+++
date    = "2022-06-20T03:47:51+00:00"
lastmod = "2022-06-20T03:47:51+00:00"
tags    = [ "linux" ]
author  = "tdro"
+++

{{< disclose >}}
[Nix](https://nixos.org/download.html#download-nix)/[NixOS](https://nixos.org/download.html#download-nixos)
are great for documenting system configurations/models, but the long evaluation
times make for slow feed back loops.
{{</ disclose >}}

My knowledge of the functional ecosystem is mostly diddly, but maybe there's a
way to speed it up? Ignore all
[module](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/module-list.nix)
and [package](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/pkgs/top-level)
imports and piece together a minimal evaluation perhaps?

```nix
{ ... }:

{
  imports = [
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/programs/git.nix>
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/security/auditd.nix>
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/services/databases/postgresql.nix>
  ];

  nixpkgs.overlays = [
    (_: pkgs: {
      cpio = pkgs.callPackage <nixpkgs/pkgs/tools/archivers/cpio/default.nix> { };
    })
  ];
}
```

If that goes anywhere, maybe that's an article, but I'm fairly certain someone
must have tried something like this already.