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Nix Distribution - Ready to Use!

Current Status: WORKS NOW

Your Nix package is already distributable! Users can run it directly from GitHub without any additional setup on your end.

How Users Will Use It

Simple: Just Run From GitHub

nix run --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror

That's it! No releases, no CI, no infrastructure needed. It works right now.

What Happens When They Run This?

  1. Nix fetches your repo from GitHub
  2. Nix reads flake.nix and flake.lock
  3. Nix builds the package on their machine
  4. Nix runs the application
  5. Result cached in /nix/store for reuse

Do You Need CI or Releases?

For Basic Usage: NO

Users can already use it from GitHub. No CI or releases required.

For CI Validation: Already Set Up

GitHub Actions validates builds on every push with Magic Nix Cache (free, no setup).

Next Steps (Optional)

Option 1: Release Versioning (2 minutes)

Why: Users can pin to specific versions

How:

# When ready to release
git tag v3.8.11
git push origin v3.8.11

# Users can then pin to this version
nix run github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror/v3.8.11

No additional CI needed - tags work automatically with flakes!

Option 2: Submit to nixpkgs (Long Term)

Why: Maximum discoverability and trust

When: After package is stable and well-tested

How: Submit PR to https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs

Files Created

Essential (Already Working)

  • flake.nix - Package definition
  • flake.lock - Dependency lock file
  • .envrc - direnv integration

Documentation

  • NIX.md - Quick reference for users
  • docs/NIX_DEPLOYMENT.md - Complete deployment guide
  • docs/NIX_DISTRIBUTION.md - Distribution guide for you (maintainer)
  • README.md - Updated with Nix instructions

CI (Already Set Up)

  • .github/workflows/nix-build.yml - Builds and validates on Linux + macOS

Updated

  • .gitignore - Added Nix artifacts

Comparison: Your Distribution Options

Setup Time User Experience What You Need
Direct GitHub 0 min Slow (build from source) Nothing! Works now
+ Git Tags 2 min Versionable Just push tags
+ nixpkgs Hours Official/Trusted PR review process

Recommendation: Direct GitHub works now. Add git tags for versioning. Consider nixpkgs submission once stable.

Testing Your Distribution

You can test it right now:

# Test direct GitHub usage
nix run --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror

# Test with specific commit
nix run github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror/$(git rev-parse HEAD)

# Validate flake
nix flake check

User Documentation Locations

Users will find instructions in:

  1. README.md - Installation section (already updated)
  2. NIX.md - Quick reference
  3. docs/NIX_DEPLOYMENT.md - Detailed guide

All docs include the correct commands with experimental features flags.

When to Release New Versions

For Git Tag Releases:

# 1. Update version in package.json
vim package.json

# 2. Update version in flake.nix (line 17)
vim flake.nix  # version = "3.8.12";

# 3. Commit and tag
git add package.json flake.nix
git commit -m "chore: bump version to v3.8.12"
git tag v3.8.12
git push origin main
git push origin v3.8.12

Users can then use: nix run github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror/v3.8.12

No Release Needed For:

  • Bug fixes
  • Small changes
  • Continuous updates

Users can always use latest from main: nix run github:RayLabsHQ/gitea-mirror

Summary

Ready to distribute RIGHT NOW

  • Just commit and push your flake.nix
  • Users can run directly from GitHub
  • CI validates builds automatically

Optional: Submit to nixpkgs

  • Maximum discoverability
  • Official Nix repository
  • Do this once package is stable

See docs/NIX_DISTRIBUTION.md for complete details!