diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/contributing')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/coding-conventions.chapter.md | 664 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/contributing-to-documentation.chapter.md | 106 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/quick-start.chapter.md | 77 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/reviewing-contributions.chapter.md | 208 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/submitting-changes.chapter.md | 292 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/contributing/vulnerability-roundup.chapter.md | 45 |
6 files changed, 1392 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/contributing/coding-conventions.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/coding-conventions.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..cfe8582e514 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/coding-conventions.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,664 @@ +# Coding conventions {#chap-conventions} + +## Syntax {#sec-syntax} + +- Use 2 spaces of indentation per indentation level in Nix expressions, 4 spaces in shell scripts. + +- Do not use tab characters, i.e. configure your editor to use soft tabs. For instance, use `(setq-default indent-tabs-mode nil)` in Emacs. Everybody has different tab settings so it’s asking for trouble. + +- Use `lowerCamelCase` for variable names, not `UpperCamelCase`. Note, this rule does not apply to package attribute names, which instead follow the rules in [](#sec-package-naming). + +- Function calls with attribute set arguments are written as + + ```nix + foo { + arg = ...; + } + ``` + + not + + ```nix + foo + { + arg = ...; + } + ``` + + Also fine is + + ```nix + foo { arg = ...; } + ``` + + if it's a short call. + +- In attribute sets or lists that span multiple lines, the attribute names or list elements should be aligned: + + ```nix + # A long list. + list = [ + elem1 + elem2 + elem3 + ]; + + # A long attribute set. + attrs = { + attr1 = short_expr; + attr2 = + if true then big_expr else big_expr; + }; + + # Combined + listOfAttrs = [ + { + attr1 = 3; + attr2 = "fff"; + } + { + attr1 = 5; + attr2 = "ggg"; + } + ]; + ``` + +- Short lists or attribute sets can be written on one line: + + ```nix + # A short list. + list = [ elem1 elem2 elem3 ]; + + # A short set. + attrs = { x = 1280; y = 1024; }; + ``` + +- Breaking in the middle of a function argument can give hard-to-read code, like + + ```nix + someFunction { x = 1280; + y = 1024; } otherArg + yetAnotherArg + ``` + + (especially if the argument is very large, spanning multiple lines). + + Better: + + ```nix + someFunction + { x = 1280; y = 1024; } + otherArg + yetAnotherArg + ``` + + or + + ```nix + let res = { x = 1280; y = 1024; }; + in someFunction res otherArg yetAnotherArg + ``` + +- The bodies of functions, asserts, and withs are not indented to prevent a lot of superfluous indentation levels, i.e. + + ```nix + { arg1, arg2 }: + assert system == "i686-linux"; + stdenv.mkDerivation { ... + ``` + + not + + ```nix + { arg1, arg2 }: + assert system == "i686-linux"; + stdenv.mkDerivation { ... + ``` + +- Function formal arguments are written as: + + ```nix + { arg1, arg2, arg3 }: + ``` + + but if they don't fit on one line they're written as: + + ```nix + { arg1, arg2, arg3 + , arg4, ... + , # Some comment... + argN + }: + ``` + +- Functions should list their expected arguments as precisely as possible. That is, write + + ```nix + { stdenv, fetchurl, perl }: ... + ``` + + instead of + + ```nix + args: with args; ... + ``` + + or + + ```nix + { stdenv, fetchurl, perl, ... }: ... + ``` + + For functions that are truly generic in the number of arguments (such as wrappers around `mkDerivation`) that have some required arguments, you should write them using an `@`-pattern: + + ```nix + { stdenv, doCoverageAnalysis ? false, ... } @ args: + + stdenv.mkDerivation (args // { + ... if doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" ... + }) + ``` + + instead of + + ```nix + args: + + args.stdenv.mkDerivation (args // { + ... if args ? doCoverageAnalysis && args.doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" ... + }) + ``` + +- Unnecessary string conversions should be avoided. Do + + ```nix + rev = version; + ``` + + instead of + + ```nix + rev = "${version}"; + ``` + +- Building lists conditionally _should_ be done with `lib.optional(s)` instead of using `if cond then [ ... ] else null` or `if cond then [ ... ] else [ ]`. + + ```nix + buildInputs = lib.optional stdenv.isDarwin iconv; + ``` + + instead of + + ```nix + buildInputs = if stdenv.isDarwin then [ iconv ] else null; + ``` + + As an exception, an explicit conditional expression with null can be used when fixing a important bug without triggering a mass rebuild. + If this is done a follow up pull request _should_ be created to change the code to `lib.optional(s)`. + +- Arguments should be listed in the order they are used, with the exception of `lib`, which always goes first. + +## Package naming {#sec-package-naming} + +The key words _must_, _must not_, _required_, _shall_, _shall not_, _should_, _should not_, _recommended_, _may_, and _optional_ in this section are to be interpreted as described in [RFC 2119](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2119). Only _emphasized_ words are to be interpreted in this way. + +In Nixpkgs, there are generally three different names associated with a package: + +- The `name` attribute of the derivation (excluding the version part). This is what most users see, in particular when using `nix-env`. + +- The variable name used for the instantiated package in `all-packages.nix`, and when passing it as a dependency to other functions. Typically this is called the _package attribute name_. This is what Nix expression authors see. It can also be used when installing using `nix-env -iA`. + +- The filename for (the directory containing) the Nix expression. + +Most of the time, these are the same. For instance, the package `e2fsprogs` has a `name` attribute `"e2fsprogs-version"`, is bound to the variable name `e2fsprogs` in `all-packages.nix`, and the Nix expression is in `pkgs/os-specific/linux/e2fsprogs/default.nix`. + +There are a few naming guidelines: + +- The `name` attribute _should_ be identical to the upstream package name. + +- The `name` attribute _must not_ contain uppercase letters — e.g., `"mplayer-1.0rc2"` instead of `"MPlayer-1.0rc2"`. + +- The version part of the `name` attribute _must_ start with a digit (following a dash) — e.g., `"hello-0.3.1rc2"`. + +- If a package is not a release but a commit from a repository, then the version part of the name _must_ be the date of that (fetched) commit. The date _must_ be in `"YYYY-MM-DD"` format. Also append `"unstable"` to the name - e.g., `"pkgname-unstable-2014-09-23"`. + +- Dashes in the package name _should_ be preserved in new variable names, rather than converted to underscores or camel cased — e.g., `http-parser` instead of `http_parser` or `httpParser`. The hyphenated style is preferred in all three package names. + +- If there are multiple versions of a package, this _should_ be reflected in the variable names in `all-packages.nix`, e.g. `json-c_0_9` and `json-c_0_11`. If there is an obvious “default” version, make an attribute like `json-c = json-c_0_9;`. See also [](#sec-versioning) + +## File naming and organisation {#sec-organisation} + +Names of files and directories should be in lowercase, with dashes between words — not in camel case. For instance, it should be `all-packages.nix`, not `allPackages.nix` or `AllPackages.nix`. + +### Hierarchy {#sec-hierarchy} + +Each package should be stored in its own directory somewhere in the `pkgs/` tree, i.e. in `pkgs/category/subcategory/.../pkgname`. Below are some rules for picking the right category for a package. Many packages fall under several categories; what matters is the _primary_ purpose of a package. For example, the `libxml2` package builds both a library and some tools; but it’s a library foremost, so it goes under `pkgs/development/libraries`. + +When in doubt, consider refactoring the `pkgs/` tree, e.g. creating new categories or splitting up an existing category. + +**If it’s