NixOS configuration editors
Creating graphical editors for NixOS configurations is hard because of the amount and complexity of options and the resulting possibilities.
Text editors
To improve the editing experience of configuration.nix, it is recommend to use a text editor with syntax highlighting and language server (autocompletion, formatting, refactoring).
See also: Editor Modes for Nix Files
Editing as normal user
The configuration files in /etc/nixos/ are owned by root, so for every "save" operation, the editor will ask for the sudo password. To avoid this, we can move the config files to a user's home folder:
mkdir ~/etc sudo mv /etc/nixos ~/etc/ sudo chown -R $(id -un):users ~/etc/nixos sudo ln -s ~/etc/nixos /etc/
Now you can run codium /etc/nixos to edit the config with VSCodium, and sudo nixos-rebuild switch to build the config.
It's also a good idea to track the config files with git, and to make backups.
Graphical editors
It is also possible to use a graphical config manager, which can't express all features of NixOS, but is simple to use.
nix-gui by lapp0
- https://github.com/nix-gui/nix-gui
- https://discourse.nixos.org/t/nix-gui-use-nixos-without-coding/15409
- python + qt5 desktop program
- 580+ GitHub stars
nixos-manager by pmiddend
- https://github.com/pmiddend/nixos-manager
- https://discourse.nixos.org/t/nixos-manager-manage-your-nixos-configuration-graphically/6685
- haskell + gtk desktop program
- 160+ GitHub stars
- last commit: 2020
nixos-conf-editor by vlinkz
- https://github.com/vlinkz/nixos-conf-editor
- https://discourse.nixos.org/t/nixos-conf-editor-a-gtk4-libadwaita-configuration-editor/19426
- https://www.reddit.com/r/NixOS/comments/w1pwmd/nixos_configuration_editor_a_gtk4libadwaita_app/
- rust + gtk4 desktop program
- 210+ GitHub stars
- backend tool: https://github.com/vlinkz/nix-editor - 50+ GitHub stars
- package manager: https://github.com/vlinkz/nix-software-center - 250+ GitHub stars
nixui by matejc
- https://github.com/matejc/nixui
- https://blog.matejc.com/blogs/myblog/graphical-ui-for-nix
- 40+ GitHub stars
- last commit: 2015
Nixos-Gui by Celestialme
- https://github.com/Celestialme/Nixos-Gui
- https://www.reddit.com/r/NixOS/comments/vfywyv/nix_gui_application_to_manage_nixos_build_with/
- svelte + tauri desktop program
- 20+ GitHub stars
Hosted services with a web-based editor
mynixos.com
"create and share software configurations using the NixOS ecosystem"
See also
- Configuration Collection
- https://www.reddit.com/r/NixOS/comments/cu4dle/should_nix_have_a_gui/
- https://discourse.nixos.org/t/how-would-your-nixos-configuration-tool-look/1380
- https://www.reddit.com/r/nosyntax - structural editors
- Nixos-rebuild#Specifying a different configuration location
- https://discourse.nixos.org/t/use-vscode-editor-configuration-nix-cant-save/14119