixos", "darwin", "wsl", "iso"

modules

list

default:"[]"

Additional modules to import beyond the class defaults.

specialArgs

attrs

default:"{}"

Special arguments passed to all modules for this host.

Current systems

The configuration currently manages these systems:

amaterasu - Desktop workstation

Type: Desktop (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: isabelA powerful desktop dual booting Windows 11. Configured with:

Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU
Dual monitor setup (144Hz + standard)
Secure boot with TPM
Full graphical workstation environment

athena - Legacy laptop

Type: Hybrid (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: isabelThe oldest laptop in the fleet. Still supported by the flake but barely in use.

aphrodite - Cloud server

Type: Server (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: isabelHosts most tgirl.cloud services.

minerva - Personal server

Type: Server (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: isabelThe original server, hosting most personal services.

skadi - Oracle server

Type: Server (NixOS)
Architecture: aarch64
Main user: isabelOracle free tier server. Used for PDS and aarch64 builds.

tatsumaki - MacBook Air

Type: Laptop (macOS)
Architecture: aarch64
Main user: isabelUniversity-provided MacBook Air, primarily used at university.

valkyrie - WSL instance

Type: WSL2 (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: isabelWSL2 instance installed on amaterasu for Windows integration.

lilith - Installation ISO

Type: ISO image (NixOS)
Architecture: x86_64
Main user: n/aBootable ISO image for installing NixOS on new systems.

Host configuration

Each host has a directory in systems/ containing host-specific configuration:

systems/
├── default.nix           # Host registry
├── amaterasu/
│   ├── default.nix       # Host configuration
│   ├── hardware.nix      # Hardware configuration
│   └── users.nix         # User configuration
├── tatsumaki/
│   └── default.nix
└── ...

Example host configuration

Here’s the configuration for amaterasu:

# systems/amaterasu/default.nix
{
  imports = [
    ./hardware.nix
    ./users.nix
  ];

  garden = {
    profiles = {
      graphical.enable = true;
      workstation.enable = true;
    };

    device = {
      cpu = "intel";
      gpu = "nvidia";
      monitors = {
        DP-1.refresh-rate = 144;
        DP-2 = { };
      };
      capabilities = {
        tpm = true;
        bluetooth = true;
        yubikey = true;
      };
      keyboard = "us";
    };

    system = {
      boot = {
        loader = "systemd-boot";
        secureBoot = true;
        enableKernelTweaks = true;
        loadRecommendedModules = true;

        initrd = {
          enableTweaks = true;
          optimizeCompressor = true;
        };
      };

      bluetooth.enable = true;
      printing.enable = false;
      emulation.enable = true;
    };
  };
}

Configuration structure

Host configurations use the garden.* namespace for all custom options:

Profiles

Profiles enable high-level feature sets:

garden.profiles = {
  graphical.enable = true;      # Desktop environment
  workstation.enable = true;    # Development tools
  laptop.enable = true;         # Laptop-specific settings
  server.enable = true;         # Server configuration
  headless.enable = true;       # No GUI
};

Profiles are mutually exclusive in some cases. For example, graphical and headless shouldn’t both be enabled.

Device configuration

Hardware-specific settings:

garden.device = {
  cpu = "intel";        # or "amd"
  gpu = "nvidia";       # or "amd", "intel"
  
  monitors = {
    DP-1 = {
      refresh-rate = 144;
      resolution = "2560x1440";
    };
    HDMI-1 = { };
  };
  
  capabilities = {
    tpm = true;
    bluetooth = true;
    yubikey = true;
  };
  
  keyboard = "us";      # Keyboard layout
};

System configuration

System-level settings:

garden.system = {
  # User management
  users = [ "isabel" ];
  mainUser = "isabel";
  
  # Boot configuration
  boot = {
    loader = "systemd-boot";  # or "grub"
    secureBoot = true;
    enableKernelTweaks = true;
  };
  
  # Services
  bluetooth.enable = true;
  printing.enable = true;
  emulation.enable = true;
};

Hardware configuration

Hardware-specific configuration is typically in a separate hardware.nix file:

# systems/amaterasu/hardware.nix
{
  boot.initrd.availableKernelModules = [
    "xhci_pci"
    "ahci"
    "nvme"
    "usbhid"
    "usb_storage"
    "sd_mod"
  ];

  fileSystems."/" = {
    device = "/dev/disk/by-label/nixos";
    fsType = "ext4";
  };

  fileSystems."/boot" = {
    device = "/dev/disk/by-label/boot";
    fsType = "vfat";
  };

  networking.hostName = "amaterasu";
}

Use nixos-generate-config to create an initial hardware-configuration.nix on new systems, then integrate it into your host configuration.