used to support _software development_:** + +- **If it’s a _library_ used by other packages:** + + - `development/libraries` (e.g. `libxml2`) + +- **If it’s a _compiler_:** + + - `development/compilers` (e.g. `gcc`) + +- **If it’s an _interpreter_:** + + - `development/interpreters` (e.g. `guile`) + +- **If it’s a (set of) development _tool(s)_:** + + - **If it’s a _parser generator_ (including lexers):** + + - `development/tools/parsing` (e.g. `bison`, `flex`) + + - **If it’s a _build manager_:** + + - `development/tools/build-managers` (e.g. `gnumake`) + + - **Else:** + + - `development/tools/misc` (e.g. `binutils`) + +- **Else:** + + - `development/misc` + +**If it’s a (set of) _tool(s)_:** + +(A tool is a relatively small program, especially one intended to be used non-interactively.) + +- **If it’s for _networking_:** + + - `tools/networking` (e.g. `wget`) + +- **If it’s for _text processing_:** + + - `tools/text` (e.g. `diffutils`) + +- **If it’s a _system utility_, i.e., something related or essential to the operation of a system:** + + - `tools/system` (e.g. `cron`) + +- **If it’s an _archiver_ (which may include a compression function):** + + - `tools/archivers` (e.g. `zip`, `tar`) + +- **If it’s a _compression_ program:** + + - `tools/compression` (e.g. `gzip`, `bzip2`) + +- **If it’s a _security_-related program:** + + - `tools/security` (e.g. `nmap`, `gnupg`) + +- **Else:** + + - `tools/misc` + +**If it’s a _shell_:** + +- `shells` (e.g. `bash`) + +**If it’s a _server_:** + +- **If it’s a web server:** + + - `servers/http` (e.g. `apache-httpd`) + +- **If it’s an implementation of the X Windowing System:** + + - `servers/x11` (e.g. `xorg` — this includes the client libraries and programs) + +- **Else:** + + - `servers/misc` + +**If it’s a _desktop environment_:** + +- `desktops` (e.g. `kde`, `gnome`, `enlightenment`) + +**If it’s a _window manager_:** + +- `applications/window-managers` (e.g. `awesome`, `stumpwm`) + +**If it’s an _application_:** + +A (typically large) program with a distinct user interface, primarily used interactively. + +- **If it’s a _version management system_:** + + - `applications/version-management` (e.g. `subversion`) + +- **If it’s a _terminal emulator_:** + + - `applications/terminal-emulators` (e.g. `alacritty` or `rxvt` or `termite`) + +- **If it’s for _video playback / editing_:** + + - `applications/video` (e.g. `vlc`) + +- **If it’s for _graphics viewing / editing_:** + + - `applications/graphics` (e.g. `gimp`) + +- **If it’s for _networking_:** + + - **If it’s a _mailreader_:** + + - `applications/networking/mailreaders` (e.g. `thunderbird`) + + - **If it’s a _newsreader_:** + + - `applications/networking/newsreaders` (e.g. `pan`) + + - **If it’s a _web browser_:** + + - `applications/networking/browsers` (e.g. `firefox`) + + - **Else:** + + - `applications/networking/misc` + +- **Else:** + + - `applications/misc` + +**If it’s _data_ (i.e., does not have a straight-forward executable semantics):** + +- **If it’s a _font_:** + + - `data/fonts` + +- **If it’s an _icon theme_:** + + - `data/icons` + +- **If it’s related to _SGML/XML processing_:** + + - **If it’s an _XML DTD_:** + + - `data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd` (e.g. `docbook`) + + - **If it’s an _XSLT stylesheet_:** + + (Okay, these are executable...) + + - `data/sgml+xml/stylesheets/xslt` (e.g. `docbook-xsl`) + +- **If it’s a _theme_ for a _desktop environment_, a _window manager_ or a _display manager_:** + + - `data/themes` + +**If it’s a _game_:** + +- `games` + +**Else:** + +- `misc` + +### Versioning {#sec-versioning} + +Because every version of a package in Nixpkgs creates a potential maintenance burden, old versions of a package should not be kept unless there is a good reason to do so. For instance, Nixpkgs contains several versions of GCC because other packages don’t build with the latest version of GCC. Other examples are having both the latest stable and latest pre-release version of a package, or to keep several major releases of an application that differ significantly in functionality. + +If there is only one version of a package, its Nix expression should be named `e2fsprogs/default.nix`. If there are multiple versions, this should be reflected in the filename, e.g. `e2fsprogs/1.41.8.nix` and `e2fsprogs/1.41.9.nix`. The version in the filename should leave out unnecessary detail. For instance, if we keep the latest Firefox 2.0.x and 3.5.x versions in Nixpkgs, they should be named `firefox/2.0.nix` and `firefox/3.5.nix`, respectively (which, at a given point, might contain versions `2.0.0.20` and `3.5.4`). If a version requires many auxiliary files, you can use a subdirectory for each version, e.g. `firefox/2.0/default.nix` and `firefox/3.5/default.nix`. + +All versions of a package _must_ be included in `all-packages.nix` to make sure that they evaluate correctly. + +## Fetching Sources {#sec-sources} + +There are multiple ways to fetch a package source in nixpkgs. The general guideline is that you should package reproducible sources with a high degree of availability. Right now there is only one fetcher which has mirroring support and that is `fetchurl`. Note that you should also prefer protocols which have a corresponding proxy environment variable. + +You can find many source fetch helpers in `pkgs/build-support/fetch*`. + +In the file `pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix` you can find fetch helpers, these have names on the form `fetchFrom*`. The intention of these are to provide snapshot fetches but using the same api as some of the version controlled fetchers from `pkgs/build-support/`. As an example going from bad to good: + +- Bad: Uses `git://` which won't be proxied. + + ```nix + src = fetchgit { + url = "git://github.com/NixOS/nix.git"; + rev = "1f795f9f44607cc5bec70d1300150bfefcef2aae"; + sha256 = "1cw5fszffl5pkpa6s6wjnkiv6lm5k618s32sp60kvmvpy7a2v9kg"; + } + ``` + +- Better: This is ok, but an archive fetch will still be faster. + + ```nix + src = fetchgit { + url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nix.git"; + rev = "1f795f9f44607cc5bec70d1300150bfefcef2aae"; + sha256 = "1cw5fszffl5pkpa6s6wjnkiv6lm5k618s32sp60kvmvpy7a2v9kg"; + } + ``` + +- Best: Fetches a snapshot archive and you get the rev you want. + + ```nix + src = fetchFromGitHub { + owner = "NixOS"; + repo = "nix"; + rev = "1f795f9f44607cc5bec70d1300150bfefcef2aae"; + sha256 = "1i2yxndxb6yc9l6c99pypbd92lfq5aac4klq7y2v93c9qvx2cgpc"; + } + ``` + + Find the value to put as `sha256` by running `nix run -f '<nixpkgs>' nix-prefetch-github -c nix-prefetch-github --rev 1f795f9f44607cc5bec70d1300150bfefcef2aae NixOS nix` or `nix-prefetch-url --unpack https://github.com/NixOS/nix/archive/1f795f9f44607cc5bec70d1300150bfefcef2aae.tar.gz`. + +## Obtaining source hash {#sec-source-hashes} + +Preferred source hash type is sha256. There are several ways to get it. + +1. Prefetch URL (with `nix-prefetch-XXX URL`, where `XXX` is one of `url`, `git`, `hg`, `cvs`, `bzr`, `svn`). Hash is printed to stdout. + +2. Prefetch by package source (with `nix-prefetch-url '<nixpkgs>' -A PACKAGE.src`, where `PACKAGE` is package attribute name). Hash is printed to stdout. + + This works well when you've upgraded existing package version and want to find out new hash, but is useless if package can't be accessed by attribute or package has multiple sources (`.srcs`, architecture-dependent sources, etc). + +3. Upstream provided hash: use it when upstream provides `sha256` or `sha512` (when upstream provides `md5`, don't use it, compute `sha256` instead). + + A little nuance is that `nix-prefetch-*` tools produce hash encoded with `base32`, but upstream usually provides hexadecimal (`base16`) encoding. Fetchers understand both formats. Nixpkgs does not standardize on any one format. + + You can convert between formats with nix-hash, for example: + + ```ShellSession + $ nix-hash --type sha256 --to-base32 HASH + ``` + +4. Extracting hash from local source tarball can be done with `sha256sum`. Use `nix-prefetch-url file:///path/to/tarball` if you want base32 hash. + +5. Fake hash: set fake hash in package expression, perform build and extract correct hash from error Nix prints. + + For package updates it is enough to change one symbol to