nix develop

Warning: This program is experimental and its interface is subject to change.

# Name

`nix develop` - run a bash shell that provides the build environment of a derivation

# Synopsis

`nix develop` [option...] installable

# Examples

- Start a shell with the build environment of the default package of the flake in the current directory:

      # nix develop

  Typical commands to run inside this shell are:

      # configurePhase
      # buildPhase
      # installPhase

  Alternatively, you can run whatever build tools your project uses directly, e.g. for a typical Unix project:

      # ./configure --prefix=$out
      # make
      # make install

- Run a particular build phase directly:

      # nix develop --unpack
      # nix develop --configure
      # nix develop --build
      # nix develop --check
      # nix develop --install
      # nix develop --installcheck

- Start a shell with the build environment of GNU Hello:

      # nix develop nixpkgs#hello

- Record a build environment in a profile:

      # nix develop --profile /tmp/my-build-env nixpkgs#hello

- Use a build environment previously recorded in a profile:

      # nix develop /tmp/my-build-env

- Replace all occurences of the store path corresponding to `glibc.dev` with a writable directory:

      # nix develop --redirect nixpkgs#glibc.dev ~/my-glibc/outputs/dev

  Note that this is useful if you're running a `nix develop` shell for `nixpkgs#glibc` in `~/my-glibc` and want to compile another package against it.

# Description

`nix develop` starts a `bash` shell that provides an interactive build environment nearly identical to what Nix would use to build installable. Inside this shell, environment variables and shell functions are set up so that you can interactively and incrementally build your package.

Nix determines the build environment by building a modified version of the derivation installable that just records the environment initialised by `stdenv` and exits. This build environment can be recorded into a profile using `--profile`.

The prompt used by the `bash` shell can be customised by setting the `bash-prompt` and `bash-prompt-suffix` settings in `nix.conf` or in the flake's `nixConfig` attribute.

# Flake output attributes

If no flake output attribute is given, `nix develop` tries the following flake output attributes:

- `devShell.<system>`

- `defaultPackage.<system>`

If a flake output name is given, `nix develop` tries the following flake output attributes:

- `devShells.<system>.<name>`

- `packages.<system>.<name>`

- `legacyPackages.<system>.<name>`

# Options

- `--build`
  Run the `build` phase.

- `--check`
  Run the `check` phase.

- `--command` / `-c` command args
  Instead of starting an interactive shell, start the specified command and arguments.

- `--configure`
  Run the `configure` phase.

- `--ignore-environment` / `-i`
  Clear the entire environment (except those specified with `--keep`).

- `--install`
  Run the `install` phase.

- `--installcheck`
  Run the `installcheck` phase.

- `--keep` / `-k` name
  Keep the environment variable name.

- `--phase` phase-name
  The stdenv phase to run (e.g. `build` or `configure`).

- `--profile` path
  The profile to update.

- `--redirect` installable outputs-dir
  Redirect a store path to a mutable location.

- `--unpack`
  Run the `unpack` phase.

- `--unset` / `-u` name
  Unset the environment variable name.

Common evaluation options:

- `--arg` name expr
  Pass the value expr as the argument name to Nix functions.

- `--argstr` name string
  Pass the string string as the argument name to Nix functions.

- `--eval-store` store-url
  The Nix store to use for evaluations.

- `--impure`
  Allow access to mutable paths and repositories.

- `--include` / `-I` path
  Add path to the list of locations used to look up `<...>` file names.

- `--override-flake` original-ref resolved-ref
  Override the flake registries, redirecting original-ref to resolved-ref.

Common flake-related options:

- `--commit-lock-file`
  Commit changes to the flake's lock file.

- `--inputs-from` flake-url
  Use the inputs of the specified flake as registry entries.

- `--no-registries`
  Don't allow lookups in the flake registries. This option is deprecated; use `--no-use-registries`.

- `--no-update-lock-file`
  Do not allow any updates to the flake's lock file.

- `--no-write-lock-file`
  Do not write the flake's newly generated lock file.

- `--override-input` input-path flake-url
  Override a specific flake input (e.g. `dwarffs/nixpkgs`). This implies `--no-write-lock-file`.

- `--recreate-lock-file`
  Recreate the flake's lock file from scratch.

- `--update-input` input-path
  Update a specific flake input (ignoring its previous entry in the lock file).

Options that change the interpretation of installables:

- `--derivation`
  Operate on the store derivation rather than its outputs.

- `--expr` expr
  Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression expr.

- `--file` / `-f` file
  Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression stored in file.