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NIP Build System - Examples

Basic Examples

Simple Build

Build a package with default settings:

nip build bash

Build with Single Variant

nip build firefox +wayland

Build with Multiple Variants

nip build firefox +wayland +lto +pipewire

Source Selection Examples

Auto-Detect Source (Default)

nip build nginx

NIP automatically selects the best available source (priority: Nix > PKGSRC > Gentoo).

Specify Source System

# Use Nix
nip build firefox --source=nix

# Use PKGSRC
nip build nginx --source=pkgsrc

# Use Gentoo
nip build vim --source=gentoo

Variant Examples

Graphics Variants

# Wayland support
nip build firefox +wayland

# X11 support
nip build firefox +X

# Vulkan graphics
nip build mesa +vulkan

# Multiple graphics options
nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan

Audio Variants

# PipeWire audio
nip build firefox +pipewire

# PulseAudio
nip build firefox +pulseaudio

# ALSA
nip build mpd +alsa

# Multiple audio options
nip build firefox +pipewire +alsa

Optimization Variants

# Link-time optimization
nip build firefox +lto

# Profile-guided optimization
nip build gcc +pgo

# Both optimizations
nip build firefox +lto +pgo

Security Variants

# Position-independent executable
nip build nginx +pie

# Full hardening
nip build openssh +hardened

# Multiple security options
nip build nginx +pie +hardened

Combined Variants

# Modern desktop application
nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan +pipewire +lto +pie

# Optimized server
nip build nginx +lto +pie +hardened

# Development tools
nip build gcc +lto +pgo

Advanced Options

Verbose Mode

See detailed build output:

nip build firefox +wayland --verbose

Force Rebuild

Skip cache and rebuild from scratch:

nip build firefox +wayland --rebuild

Build Without Installing

Build but don't install (useful for testing):

nip build test-package --no-install

Keep Work Files

Keep intermediate build files for debugging:

nip build firefox --keep-work

Parallel Jobs

Specify number of parallel build jobs:

nip build firefox --jobs=8

Combined Advanced Options

nip build firefox +wayland +lto --verbose --rebuild --jobs=8

Package Discovery Examples

List All Sources

nip sources

Output:

📚 Available Package Sources (by priority):

1. 🔵 Nix (nixpkgs)
   Status: ✅ Available
   Packages: ~100,000+

2. 🟢 PKGSRC (NetBSD)
   Status: ❌ Not installed
   Install: https://www.pkgsrc.org/

3. 🟣 Gentoo Portage
   Status: ❌ Not installed
   Install: https://www.gentoo.org/

Search for Package

# Search for bash
nip sources bash

# Search for firefox
nip sources firefox

# Search for nginx
nip sources nginx

Cache Management Examples

View Cache Statistics

nip cache stats

Output:

📊 Build Cache Statistics

Cached Builds: 15
Total Size: 2.3 MB
Cache Directory: /home/user/.cache/nip/builds

Retention Policy: 30 days

Clean Old Builds

Remove builds older than 30 days:

nip cache clean

Clear All Cache

Remove all cached builds:

nip cache clear

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Modern Desktop Browser

Build Firefox with modern desktop features:

nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan +pipewire +lto

This enables:

Wayland display server (native Wayland, no XWayland)
Vulkan graphics acceleration
PipeWire audio (modern audio server)
Link-time optimization (better performance)

Scenario 2: Optimized Web Server

Build NGINX with security and performance:

nip build nginx +lto +pie +hardened --source=nix

This enables:

Link-time optimization (better performance)
Position-independent executable (security)
Full hardening (additional security measures)
Uses Nix for reproducible builds

Scenario 3: Development Environment

Build GCC with optimizations:

nip build gcc +lto +pgo

This enables:

Link-time optimization
Profile-guided optimization (best performance)

Scenario 4: Multimedia Workstation

Build media applications with full codec support:

# Video player with hardware acceleration
nip build mpv +wayland +vulkan +pipewire

# Audio workstation
nip build ardour +pipewire +lto

# Image editor
nip build gimp +wayland

Scenario 5: Server Infrastructure

Build server components with security focus:

# Web server
nip build nginx +pie +hardened +lto

# Database
nip build postgresql +pie +hardened

# SSH server
nip build openssh +hardened

Scenario 6: Testing Different Configurations

Test a package with different variants:

# Test with Wayland
nip build firefox +wayland --no-install

# Test with X11
nip build firefox +X --no-install

# Choose the one that works best
nip build firefox +wayland

Scenario 7: Cross-Source Comparison

Try the same package from different sources:

# Build from Nix
nip build vim --source=nix

# Build from PKGSRC
nip build vim --source=pkgsrc

# Build from Gentoo
nip build vim --source=gentoo

Scenario 8: Debugging Build Issues

Debug a failing build:

# First attempt
nip build problematic-package +feature

# If it fails, try verbose mode
nip build problematic-package +feature --verbose

# Try without variants
nip build problematic-package --verbose

# Try different source
nip build problematic-package --source=nix --verbose

# Keep work files for inspection
nip build problematic-package --keep-work --verbose

Package-Specific Examples

Web Browsers

# Firefox - Modern desktop
nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan +pipewire +lto

# Chromium - X11 with optimizations
nip build chromium +X +lto

# Brave - Wayland
nip build brave +wayland +pipewire

Web Servers

# NGINX - Optimized and hardened
nip build nginx +lto +pie +hardened

# Apache - With SSL
nip build apache +ssl +lto

# Caddy - Modern web server
nip build caddy +lto

Development Tools

# GCC - Optimized compiler
nip build gcc +lto +pgo

# LLVM/Clang - With all targets
nip build llvm +lto

# Rust - Optimized
nip build rust +lto

Text Editors

# Vim - Full features
nip build vim +X +python +ruby +lto

# Emacs - Wayland native
nip build emacs +wayland +lto

# Neovim - Optimized
nip build neovim +lto

Multimedia Applications

# VLC - Full codec support
nip build vlc +wayland +pipewire

# MPV - Hardware acceleration
nip build mpv +wayland +vulkan +pipewire

# Blender - Optimized
nip build blender +wayland +vulkan +lto

System Utilities

# Bash - Optimized shell
nip build bash +lto

# Coreutils - Optimized
nip build coreutils +lto

# Git - With all features
nip build git +lto

Workflow Examples

Daily Development Workflow

# Morning: Update and build tools
nip sources
nip build gcc +lto +pgo
nip build rust +lto

# During development: Build dependencies
nip build libfoo +lto
nip build libbar +wayland

# Testing: Build without installing
nip build myproject --no-install

# Final: Build and install
nip build myproject +lto

System Setup Workflow

# 1. Check available sources
nip sources

# 2. Build essential tools
nip build bash +lto
nip build coreutils +lto
nip build git +lto

# 3. Build desktop environment
nip build sway +wayland
nip build waybar +wayland

# 4. Build applications
nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan +pipewire +lto
nip build alacritty +wayland

# 5. Check cache
nip cache stats

Maintenance Workflow

# Weekly: Clean old builds
nip cache clean

# Monthly: Review cache
nip cache stats

# As needed: Clear cache
nip cache clear

# Rebuild important packages
nip build firefox +wayland +lto --rebuild

Tips and Tricks

Tip 1: Use Cache Effectively

# First build (slow)
nip build firefox +wayland +lto

# Subsequent builds (instant)
nip build firefox +wayland +lto

Tip 2: Test Before Installing

# Test configuration
nip build mypackage +experimental --no-install

# If successful, install
nip build mypackage +experimental

Tip 3: Combine with Other NIP Commands

# Build and verify
nip build firefox +wayland
nip verify firefox

# Build and list
nip build bash +lto
nip list | grep bash

Tip 4: Use Verbose for Learning

# See exactly what NIP does
nip build firefox +wayland --verbose

This shows:

Source detection
Variant translation
Build commands
Grafting process
Symlink creation

Tip 5: Parallel Builds for Speed

# Use all CPU cores
nip build firefox --jobs=$(nproc)

# Or specify number
nip build firefox --jobs=8

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Build with Defaults, Add Variants Later

# Start simple
nip build firefox

# Add variants incrementally
nip build firefox +wayland
nip build firefox +wayland +lto
nip build firefox +wayland +lto +pipewire

Pattern 2: Try Multiple Sources

# Try each source
for source in nix pkgsrc gentoo; do
    nip build mypackage --source=$source --no-install
done

Pattern 3: Batch Build

# Build multiple packages
for pkg in bash vim git; do
    nip build $pkg +lto
done

Pattern 4: Conditional Variants

# Desktop system
if [ "$DESKTOP" = "wayland" ]; then
    nip build firefox +wayland +vulkan +pipewire
else
    nip build firefox +X +pulseaudio
fi

Quick Reference

Most Common Commands

# Basic build
nip build <package>

# Build with variants
nip build <package> +variant1 +variant2

# Specify source
nip build <package> --source=nix

# Verbose mode
nip build <package> --verbose

# Force rebuild
nip build <package> --rebuild

# Search for package
nip sources <package>

# Cache management
nip cache stats
nip cache clean
nip cache clear

Most Common Variants

+wayland    # Wayland display server
+X          # X11 display server
+vulkan     # Vulkan graphics
+pipewire   # PipeWire audio
+pulseaudio # PulseAudio
+lto        # Link-time optimization
+pie        # Position-independent executable
+hardened   # Full hardening

10 KiB Raw Blame History

NIP Build System - Examples

Basic Examples

Simple Build

Build with Single Variant

Build with Multiple Variants

Source Selection Examples

Auto-Detect Source (Default)

Specify Source System

Variant Examples

Graphics Variants

Audio Variants

Optimization Variants

Security Variants

Combined Variants

Advanced Options

Verbose Mode

Force Rebuild

Build Without Installing

Keep Work Files

Parallel Jobs

Combined Advanced Options

Package Discovery Examples

List All Sources

Search for Package

Cache Management Examples

View Cache Statistics

Clean Old Builds

Clear All Cache

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Modern Desktop Browser

Scenario 2: Optimized Web Server

Scenario 3: Development Environment

Scenario 4: Multimedia Workstation

Scenario 5: Server Infrastructure

Scenario 6: Testing Different Configurations

Scenario 7: Cross-Source Comparison

Scenario 8: Debugging Build Issues

Package-Specific Examples

Web Browsers

Web Servers

Development Tools

Text Editors

Multimedia Applications

System Utilities

Workflow Examples

Daily Development Workflow

System Setup Workflow

Maintenance Workflow

Tips and Tricks

Tip 1: Use Cache Effectively

Tip 2: Test Before Installing

Tip 3: Combine with Other NIP Commands

Tip 4: Use Verbose for Learning

Tip 5: Parallel Builds for Speed

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Build with Defaults, Add Variants Later

Pattern 2: Try Multiple Sources

Pattern 3: Batch Build

Pattern 4: Conditional Variants

Quick Reference

Most Common Commands

Most Common Variants

See Also

10 KiB

Raw Blame History