make hash fake. For new packages, you can use `lib.fakeSha256`, `lib.fakeSha512` or any other fake hash. + + This is last resort method when reconstructing source URL is non-trivial and `nix-prefetch-url -A` isn’t applicable (for example, [one of `kodi` dependencies](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/d2ab091dd308b99e4912b805a5eb088dd536adb9/pkgs/applications/video/kodi/default.nix#L73)). The easiest way then would be replace hash with a fake one and rebuild. Nix build will fail and error message will contain desired hash. + +::: {.warning} +This method has security problems. Check below for details. +::: + +### Obtaining hashes securely {#sec-source-hashes-security} + +Let's say Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) sits close to your network. Then instead of fetching source you can fetch malware, and instead of source hash you get hash of malware. Here are security considerations for this scenario: + +- `http://` URLs are not secure to prefetch hash from; + +- hashes from upstream (in method 3) should be obtained via secure protocol; + +- `https://` URLs are secure in methods 1, 2, 3; + +- `https://` URLs are not secure in method 5. When obtaining hashes with fake hash method, TLS checks are disabled. So refetch source hash from several different networks to exclude MITM scenario. Alternatively, use fake hash method to make Nix error, but instead of extracting hash from error, extract `https://` URL and prefetch it with method 1. + +## Patches {#sec-patches} + +Patches available online should be retrieved using `fetchpatch`. + +```nix +patches = [ + (fetchpatch { + name = "fix-check-for-using-shared-freetype-lib.patch"; + url = "http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=patch;h=8f5d285"; + sha256 = "1f0k043rng7f0rfl9hhb89qzvvksqmkrikmm38p61yfx51l325xr"; + }) +]; +``` + +Otherwise, you can add a `.patch` file to the `nixpkgs` repository. In the interest of keeping our maintenance burden to a minimum, only patches that are unique to `nixpkgs` should be added in this way. + +```nix +patches = [ ./0001-changes.patch ]; +``` + +If you do need to do create this sort of patch file, one way to do so is with git: + +1. Move to the root directory of the source code you're patching. + + ```ShellSession + $ cd the/program/source + ``` + +2. If a git repository is not already present, create one and stage all of the source files. + + ```ShellSession + $ git init + $ git add . + ``` + +3. Edit some files to make whatever changes need to be included in the patch. + +4. Use git to create a diff, and pipe the output to a patch file: + + ```ShellSession + $ git diff -a > nixpkgs/pkgs/the/package/0001-changes.patch + ``` + +If a patch is available online but does not cleanly apply, it can be modified in some fixed ways by using additional optional arguments for `fetchpatch`: + +- `stripLen`: Remove the first `stripLen` components of pathnames in the patch. +- `extraPrefix`: Prefix pathnames by this string. +- `excludes`: Exclude files matching this pattern. +- `includes`: Include only files matching this pattern. +- `revert`: Revert the patch. + +Note that because the checksum is computed after applying these effects, using or modifying these arguments will have no effect unless the `sha256` argument is changed as well. + +## Package tests {#sec-package-tests} + +Tests are important to ensure quality and make reviews and automatic updates easy. + +The following types of tests exists: + +* [NixOS **module tests**](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-nixos-tests), which spawn one or more NixOS VMs. They exercise both NixOS modules and the packaged programs used within them. For example, a NixOS module test can start a web server VM running the `nginx` module, and a client VM running `curl` or a graphical `firefox`, and test that they can talk to each other and display the correct content. +* Nix **package tests** are a lightweight alternative to NixOS module tests. They should be used to create simple integration tests for packages, but cannot test NixOS services, and some programs with graphical user interfaces may also be difficult to test with them. +* The **`checkPhase` of a package**, which should execute the unit tests that are included in the source code of a package. + +Here in the nixpkgs manual we describe mostly _package tests_; for _module tests_ head over to the corresponding [section in the NixOS manual](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-nixos-tests). + +### Writing inline package tests {#ssec-inline-package-tests-writing} + +For very simple tests, they can be written inline: + +```nix +{ …, yq-go }: + +buildGoModule rec { + … + + passthru.tests = { + simple = runCommand "${pname}-test" {} '' + echo "test: 1" | ${yq-go}/bin/yq eval -j > $out + [ "$(cat $out | tr -d $'\n ')" = '{"test":1}' ] + ''; + }; +} +``` + +### Writing larger package tests {#ssec-package-tests-writing} + +This is an example using the `phoronix-test-suite` package with the current best practices. + +Add the tests in `passthru.tests` to the package definition like this: + +```nix +{ stdenv, lib, fetchurl, callPackage }: + +stdenv.mkDerivation { + … + + passthru.tests = { + simple-execution = callPackage ./tests.nix { }; + }; + + meta = { … }; +} +``` + +Create `tests.nix` in the package directory: + +```nix +{ runCommand, phoronix-test-suite }: + +let + inherit (phoronix-test-suite) pname version; +in + +runCommand "${pname}-tests" { meta.timeout = 60; } + '' + # automatic initial setup to prevent interactive questions + ${phoronix-test-suite}/bin/phoronix-test-suite enterprise-setup >/dev/null + # get version of installed program and compare with package version + if [[ `${phoronix-test-suite}/bin/phoronix-test-suite version` != *"${version}"* ]]; then + echo "Error: program version does not match package version" + exit 1 + fi + # run dummy command + ${phoronix-test-suite}/bin/phoronix-test-suite dummy_module.dummy-command >/dev/null + # needed for Nix to register the command as successful + touch $out + '' +``` + +### Running package tests {#ssec-package-tests-running} + +You can run these tests with: + +```ShellSession +$ cd path/to/nixpkgs +$ nix-build -A phoronix-test-suite.tests +``` + +### Examples of package tests {#ssec-package-tests-examples} + +Here are examples of package tests: + +- [Jasmin compile test](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/compilers/jasmin/test-assemble-hello-world/default.nix) +- [Lobster compile test](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/compilers/lobster/test-can-run-hello-world.nix) +- [Spacy annotation test](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/python-modules/spacy/annotation-test/default.nix) +- [Libtorch test](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/libraries/science/math/libtorch/test/default.nix) +- [Multiple tests for nanopb](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/libraries/nanopb/default.nix) + +### Linking NixOS module tests to a package {#ssec-nixos-tests-linking} + +Like [package tests](#ssec-package-tests-writing) as shown above, [NixOS module tests](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/#sec-nixos-tests) can also be linked to a package, so that the tests can be easily run when changing the related package. + +For example, assuming we're packaging `nginx`, we can link its module test via `passthru.tests`: + +```nix +{ stdenv, lib, nixosTests }: + +stdenv.mkDerivation { + ... + + passthru.tests = { + nginx = nixosTests.nginx; + }; + + ... +} +``` diff --git a/doc/contributing/contributing-to-documentation.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/contributing-to-documentation.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..1384772ebb2 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/contributing-to-documentation.