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# nix-rosetta-builder
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A [Rosetta 2](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/running_intel_binaries_in_linux_vms_with_rosetta)-enabled,
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Apple silicon (macOS/Darwin)-hosted Linux
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[Nix builder](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.18/advanced-topics/distributed-builds).
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Runs on aarch64-darwin and builds aarch64-linux (natively) and x86_64-linux (quickly using Rosetta
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2).
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## Features
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Advantages over nix-darwin's built in
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[`nix.linux-builder`](https://daiderd.com/nix-darwin/manual/index.html#opt-nix.linux-builder.enable)
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(which is based on
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[`pkgs.darwin.linux-builder`](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-darwin-builder)):
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* x86_64-linux support enabled by default and much faster (using Rosetta 2)
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* Multi-core by default
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* Optionally runs VM on-demand, powering off when idle (see: `nix-rosetta-builder.onDemand` option)
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* More secure:
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* VM runs with minimum permissions (runs as a non-root/admin/wheel user/service account)
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* VM doesn't accept remote connections (it binds to the loopback interface (127.0.0.1))
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* VM cannot be impersonated (its private SSH host key is not publicly-known)
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## nix-darwin flake setup
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flake.nix:
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```nix
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{
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description = "Configure macOS using nix-darwin with rosetta-builder";
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inputs = {
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nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
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nix-darwin = {
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url = "github:lnl7/nix-darwin";
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inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
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};
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nix-rosetta-builder = {
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url = "github:cpick/nix-rosetta-builder";
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inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
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};
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};
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outputs = inputs@{ self, nix-darwin, nix-rosetta-builder, nixpkgs }: {
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darwinConfigurations."${hostname}" = nix-darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
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modules = [
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# An existing Linux builder is needed to initially bootstrap `nix-rosetta-builder`.
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# If one isn't already available: comment out the `nix-rosetta-builder` module below,
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# uncomment this `linux-builder` module, and run `darwin-rebuild switch`:
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# { nix.linux-builder.enable = true; }
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# Then: uncomment `nix-rosetta-builder`, remove `linux-builder`, and `darwin-rebuild switch`
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# a second time. Subsequently, `nix-rosetta-builder` can rebuild itself.
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nix-rosetta-builder.darwinModules.default
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{
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# see available options in module.nix's `options.nix-rosetta-builder`
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nix-rosetta-builder.onDemand = true;
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}
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];
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};
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};
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}
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```
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## Uninstall
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1. Set `nix-rosetta-builder.enable = false` in the nix-darwin configuration and run
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`darwin-rebuild switch` to clean up resources (including VM, user, group, storage, etc)
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2. Optionally remove `nix-rosetta-builder` from the nix-darwin configuration
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## Contributing
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Feature requests, bug reports, and pull requests are all welcome.
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