User configuration

Host-specific user settings:

# systems/amaterasu/users.nix
{ pkgs, ... }:
{
  users.users.isabel = {
    isNormalUser = true;
    extraGroups = [
      "wheel"
      "networkmanager"
      "docker"
      "libvirtd"
    ];
    shell = pkgs.zsh;
  };

  # Home Manager configuration
  home-manager.users.isabel = {
    # User-specific home configuration
  };
}

Adding a new system

To add a new system to the configuration:

Add an entry to systems/default.nix:

hosts = {
  mynewhost = {
    class = "nixos";  # or darwin, wsl, iso
    arch = "x86_64";  # or aarch64
  };
  # ... existing hosts
};

Create host directory

Create a directory for host-specific configuration:

mkdir systems/mynewhost

Write configuration

Create systems/mynewhost/default.nix:

{
  imports = [
    ./hardware.nix
  ];

  garden = {
    profiles.server.enable = true;
    
    device = {
      cpu = "amd";
      capabilities.tpm = false;
    };
    
    system.users = [ "isabel" ];
  };
}

Add hardware configuration

Create systems/mynewhost/hardware.nix with hardware-specific settings.

Build and deploy

Build the configuration:

nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#mynewhost

System classes

Different system classes have different capabilities:

nixos

Full NixOS systemsComplete NixOS configuration with all modules available. Used for desktops, laptops, and servers.

darwin

macOS systemsmacOS configuration using nix-darwin. Supports Homebrew integration and macOS-specific settings.

wsl

WSL2 instancesNixOS on WSL2. Treated as a nixos subclass with WSL-specific modules for Windows integration.

iso

Installation imagesBootable ISO images for installing NixOS. Includes installer tools and minimal configuration.

Class-specific modules

The perClass function in systems/default.nix determines which modules are loaded:

perClass = class: {
  modules = [
    "${self}/modules/${class}/default.nix"
  ];
};

This means:

class = "nixos" → loads modules/nixos/default.nix
class = "darwin" → loads modules/darwin/default.nix
class = "wsl" → loads modules/wsl/default.nix (but inherits from nixos)
class = "iso" → loads modules/iso/default.nix

Multi-architecture support

The framework supports both x86_64 and aarch64:

hosts = {
  # x86_64 (default)
  amaterasu = { };
  
  # aarch64 systems
  tatsumaki = {
    arch = "aarch64";
    class = "darwin";
  };
  
  skadi = {
    arch = "aarch64";
  };
};

The architecture affects:

Which packages are available
How the system is built
Cross-compilation requirements

Next steps

Module system

Learn about the module system and how to extend it

Architecture overview

Review the overall architecture

Get Started

Architecture

Installation

Guides

Configuration

System registry

Host defaults

Current systems

Host configuration

Example host configuration

Configuration structure

Profiles

Device configuration

System configuration

Hardware configuration

User configuration

Adding a new system

System classes

nixos

darwin

wsl

iso

Class-specific modules

Multi-architecture support

Next steps

Module system

Architecture overview

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Architecture

Installation

Guides

Configuration

​System registry

​Host defaults

​Current systems

​Host configuration

​Example host configuration

​Configuration structure

​Profiles

​Device configuration

​System configuration

​Hardware configuration

​User configuration

​Adding a new system

​System classes

nixos

darwin

wsl

iso

​Class-specific modules

​Multi-architecture support

​Next steps

Module system

Architecture overview

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

System registry

Host defaults

Current systems

Host configuration

Example host configuration

Configuration structure

Profiles

Device configuration

System configuration

Hardware configuration

User configuration

Adding a new system

System classes

Class-specific modules

Multi-architecture support

Next steps