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +# Contributing to this documentation {#chap-contributing} + +The sources of the Nixpkgs manual are in the [doc](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/doc) subdirectory of the Nixpkgs repository. The manual is still partially written in DocBook but it is progressively being converted to [Markdown](#sec-contributing-markup). + +You can quickly check your edits with `make`: + +```ShellSession +$ cd /path/to/nixpkgs/doc +$ nix-shell +[nix-shell]$ make +``` + +If you experience problems, run `make debug` to help understand the docbook errors. + +After making modifications to the manual, it's important to build it before committing. You can do that as follows: + +```ShellSession +$ cd /path/to/nixpkgs/doc +$ nix-shell +[nix-shell]$ make clean +[nix-shell]$ nix-build . +``` + +If the build succeeds, the manual will be in `./result/share/doc/nixpkgs/manual.html`. + +## Syntax {#sec-contributing-markup} + +As per [RFC 0072](https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/72), all new documentation content should be written in [CommonMark](https://commonmark.org/) Markdown dialect. + +Additionally, the following syntax extensions are currently used: + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-anchors} + Explicitly defined **anchors** on headings, to allow linking to sections. These should be always used, to ensure the anchors can be linked even when the heading text changes, and to prevent conflicts between [automatically assigned identifiers](https://github.com/jgm/commonmark-hs/blob/master/commonmark-extensions/test/auto_identifiers.md). + + It uses the widely compatible [header attributes](https://github.com/jgm/commonmark-hs/blob/master/commonmark-extensions/test/attributes.md) syntax: + + ```markdown + ## Syntax {#sec-contributing-markup} + ``` + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-anchors-inline} + **Inline anchors**, which allow linking arbitrary place in the text (e.g. individual list items, sentences…). + + They are defined using a hybrid of the link syntax with the attributes syntax known from headings, called [bracketed spans](https://github.com/jgm/commonmark-hs/blob/master/commonmark-extensions/test/bracketed_spans.md): + + ```markdown + - []{#ssec-gnome-hooks-glib} `glib` setup hook will populate `GSETTINGS_SCHEMAS_PATH` and then `wrapGAppsHook` will prepend it to `XDG_DATA_DIRS`. + ``` + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-automatic-links} + If you **omit a link text** for a link pointing to a section, the text will be substituted automatically. For example, `[](#chap-contributing)` will result in [](#chap-contributing). + + This syntax is taken from [MyST](https://myst-parser.readthedocs.io/en/latest/using/syntax.html#targets-and-cross-referencing). + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-inline-roles} + If you want to link to a man page, you can use `` {manpage}`nix.conf(5)` ``, which will turn into {manpage}`nix.conf(5)`. + + The references will turn into links when a mapping exists in {file}`doc/build-aux/pandoc-filters/link-unix-man-references.lua`. + + This syntax is taken from [MyST](https://myst-parser.readthedocs.io/en/latest/syntax/syntax.html#roles-an-in-line-extension-point). Though, the feature originates from [reStructuredText](https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/restructuredtext/roles.html#role-manpage) with slightly different syntax. + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-admonitions} + **Admonitions**, set off from the text to bring attention to something. + + It uses pandoc’s [fenced `div`s syntax](https://github.com/jgm/commonmark-hs/blob/master/commonmark-extensions/test/fenced_divs.md): + + ```markdown + ::: {.warning} + This is a warning + ::: + ``` + + which renders as + + > ::: {.warning} + > This is a warning. + > ::: + + The following are supported: + + - [`caution`](https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/5.0/caution.html) + - [`important`](https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/5.0/important.html) + - [`note`](https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/5.0/note.html) + - [`tip`](https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/5.0/tip.html) + - [`warning`](https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/5.0/warning.html) + +- []{#ssec-contributing-markup-definition-lists} + [**Definition lists**](https://github.com/jgm/commonmark-hs/blob/master/commonmark-extensions/test/definition_lists.md), for defining a group of terms: + + ```markdown + pear + : green or yellow bulbous fruit + + watermelon + : green fruit with red flesh + ``` + + which renders as + + > pear + > : green or yellow bulbous fruit + > + > watermelon + > : green fruit with red flesh + +For contributing to the legacy parts, please see [DocBook: The Definitive Guide](https://tdg.docbook.org/) or the [DocBook rocks! primer](https://web.archive.org/web/20200816233747/https://docbook.rocks/). diff --git a/doc/contributing/quick-start.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/quick-start.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..96b30d3822c --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/quick-start.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,77 @@ +# Quick Start to Adding a Package {#chap-quick-start} + +To add a package to Nixpkgs: + +1. Checkout the Nixpkgs source tree: + + ```ShellSession + $ git clone https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs + $ cd nixpkgs + ``` + +2. Find a good place in the Nixpkgs tree to add the Nix expression for your package. For instance, a library package typically goes into `pkgs/development/libraries/pkgname`, while a web browser goes into `pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/pkgname`. See [](#sec-organisation) for some hints on the tree organisation. Create a directory for your package, e.g. + + ```ShellSession + $ mkdir pkgs/development/libraries/libfoo + ``` + +3. In the package directory, create a Nix expression — a piece of code that describes how to build the package. In this case, it should be a _function_ that is called with the package dependencies as arguments, and returns a build of the package in the Nix store. The expression should usually be called `default.nix`. + + ```ShellSession + $ emacs pkgs/development/libraries/libfoo/default.nix + $ git add pkgs/development/libraries/libfoo/default.nix + ``` + + You can have a look at the existing Nix expressions under `pkgs/` to see how it’s done. Here are some good ones: + + - GNU Hello: [`pkgs/applications/misc/hello/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/misc/hello/default.nix). Trivial package, which specifies some `meta` attributes which is good practice. + + - GNU cpio: [`pkgs/tools/archivers/cpio/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/tools/archivers/cpio/default.nix). Also a simple package. The generic builder in `stdenv` does everything for you. It has no dependencies beyond `stdenv`. + + - GNU Multiple Precision arithmetic library (GMP): [`pkgs/development/libraries/gmp/5.1.x.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/libraries/gmp/5.1.x.nix). Also done by the generic builder, but has a dependency on `m4`. + + - Pan, a GTK-based newsreader: [`pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/pan/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/pan/default.nix). Has an optional dependency on `gtkspell`, which is only built if `spellCheck` is `true`. + + - Apache HTTPD: [`pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix). A bunch of optional features, variable substitutions in the configure flags, a post-install hook, and miscellaneous hackery. + + - Thunderbird: [`pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/thunderbird/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/thunderbird/default.nix). Lots of dependencies. + + - JDiskReport, a Java utility: [`pkgs/tools/misc/jdiskreport/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/tools/misc/jdiskreport/default.nix). Nixpkgs doesn’t have a decent `stdenv` for Java yet so this is pretty ad-hoc. + + - XML::Simple, a Perl module: [`pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix) (search for the `XMLSimple` attribute). Most Perl modules are so simple to build that they are defined directly in `perl-packages.nix`; no need to make a separate file for them. + + - Adobe Reader: [`pkgs/applications/misc/adobe-reader/default.