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+# User’s Guide to Lua Infrastructure {#users-guide-to-lua-infrastructure}
+
+## Using Lua {#using-lua}
+
+### Overview of Lua {#overview-of-lua}
+
+Several versions of the Lua interpreter are available: luajit, lua 5.1, 5.2, 5.3.
+The attribute `lua` refers to the default interpreter, it is also possible to refer to specific versions, e.g. `lua5_2` refers to Lua 5.2.
+
+Lua libraries are in separate sets, with one set per interpreter version.
+
+The interpreters have several common attributes. One of these attributes is
+`pkgs`, which is a package set of Lua libraries for this specific
+interpreter. E.g., the `busted` package corresponding to the default interpreter
+is `lua.pkgs.busted`, and the lua 5.2 version is `lua5_2.pkgs.busted`.
+The main package set contains aliases to these package sets, e.g.
+`luaPackages` refers to `lua5_1.pkgs` and `lua52Packages` to
+`lua5_2.pkgs`.
+
+### Installing Lua and packages {#installing-lua-and-packages}
+
+#### Lua environment defined in separate `.nix` file {#lua-environment-defined-in-separate-.nix-file}
+
+Create a file, e.g. `build.nix`, with the following expression
+
+```nix
+with import <nixpkgs> {};
+
+lua5_2.withPackages (ps: with ps; [ busted luafilesystem ])
+```
+
+and install it in your profile with
+
+```shell
+nix-env -if build.nix
+```
+Now you can use the Lua interpreter, as well as the extra packages (`busted`,
+`luafilesystem`) that you added to the environment.
+
+#### Lua environment defined in `~/.config/nixpkgs/config.nix` {#lua-environment-defined-in-.confignixpkgsconfig.nix}
+
+If you prefer to, you could also add the environment as a package override to the Nixpkgs set, e.g.
+using `config.nix`,
+
+```nix
+{ # ...
+
+  packageOverrides = pkgs: with pkgs; {
+    myLuaEnv = lua5_2.withPackages (ps: with ps; [ busted luafilesystem ]);
+  };
+}
+```
+
+and install it in your profile with
+
+```shell
+nix-env -iA nixpkgs.myLuaEnv
+```
+The environment is installed by referring to the attribute, and considering
+the `nixpkgs` channel was used.
+
+#### Lua environment defined in `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix` {#lua-environment-defined-in-etcnixosconfiguration.nix}
+
+For the sake of completeness, here's another example how to install the environment system-wide.
+
+```nix
+{ # ...
+
+  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+    (lua.withPackages(ps: with ps; [ busted luafilesystem ]))
+  ];
+}
+```
+
+### How to override a Lua package using overlays? {#how-to-override-a-lua-package-using-overlays}
+
+Use the following overlay template:
+
+```nix
+final: prev:
+{
+
+  lua = prev.lua.override {
+    packageOverrides = luaself: luaprev: {
+
+      luarocks-nix = luaprev.luarocks-nix.overrideAttrs(oa: {
+        pname = "luarocks-nix";
+        src = /home/my_luarocks/repository;
+      });
+  };
+
+  luaPackages = lua.pkgs;
+}
+```
+
+### Temporary Lua environment with `nix-shell` {#temporary-lua-environment-with-nix-shell}
+
+
+There are two methods for loading a shell with Lua packages. The first and recommended method
+is to create an environment with `lua.buildEnv` or `lua.withPackages` and load that. E.g.
+
+```sh
+$ nix-shell -p 'lua.withPackages(ps: with ps; [ busted luafilesystem ])'
+```
+
+opens a shell from which you can launch the interpreter
+
+```sh
+[nix-shell:~] lua
+```
+
+The other method, which is not recommended, does not create an environment and requires you to list the packages directly,
+
+```sh
+$ nix-shell -p lua.pkgs.busted lua.pkgs.luafilesystem
+```
+Again, it is possible to launch the interpreter from the shell.
+The Lua interpreter has the attribute `pkgs` which contains all Lua libraries for that specific interpreter.
+
+
+## Developing with Lua {#developing-with-lua}
+
+Now that you know how to get a working Lua environment with Nix, it is time
+to go forward and start actually developing with Lua. There are two ways to
+package lua software, either it is on luarocks and most of it can be taken care
+of by the luarocks2nix converter or the packaging has to be done manually.
+Let's present the luarocks way first and the manual one in a second time.
+
+### Packaging a library on luarocks {#packaging-a-library-on-luarocks}
+
+[Luarocks.org](https://luarocks.org/) is the main repository of lua packages.
+The site proposes two types of packages, the rockspec and the src.rock
+(equivalent of a [rockspec](https://github.com/luarocks/luarocks/wiki/Rockspec-format) but with the source).
+These packages can have different build types such as `cmake`, `builtin` etc .
+
+Luarocks-based packages are generated in pkgs/development/lua-modules/generated-packages.nix from
+the whitelist maintainers/scripts/luarocks-packages.csv and updated by running maintainers/scripts/update-luarocks-packages.
+
+[luarocks2nix](https://github.com/nix-community/luarocks) is a tool capable of generating nix derivations from both rockspec and src.rock (and favors the src.rock).
+The automation only goes so far though and some packages need to be customized.
