Nix Flakes for SDET Setup

Modified October 18, 2025

Mike Sell

crashnaut.com

The Quick Setup link

I've created a Nix Flakes repository for reproducible SDET environments across Mac, Linux, and Windows (WSL2). Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Install Nix (2 minutes) link

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curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install

Step 2: Clone and Customize (1 minute) link

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git clone https://github.com/crashnaut/nix.git
cd nix/mac

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git clone https://github.com/crashnaut/nix.git
cd nix/linux

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git clone https://github.com/crashnaut/nix.git
cd nix/windows

Edit flake.nix to set your username and hostname, and customize the package list.

Step 3: Apply Configuration (2 minutes) link

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nix run nix-darwin -- switch --flake .#your-hostname

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nix run home-manager/master -- switch --flake .#your-username@your-hostname

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nix run home-manager/master -- switch --flake .#your-username@your-hostname

Done! All your tools are now installed and configured.

What's Included link

Development Tools link

• Git, GitHub CLI, Vim, GPG
• Node.js 20+ (LTS) with pnpm package manager
• OrbStack (fast, lightweight Docker alternative - Mac only)
• Language toolchains ready to add

CLI Utilities link

• Modern tools: ripgrep, bat, fd, eza
• System monitoring: htop, btop
• Essentials: curl, wget, jq
• Zsh with Oh My Zsh

GUI Applications (Mac/Linux) link

• Browsers: Brave, Firefox
• Communication: Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp
• Productivity: Logseq, Postman, Obsidian

All fully customizable!

Daily Workflow link

Update Everything link

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nix flake update

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darwin-rebuild switch --flake .

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home-manager switch --flake .

Add a Package link

1. Find it at search.nixos.org
2. Add to your flake.nix
3. Rebuild

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packages = with pkgs; [
  # ... existing packages
  neofetch  # New package
];

Rollback on Issues link

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darwin-rebuild switch --rollback

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home-manager generations
home-manager switch --switch-generation <number>

SDET Use Cases link

Consistent Test Environments link

Use the same flake.nix locally and in CI to eliminate environment drift:

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nix develop  # Same environment everywhere

Quick CI/CD Setup link

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FROM nixos/nix
COPY flake.nix flake.lock ./
RUN nix develop

Multi-Platform Testing link

Configurations for Mac, Linux, and Windows ensure your automation works everywhere.

Team Onboarding link

Three commands instead of a 20-page doc:

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curl <install-nix>
git clone <your-nix-repo>
nix run <platform-command>

Get Started link

Check out the repository for platform-specific configurations:

• 🍎 Mac Setup
• 🐧 Linux Setup
• 🪟 Windows Setup

Each includes detailed READMEs with troubleshooting guides.

Quick FAQ link

Will this conflict with my existing tools?
No. Nix installs to /nix separately. Uninstall anytime with /nix/nix-installer uninstall.

Disk space needed?
~2GB initially. Use nix-collect-garbage to clean old generations.

Works with Docker?
Yes! OrbStack is included on Mac (faster and lighter than Docker Desktop). Linux uses native Docker.

Questions? Open an issue on GitHub or check the Nix docs.

Feel free to update this blog post on GitHub, thanks in advance!

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