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/misc/adobe-reader/default.nix). Shows how binary-only packages can be supported. In particular the [builder](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/misc/adobe-reader/builder.sh) uses `patchelf` to set the RUNPATH and ELF interpreter of the executables so that the right libraries are found at runtime. + + Some notes: + + - All [`meta`](#chap-meta) attributes are optional, but it’s still a good idea to provide at least the `description`, `homepage` and [`license`](#sec-meta-license). + + - You can use `nix-prefetch-url url` to get the SHA-256 hash of source distributions. There are similar commands as `nix-prefetch-git` and `nix-prefetch-hg` available in `nix-prefetch-scripts` package. + + - A list of schemes for `mirror://` URLs can be found in [`pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/build-support/fetchurl/mirrors.nix). + + The exact syntax and semantics of the Nix expression language, including the built-in function, are described in the Nix manual in the [chapter on writing Nix expressions](https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nix/trunk/tarball/latest/download-by-type/doc/manual/#chap-writing-nix-expressions). + +4. Add a call to the function defined in the previous step to [`pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix) with some descriptive name for the variable, e.g. `libfoo`. + + ```ShellSession + $ emacs pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix + ``` + + The attributes in that file are sorted by category (like “Development / Libraries”) that more-or-less correspond to the directory structure of Nixpkgs, and then by attribute name. + +5. To test whether the package builds, run the following command from the root of the nixpkgs source tree: + + ```ShellSession + $ nix-build -A libfoo + ``` + + where `libfoo` should be the variable name defined in the previous step. You may want to add the flag `-K` to keep the temporary build directory in case something fails. If the build succeeds, a symlink `./result` to the package in the Nix store is created. + +6. If you want to install the package into your profile (optional), do + + ```ShellSession + $ nix-env -f . -iA libfoo + ``` + +7. Optionally commit the new package and open a pull request [to nixpkgs](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls), or use [the Patches category](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/about-the-patches-category/477) on Discourse for sending a patch without a GitHub account. diff --git a/doc/contributing/reviewing-contributions.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/reviewing-contributions.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..0a90781d0c5 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/reviewing-contributions.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,208 @@ +# Reviewing contributions {#chap-reviewing-contributions} + +::: {.warning} +The following section is a draft, and the policy for reviewing is still being discussed in issues such as [#11166](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/11166) and [#20836](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/20836). +::: + +The Nixpkgs project receives a fairly high number of contributions via GitHub pull requests. Reviewing and approving these is an important task and a way to contribute to the project. + +The high change rate of Nixpkgs makes any pull request that remains open for too long subject to conflicts that will require extra work from the submitter or the merger. Reviewing pull requests in a timely manner and being responsive to the comments is the key to avoid this issue. GitHub provides sort filters that can be used to see the [most recently](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen+sort%3Aupdated-desc) and the [least recently](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen+sort%3Aupdated-asc) updated pull requests. We highly encourage looking at [this list of ready to merge, unreviewed pull requests](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen+review%3Anone+status%3Asuccess+-label%3A%222.status%3A+work-in-progress%22+no%3Aproject+no%3Aassignee+no%3Amilestone). + +When reviewing a pull request, please always be nice and polite. Controversial changes can lead to controversial opinions, but it is important to respect every community member and their work. + +GitHub provides reactions as a simple and quick way to provide feedback to pull requests or any comments. The thumb-down reaction should be used with care and if possible accompanied with some explanation so the submitter has directions to improve their contribution. + +pull request reviews should include a list of what has been reviewed in a comment, so other reviewers and mergers can know the state of the review. + +All the review template samples provided in this section are generic and meant as examples. Their usage is optional and the reviewer is free to adapt them to their liking. + +## Package updates {#reviewing-contributions-package-updates} + +A package update is the most trivial and common type of pull request. These pull requests mainly consist of updating the version part of the package name and the source hash. + +It can happen that non-trivial updates include patches or more complex changes. + +Reviewing process: + +- Ensure that the package versioning fits the guidelines. +- Ensure that the commit text fits the guidelines. +- Ensure that the package maintainers are notified. + - [CODEOWNERS](https://help.github.com/articles/about-codeowners) will make GitHub notify users based on the submitted changes, but it can happen that it misses some of the package maintainers. +- Ensure that the meta field information is correct. + - License can change with version updates, so it should be checked to match the upstream license. + - If the package has no maintainer, a maintainer must be set. This can be the update submitter or a community member that accepts to take maintainership of the package. +- Ensure that the code contains no typos. +- Building the package locally. + - pull requests are often targeted to the master or staging branch, and building the pull request locally when it is submitted can trigger many source builds. + - It is possible to rebase the changes on nixos-unstable or nixpkgs-unstable for easier review by running the following commands from a nixpkgs clone. + + ```ShellSession + $ git fetch origin nixos-unstable + $ git fetch origin pull/PRNUMBER/head + $ git rebase --onto nixos-unstable BASEBRANCH FETCH_HEAD + ``` + + - The first command fetches the nixos-unstable branch. + - The second command fetches the pull request changes, `PRNUMBER` is the number at the end of the pull request title and `BASEBRANCH` the base branch of the pull request. + - The third command rebases the pull request changes to the nixos-unstable branch. + - The [nixpkgs-review](https://github.com/Mic92/nixpkgs-review) tool can be used to review a pull request content in a single command. `PRNUMBER` should be replaced by the number at the end of the pull request title. You can also provide the full github pull request url. + + ```ShellSession + $ nix-shell -p nixpkgs-review --run "nixpkgs-review pr PRNUMBER" + ``` +- Running every binary. + +Sample template for a package update review is provided below. + +```markdown +##### Reviewed points + +- [ ] package name fits guidelines +- [ ] package version fits guidelines +- [ ] package build on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] executables tested on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] all depending packages build + +##### Possible improvements + +##### Comments +``` + +## New packages {#reviewing-contributions-new-packages} + +New packages are a common type of pull requests. These pull requests consists in adding a new nix-expression for a package. + +Review process: + +- Ensure that the package versioning fits the guidelines. +- Ensure that the commit name fits the guidelines. +- Ensure that the meta fields contain correct information. + - License must match the upstream license. + - Platforms should be set (or the package will not get binary substitutes). + - Maintainers must be set. This can be the package submitter or a community member that accepts taking up maintainership of the package. +- Report detected typos. +- Ensure the package source: + - Uses mirror URLs when available. + - Uses the most