+These customizations go in `pkgs/development/lua-modules/overrides.nix`.
+For instance if the rockspec defines `external_dependencies`, these need to be manually added to the overrides.nix.
+
+You can try converting luarocks packages to nix packages with the command `nix-shell -p luarocks-nix` and then `luarocks nix PKG_NAME`.
+
+#### Packaging a library manually {#packaging-a-library-manually}
+
+You can develop your package as you usually would, just don't forget to wrap it
+within a `toLuaModule` call, for instance
+
+```nix
+mynewlib = toLuaModule ( stdenv.mkDerivation { ... });
+```
+
+There is also the `buildLuaPackage` function that can be used when lua modules
+are not packaged for luarocks. You can see a few examples at `pkgs/top-level/lua-packages.nix`.
+
+## Lua Reference {#lua-reference}
+
+### Lua interpreters {#lua-interpreters}
+
+Versions 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 of the lua interpreter are available as
+respectively `lua5_1`, `lua5_2`, `lua5_3` and `lua5_4`. Luajit is available too.
+The Nix expressions for the interpreters can be found in `pkgs/development/interpreters/lua-5`.
+
+#### Attributes on lua interpreters packages {#attributes-on-lua-interpreters-packages}
+
+Each interpreter has the following attributes:
+
+- `interpreter`. Alias for `${pkgs.lua}/bin/lua`.
+- `buildEnv`. Function to build lua interpreter environments with extra packages bundled together. See section *lua.buildEnv function* for usage and documentation.
+- `withPackages`. Simpler interface to `buildEnv`.
+- `pkgs`. Set of Lua packages for that specific interpreter. The package set can be modified by overriding the interpreter and passing `packageOverrides`.
+
+#### `buildLuarocksPackage` function {#buildluarockspackage-function}
+
+The `buildLuarocksPackage` function is implemented in `pkgs/development/interpreters/lua-5/build-lua-package.nix`
+The following is an example:
+```nix
+luaposix = buildLuarocksPackage {
+  pname = "luaposix";
+  version = "34.0.4-1";
+
+  src = fetchurl {
+    url    = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rocks-moonscript-org/moonrocks-mirror/master/luaposix-34.0.4-1.src.rock";
+    sha256 = "0yrm5cn2iyd0zjd4liyj27srphvy0gjrjx572swar6zqr4dwjqp2";
+  };
+  disabled = (luaOlder "5.1") || (luaAtLeast "5.4");
+  propagatedBuildInputs = [ bit32 lua std_normalize ];
+
+  meta = with lib; {
+    homepage = "https://github.com/luaposix/luaposix/";
+    description = "Lua bindings for POSIX";
+    maintainers = with maintainers; [ vyp lblasc ];
+    license.fullName = "MIT/X11";
+  };
+};
+```
+
+The `buildLuarocksPackage` delegates most tasks to luarocks:
+
+* it adds `luarocks` as an unpacker for `src.rock` files (zip files really).
+* configurePhase` writes a temporary luarocks configuration file which location
+is exported via the environment variable `LUAROCKS_CONFIG`.
+* the `buildPhase` does nothing.
+* `installPhase` calls `luarocks make --deps-mode=none --tree $out` to build and
+install the package
+* In the `postFixup` phase, the `wrapLuaPrograms` bash function is called to
+  wrap all programs in the `$out/bin/*` directory to include `$PATH`
+  environment variable and add dependent libraries to script's `LUA_PATH` and
+  `LUA_CPATH`.
+
+By default `meta.platforms` is set to the same value as the interpreter unless overridden otherwise.
+
+#### `buildLuaApplication` function {#buildluaapplication-function}
+
+The `buildLuaApplication` function is practically the same as `buildLuaPackage`.
+The difference is that `buildLuaPackage` by default prefixes the names of the packages with the version of the interpreter.
+Because with an application we're not interested in multiple version the prefix is dropped.
+
+#### lua.withPackages function {#lua.withpackages-function}
+
+The `lua.withPackages` takes a function as an argument that is passed the set of lua packages and returns the list of packages to be included in the environment.
+Using the `withPackages` function, the previous example for the luafilesystem environment can be written like this:
+
+```nix
+with import <nixpkgs> {};
+
+lua.withPackages (ps: [ps.luafilesystem])
+```
+
+`withPackages` passes the correct package set for the specific interpreter version as an argument to the function. In the above example, `ps` equals `luaPackages`.
+But you can also easily switch to using `lua5_2`:
+
+```nix
+with import <nixpkgs> {};
+
+lua5_2.withPackages (ps: [ps.lua])
+```
+
+Now, `ps` is set to `lua52Packages`, matching the version of the interpreter.
+
+### Possible Todos {#possible-todos}
+
+* export/use version specific variables such as `LUA_PATH_5_2`/`LUAROCKS_CONFIG_5_2`
+* let luarocks check for dependencies via exporting the different rocktrees in temporary config
+
+### Lua Contributing guidelines {#lua-contributing-guidelines}
+
+Following rules should be respected:
+
+* Make sure libraries build for all Lua interpreters.
+* Commit names of Lua libraries should reflect that they are Lua libraries, so write for example `luaPackages.luafilesystem: 1.11 -> 1.12`.