Nixvim: Neovim Distro Powered By Nix

2 min read 7 months ago
Published on Apr 21, 2024 This response is partially generated with the help of AI. It may contain inaccuracies.

Table of Contents

How to Set Up Nixvim: Neovim Distro Powered By Nix

Nixvim is a distribution of Neovim that simplifies the configuration process by providing a pre-configured setup with popular plugins and tools. Follow these steps to set up Nixvim on your system:

Step 1: Initialization

  1. Ensure you have some knowledge about Neovim (Nvim) before proceeding.
  2. Open a terminal and navigate to an empty directory where you want to set up Nixvim.

Step 2: Installation

  1. Run the following command in the empty directory to initialize an example Nixvim configuration:
    nix run
    
  2. This command will set up an example Nixvim configuration with plugins and dependencies.

Step 3: Configuration

  1. Once the initialization is complete, you can try out Nixvim by running:
    nix run
    
  2. Visit the documentation page provided in the video description for a list of all available options and settings, including setting a color scheme.

Step 4: Customization

  1. Nixvim is designed to adapt to your needs automatically. For instance, enabling plugins like luine and buffer line is straightforward.
  2. To enable and install required language servers, use a single line command provided in the documentation.
  3. Customize key bindings by copying and pasting code snippets from the documentation.

Step 5: Further Enhancements

  1. Include additional popular plugins like telescope, nvim, and tree-sitter to enhance your Nixvim setup further.
  2. Nixvim allows easy customization of options, keymaps, auto commands, and highlight groups to tailor your configuration.

Step 6: Adding Extra Plugins

  1. If some of your favorite plugins are missing, you can add them to the extra plugins list in the configuration.
  2. Configure these plugins using the plugin and config structure provided.

Step 7: Sharing and Collaboration

  1. Upload your Nixvim configuration to GitHub for easy sharing and collaboration.
  2. Nixvim ensures that local Neovim configurations are ignored, allowing multiple developers to connect to the same server and have their own environments simultaneously.

Step 8: System-Wide Installation

  1. Nixvim provides modules for Nix's Home Manager and Nix Darwin, enabling system-wide installation and configuration of Nixvim.
  2. This allows for consistent setups across different machines and environments.

Now you have successfully set up Nixvim, a streamlined Neovim distribution powered by Nix, tailored to your preferences and needs. Experiment with different plugins, configurations, and settings to create a personalized and efficient Neovim environment.