appropriate functions (e.g. packages from GitHub should use `fetchFromGitHub`). +- Building the package locally. +- Running every binary. + +Sample template for a new package review is provided below. + +```markdown +##### Reviewed points + +- [ ] package path fits guidelines +- [ ] package name fits guidelines +- [ ] package version fits guidelines +- [ ] package build on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] executables tested on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] `meta.description` is set and fits guidelines +- [ ] `meta.license` fits upstream license +- [ ] `meta.platforms` is set +- [ ] `meta.maintainers` is set +- [ ] build time only dependencies are declared in `nativeBuildInputs` +- [ ] source is fetched using the appropriate function +- [ ] the list of `phases` is not overridden +- [ ] when a phase (like `installPhase`) is overridden it starts with `runHook preInstall` and ends with `runHook postInstall`. +- [ ] patches that are remotely available are fetched with `fetchpatch` + +##### Possible improvements + +##### Comments +``` + +## Module updates {#reviewing-contributions-module-updates} + +Module updates are submissions changing modules in some ways. These often contains changes to the options or introduce new options. + +Reviewing process: + +- Ensure that the module maintainers are notified. + - [CODEOWNERS](https://help.github.com/articles/about-codeowners/) will make GitHub notify users based on the submitted changes, but it can happen that it misses some of the package maintainers. +- Ensure that the module tests, if any, are succeeding. +- Ensure that the introduced options are correct. + - Type should be appropriate (string related types differs in their merging capabilities, `optionSet` and `string` types are deprecated). + - Description, default and example should be provided. +- Ensure that option changes are backward compatible. + - `mkRenamedOptionModule` and `mkAliasOptionModule` functions provide way to make option changes backward compatible. +- Ensure that removed options are declared with `mkRemovedOptionModule` +- Ensure that changes that are not backward compatible are mentioned in release notes. +- Ensure that documentations affected by the change is updated. + +Sample template for a module update review is provided below. + +```markdown +##### Reviewed points + +- [ ] changes are backward compatible +- [ ] removed options are declared with `mkRemovedOptionModule` +- [ ] changes that are not backward compatible are documented in release notes +- [ ] module tests succeed on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] options types are appropriate +- [ ] options description is set +- [ ] options example is provided +- [ ] documentation affected by the changes is updated + +##### Possible improvements + +##### Comments +``` + +## New modules {#reviewing-contributions-new-modules} + +New modules submissions introduce a new module to NixOS. + +Reviewing process: + +- Ensure that the module tests, if any, are succeeding. +- Ensure that the introduced options are correct. + - Type should be appropriate (string related types differs in their merging capabilities, `optionSet` and `string` types are deprecated). + - Description, default and example should be provided. +- Ensure that module `meta` field is present + - Maintainers should be declared in `meta.maintainers`. + - Module documentation should be declared with `meta.doc`. +- Ensure that the module respect other modules functionality. + - For example, enabling a module should not open firewall ports by default. + +Sample template for a new module review is provided below. + +```markdown +##### Reviewed points + +- [ ] module path fits the guidelines +- [ ] module tests succeed on ARCHITECTURE +- [ ] options have appropriate types +- [ ] options have default +- [ ] options have example +- [ ] options have descriptions +- [ ] No unneeded package is added to environment.systemPackages +- [ ] meta.maintainers is set +- [ ] module documentation is declared in meta.doc + +##### Possible improvements + +##### Comments +``` + +## Other submissions {#reviewing-contributions-other-submissions} + +Other type of submissions requires different reviewing steps. + +If you consider having enough knowledge and experience in a topic and would like to be a long-term reviewer for related submissions, please contact the current reviewers for that topic. They will give you information about the reviewing process. The main reviewers for a topic can be hard to find as there is no list, but checking past pull requests to see who reviewed or git-blaming the code to see who committed to that topic can give some hints. + +Container system, boot system and library changes are some examples of the pull requests fitting this category. + +## Merging pull requests {#reviewing-contributions--merging-pull-requests} + +It is possible for community members that have enough knowledge and experience on a special topic to contribute by merging pull requests. + +<!-- +The following paragraphs about how to deal with unactive contributors is just a proposition and should be modified to what the community agrees to be the right policy. + +Please note that contributors with commit rights unactive for more than three months will have their commit rights revoked. +--> + +Please see the discussion in [GitHub nixpkgs issue #50105](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/50105) for information on how to proceed to be granted this level of access. + +In a case a contributor definitively leaves the Nix community, they should create an issue or post on [Discourse](https://discourse.nixos.org) with references of packages and modules they maintain so the maintainership can be taken over by other contributors. diff --git a/doc/contributing/submitting-changes.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/submitting-changes.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..109d051c016 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/submitting-changes.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,292 @@ +# Submitting changes {#chap-submitting-changes} + +## Making patches {#submitting-changes-making-patches} + +- Read [Manual (How to write packages for Nix)](https://nixos.org/nixpkgs/manual/). + +- Fork [the Nixpkgs repository](https://github.com/nixos/nixpkgs/) on GitHub. + +- Create a branch for your future fix. + + - You can make branch from a commit of your local `nixos-version`. That will help you to avoid additional local compilations. Because you will receive packages from binary cache. For example + + ```ShellSession + $ nixos-version --hash + 0998212 + $ git checkout 0998212 + $ git checkout -b 'fix/pkg-name-update' + ``` + + - Please avoid working directly on the `master` branch. + +- Make commits of logical units. + +- If you removed pkgs or made some major NixOS changes, write about it in the release notes for the next stable release. For example `nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2003.xml`. + +- Check for unnecessary whitespace with `git diff --check` before committing. + +- Format the commit in a following way: + + ``` + (pkg-name | nixos/<module>): (from -> to | init at version | refactor | etc) + Additional information. + ``` + + - Examples: + - `nginx: init at 2.0.1` + - `firefox: 54.0.1 -> 55.0` + - `nixos/hydra: add bazBaz option` + - `nixos/nginx: refactor config generation` + +- Test your changes. If you work with + + - nixpkgs: + + - update pkg + - `nix-env -iA pkg-attribute-name -f <path to your local nixpkgs folder>` + - add pkg + - Make sure it’s in `pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix` + - `nix-env -iA pkg-attribute-name -f <path to your local nixpkgs folder>` + - _If you don’t want to install pkg in you profile_. + - `nix-build -A pkg-attribute-name <path to your local nixpkgs folder>` and check results in the folder `result`. It will appear in the same directory where you did `nix-build`. + - If you installed your package with `nix-env`, you can run `nix-env -e pkg-name` where `pkg-name` is as reported by `nix-env -q` to uninstall it from your system. + + - NixOS and its modules: + - You can add new module to your NixOS configuration file (usually it’s `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`). And do `sudo nixos-rebuild test -I nixpkgs=<path to your local nixpkgs folder> --fast`. + +- If you have commits `pkg-name: oh, forgot to insert whitespace`: squash commits in this case. Use `git rebase -i`. + +- [Rebase](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Branching-Rebasing) your branch against current `master`. + +## Submitting changes {#submitting-changes-submitting-changes} + +- Push your changes to your fork of nixpkgs. +- Create the pull request +- Follow [the contribution guidelines](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#submitting-changes). + +## Submitting security fixes {#submitting-changes-submitting-security-fixes} + +Security fixes are submitted in the same way as other changes and thus the same guidelines apply. + +- If a new version fixing the vulnerability has been released, update the package; +- If the security fix comes in the form of a patch and a CVE is available, then add the patch to the Nixpkgs tree, and apply it to the package. + The name of the patch should be the CVE identifier, so e.g. `CVE-2019-13636.patch`; If a patch is fetched the name needs to be set as well, e.g.: + + ```nix + (fetchpatch { + name = "CVE-2019-11068.patch"; + url = "https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxslt/commit/e03553605b45c88f0b4b2980adfbbb8f6fca2fd6.patch"; + sha256 = "0pkpb4837km15zgg6h57bncp66d5lwrlvkr73h0lanywq7zrwhj8"; + }) + ``` + +If a security fix applies to both master and a stable release then, similar to regular changes, they are preferably delivered via master first and cherry-picked to the release branch. + +Critical security fixes may by-pass the staging branches and be delivered directly to release branches such as `master` and `release-*`. + +## Deprecating/removing packages {#submitting-changes-deprecating-packages} + +There is currently no policy when to remove a package. + +Before removing a package, one should try to find a new maintainer or fix smaller issues first. + +### Steps to remove a package from Nixpkgs {#steps-to-remove-a-package-from-nixpkgs} + +We use jbidwatcher as an example for a discontinued project here. + +1. Have Nixpkgs checked out locally and up to date. +1. Create a new branch for your change, e.g. `git checkout -b jbidwatcher` +1. Remove the actual package including its directory, e.g. `rm -rf pkgs/applications/misc/jbidwatcher` +1. Remove the package from the list of all packages (`pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix`). +1. Add an alias for the package name in `pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix` (There is also `pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/aliases.nix`. Package sets typically do not have aliases, so we can't add them there.) + + For example in this case: + + ``` + jbidwatcher = throw "jbidwatcher was discontinued in march 2021"; # added 2021-03-15 + ``` + + The throw message should explain in short why the package was removed for users that still have it installed. + +1. Test if the changes introduced any issues by running `nix-env -qaP -f . --show-trace`. It should show the list of packages without errors. +1. Commit the changes. Explain again why the package was removed. If it was declared discontinued upstream, add a link to the source. + + ```ShellSession + $ git add pkgs/applications/misc/jbidwatcher/default.nix pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix + $ git commit + ``` + + Example commit message: + + ``` + jbidwatcher: remove + + project was discontinued in march 2021. the program does not work anymore because ebay changed the login. + + https://web.archive.org/web/20210315205723/http://www.jbidwatcher.com/ + ``` + +1. Push changes to your GitHub fork with `git push` +1. Create a pull request against Nixpkgs. Mention the package maintainer. + +This is how the pull request looks like in this case: [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/116470](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/116470) + +## Pull Request Template {#submitting-changes-pull-request-template} + +The pull request template helps determine what steps have been made for a contribution so far, and will help guide maintainers on the status of a change. The motivation section of the PR should include any extra details the title does not address and link any existing issues related to the pull request. + +When a PR is created, it will be pre-populated with some checkboxes detailed below: + +### Tested using sandboxing {#submitting-changes-tested-with-sandbox} + +When sandbox builds are enabled, Nix will setup an isolated environment for each build process. It is used to remove further hidden dependencies set by the build environment to improve reproducibility. This includes access to the network during the build outside of `fetch*` functions and files outside the Nix store. Depending on the operating system access to other resources are blocked as well (ex. inter process communication is isolated on Linux); see [sandbox](https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#conf-sandbox) in Nix manual for details. + +Sandboxing is not enabled by default in Nix due to a small performance hit on each build. In pull requests for [nixpkgs](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/) people are asked to test builds with sandboxing enabled (see `Tested using sandboxing` in the pull request template) because in<https://nixos.org/hydra/> sandboxing is also used. + +Depending if you use NixOS or other platforms you can use one of the following methods to enable sandboxing **before** building the package: + +- **Globally enable sandboxing on NixOS**: add the following to `configuration.nix` + + ```nix + nix.useSandbox = true; + ``` + +- **Globally enable sandboxing on non-NixOS platforms**: add the following to: `/etc/nix/nix.conf` + + ```ini + sandbox = true + ``` + +### Built on platform(s) {#submitting-changes-platform-diversity} + +Many Nix packages are designed to run on multiple platforms. As such, it’s important to let the maintainer know which platforms your changes have been tested on. It’s not always practical to test a change on all platforms, and is not required for a pull request to be merged. Only check the systems you tested the build on in this section. + +### Tested via one or more NixOS test(s) if existing and applicable for the change (look inside nixos/tests) {#submitting-changes-nixos-tests} + +Packages with automated tests are much more likely to be merged in a timely fashion because it doesn’t require as much manual testing by the maintainer to verify the functionality of the package. If there are existing tests for the package, they should be run to verify your changes do not break the tests. Tests can only be run on Linux. For more details on writing and running tests, see the [section in the NixOS manual](https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-nixos-tests). + +### Tested compilation of all pkgs that depend on this change using `nixpkgs-review` {#submitting-changes-tested-compilation} + +If you are updating a package’s version, you can use nixpkgs-review to make sure all packages that depend on the updated package still compile correctly. The `nixpkgs-review` utility can look for and build all dependencies either based on uncommited changes with the `wip` option or specifying a github pull request number. + +review changes from pull request number 12345: + +```ShellSession +nix run nixpkgs.nixpkgs-review -c nixpkgs-review pr 12345 +``` + +review uncommitted changes: + +```ShellSession +nix run nixpkgs.nixpkgs-review -c nixpkgs-review wip +``` + +review changes from last commit: + +```ShellSession +nix run nixpkgs.nixpkgs-review -c nixpkgs-review rev HEAD +``` + +### Tested execution of all binary files (usually in `./result/bin/`) {#submitting-changes-tested-execution} + +It’s important to test any executables generated by a build when you change or create a package in nixpkgs. This can be done by looking in `./result/bin` and running any files in there, or at a minimum, the main executable for the package. For example, if you make a change to texlive, you probably would only check the binaries associated with the change you made rather than testing all of them. + +### Meets