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Before deploying any component of your homelab infrastructure, ensure you have the necessary tools and environment configured.

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Required Software

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Nix Package Manager

You must have Nix installed with Flakes support enabled.
1

Install Nix

Follow the official installation guide at nixos.org or use the Determinate Systems installer:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install
2

Verify Flakes are enabled

Check that flakes are enabled in your Nix configuration:
nix flake --version
If flakes are not enabled, add the following to ~/.config/nix/nix.conf:
experimental-features = nix-command flakes

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Development Tools

The repository includes a development shell with all necessary tools. You can access it in two ways: 
# Install direnv first if not already installed
nix profile install nixpkgs#direnv

# Navigate to repository and allow direnv
cd /path/to/homelab
direnv allow
The development shell includes:
  • nil - Nix language server
  • alejandra - Nix code formatter
  • vulnix - Security vulnerability scanner
  • age & agenix - Secrets management
  • sops - Secrets operations
  • ssh-to-age - SSH key conversion for age
  • disko - Disk partitioning (Linux only)
  • nixos-facter - Hardware detection (Linux only)

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System Requirements

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For NixOS Deployments

  • Target system must be running NixOS or have NixOS installer available
  • SSH access to remote systems (if deploying remotely)
  • Sufficient disk space for Nix store (recommended: 20GB minimum)

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For Home Manager Deployments

  • Any Linux system with Nix installed
  • Write permissions to user home directory
  • Shell access (bash or zsh recommended)

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For Nix-on-Droid Deployments

  • Android device (ARM64 architecture)
  • Termux or similar terminal emulator
  • Storage permissions granted
  • Stable internet connection for initial setup

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Repository Structure

Familiarize yourself with the repository layout:
DirectoryPurpose
systems/NixOS host configurations
homes/Home Manager user configurations
droids/Nix-on-Droid Android configurations
modules/Reusable modules (nixos/, home/, droid/)
pkgs/Custom packages and overrides
lib/Utility functions

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Network Requirements

Initial deployments require internet access to download packages from Nix binary caches. Plan accordingly for large deployments.
  • Access to cache.nixos.org (or configured substituters)
  • GitHub access for flake inputs (if not using offline mode)
  • SSH access for remote deployments

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Secrets Management

If your configuration uses encrypted secrets:
  • Ensure you have the appropriate age keys or SSH keys
  • Secrets are managed using agenix
  • Keys must be available before deployment on target systems

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Next Steps

Once prerequisites are met, proceed to:

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