Nixpkgs contribution standards {#submitting-changes-contribution-standards} + +The last checkbox is fits [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md). The contributing document has detailed information on standards the Nix community has for commit messages, reviews, licensing of contributions you make to the project, etc\... Everyone should read and understand the standards the community has for contributing before submitting a pull request. + +## Hotfixing pull requests {#submitting-changes-hotfixing-pull-requests} + +- Make the appropriate changes in you branch. +- Don’t create additional commits, do + - `git rebase -i` + - `git push --force` to your branch. + +## Commit policy {#submitting-changes-commit-policy} + +- Commits must be sufficiently tested before being merged, both for the master and staging branches. +- Hydra builds for master and staging should not be used as testing platform, it’s a build farm for changes that have been already tested. +- When changing the bootloader installation process, extra care must be taken. Grub installations cannot be rolled back, hence changes may break people’s installations forever. For any non-trivial change to the bootloader please file a PR asking for review, especially from \@edolstra. + +```{.graphviz caption="Staging workflow"} +digraph { + "small changes" [shape=none] + "mass-rebuilds and other large changes" [shape=none] + "critical security fixes" [shape=none] + "broken staging-next fixes" [shape=none] + + "small changes" -> master + "mass-rebuilds and other large changes" -> staging + "critical security fixes" -> master + "broken staging-next fixes" -> "staging-next" + + "staging-next" -> master [color="#E85EB0"] [label="stabilization ends"] [fontcolor="#E85EB0"] + "staging" -> "staging-next" [color="#E85EB0"] [label="stabilization starts"] [fontcolor="#E85EB0"] + + master -> "staging-next" -> staging [color="#5F5EE8"] [label="every six hours (GitHub Action)"] [fontcolor="#5F5EE8"] +} +``` + +[This GitHub Action](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/.github/workflows/periodic-merge-6h.yml) brings changes from `master` to `staging-next` and from `staging-next` to `staging` every 6 hours. + + +### Master branch {#submitting-changes-master-branch} + +The `master` branch is the main development branch. It should only see non-breaking commits that do not cause mass rebuilds. + +### Staging branch {#submitting-changes-staging-branch} + +The `staging` branch is a development branch where mass-rebuilds go. It should only see non-breaking mass-rebuild commits. That means it is not to be used for testing, and changes must have been well tested already. If the branch is already in a broken state, please refrain from adding extra new breakages. + +### Staging-next branch {#submitting-changes-staging-next-branch} + +The `staging-next` branch is for stabilizing mass-rebuilds submitted to the `staging` branch prior to merging them into `master`. Mass-rebuilds must go via the `staging` branch. It must only see non-breaking commits that are fixing issues blocking it from being merged into the `master ` branch. + +If the branch is already in a broken state, please refrain from adding extra new breakages. Stabilize it for a few days and then merge into master. + +### Stable release branches {#submitting-changes-stable-release-branches} + +The same staging workflow applies to stable release branches, but the main branch is called `release-*` instead of `master`. + +Example branch names: `release-21.11`, `staging-21.11`, `staging-next-21.11`. + +Most changes added to the stable release branches are cherry-picked (“backported”) from the `master` and staging branches. + +#### Automatically backporting a Pull Request {#submitting-changes-stable-release-branches-automatic-backports} + +Assign label `backport <branch>` (e.g. `backport release-21.11`) to the PR and a backport PR is automatically created after the PR is merged. + +#### Manually backporting changes {#submitting-changes-stable-release-branches-manual-backports} + +Cherry-pick changes via `git cherry-pick -x <original commit>` so that the original commit id is included in the commit message. + +Add a reason for the backport when it is not obvious from the original commit message. You can do this by cherry picking with `git cherry-pick -xe <original commit>`, which allows editing the commit message. This is not needed for minor version updates that include security and bug fixes but don't add new features or when the commit fixes an otherwise broken package. + +Here is an example of a cherry-picked commit message with good reason description: + +``` +zfs: Keep trying root import until it works + +Works around #11003. + +(cherry picked from commit 98b213a11041af39b39473906b595290e2a4e2f9) + +Reason: several people cannot boot with ZFS on NVMe +``` + +Other examples of reasons are: + +- Previously the build would fail due to, e.g., `getaddrinfo` not being defined +- The previous download links were all broken +- Crash when starting on some X11 systems + +#### Acceptable backport criteria + +The stable branch does have some changes which cannot be backported. Most notable are breaking changes. The desire is to have stable users be uninterrupted when updating packages. + +However, many changes are able to be backported, including: +- New Packages / Modules +- Security / Patch updates +- Version updates which include new functionality (but no breaking changes) +- Services which require a client to be up-to-date regardless. (E.g. `spotify`, `steam`, or `discord`) +- Security critical applications (E.g. `firefox`) diff --git a/doc/contributing/vulnerability-roundup.chapter.md b/doc/contributing/vulnerability-roundup.chapter.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..d451420f981 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/contributing/vulnerability-roundup.chapter.md @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +# Vulnerability Roundup {#chap-vulnerability-roundup} + +## Issues {#vulnerability-roundup-issues} + +Vulnerable packages in Nixpkgs are managed using issues. +Currently opened ones can be found using the following: + +[github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues?q=is:issue+is:open+"Vulnerability+roundup"](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+%22Vulnerability+roundup%22) + +Each issue correspond to a vulnerable version of a package; As a consequence: + +- One issue can contain several CVEs; +- One CVE can be shared across several issues; +- A single package can be concerned by several issues. + + +A "Vulnerability roundup" issue usually respects the following format: + +```txt +<link to relevant package search on search.nix.gsc.io>, <link to relevant files in Nixpkgs on GitHub> + +<list of related CVEs, their CVSS score, and the impacted NixOS version> + +<list of the scanned Nixpkgs versions> + +<list of relevant contributors> +``` + +Note that there can be an extra comment containing links to previously reported (and still open) issues for the same package. + + +## Triaging and Fixing {#vulnerability-roundup-triaging-and-fixing} + +**Note**: An issue can be a "false positive" (i.e. automatically opened, but without the package it refers to being actually vulnerable). +If you find such a "false positive", comment on the issue an explanation of why it falls into this category, linking as much information as the necessary to help maintainers double check. + +If you are investigating a "true positive": + +- Find the earliest patched version or a code patch in the CVE details; +- Is the issue already patched (version up-to-date or patch applied manually) in Nixpkgs's `master` branch? + - **No**: + - [Submit a security fix](#submitting-changes-submitting-security-fixes); + - Once the fix is merged into `master`, [submit the change to the vulnerable release branch(es)](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#submitting-changes-stable-release-branches); + - **Yes**: [Backport the change to the vulnerable release branch(es)](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#submitting-changes-stable-release-branches). +- When the patch has made it into all the relevant branches (`master`, and the vulnerable releases), close the relevant issue(s). |