Guix Package Rebuilds

Building any package from the archive

Mastering Guix Packaging

The main scenarios are
- Using an older package (downgrading)
- Rebuilding an existing package
- Modifying an existing package
- Creating a new package (with and without source)
- Contributing a package to the distribution
We use Guix build in all these scenarios

Learning Path

Profiles

Package

Commands

Shell

Command

Basic Build

Command

Manifests

Transforms in Manifests

Guix Build Overview

Guix build is used to build a package (or a derivation)

Receives:
- package definition
- Guix build options

It outputs:
- build logs
- build derivation
- package

Recommendation: use with guix shell for a clean build environment

Guix Build Overview

Guix build is used to build a package (or a derivation)
Receives:
- package definition
- Guix build options
It outputs:
- build logs
- build derivation
- package
Recommendation: use with guix shell for a clean build environment

$ guix build hello --no-substitutes --no-grafts
The following derivation will be built:
     /gnu/store/xn12lv3ckihkai4044p28h5im78lvad5-hello-2.12.1.drv
    
    [... lots of output as it builds the package ...]
    
    successfully built /gnu/store/xn12lv3ckihkai4044p28h5im78lvad5-hello-2.12.1.drv
	/gnu/store/5mqwac3zshjjn1ig82s12rbi7whqm4n8-hello-2.12.1

1

Create build environment with guix shell

3

Create a test environment with guix shell and test the new build

2

Build the current package to test dependencies

Package build steps

Start a build shell environment:

guix shell --container --nesting --network \

--development hello nss-certs

See it in Action

Option	Description
--dry-run	Give output but don't take the action
--no-substitutes	Don't use binary substitutes
--no-grafts	Do not put security grafts onto packages

--verbosity=<lvl>	0=no output; 1=quiet; 2=show urls; 3=build log
--cores=n	Use N CPU cores for each build job
--max-jobs=N	Allow the Guix Daemon to run at most N build jobs. Each build can be limited to use --cores=N

--check	Rebuilt an items that's already in the Store to check determinism
--source	Build the packages source derivation

Common Build Options

$ guix shell --container --nesting --development hello \
  --network --no-grafts nss-certs
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/jaz9fabc7l9iwkxf648iq0ajafzgs049-profile.drv
building CA certificate bundle...
listing Emacs sub-directories...
building fonts directory...
building directory of Info manuals...
building profile with 23 packages...

Create a build environment

- nesting - run further package commands in the shell environment

- add nss-certs so that commands can use SSL

1 Rebuild the Package

$ guix shell --container --nesting --development hello \
  --network --no-grafts nss-certs
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/jaz9fabc7l9iwkxf648iq0ajafzgs049-profile.drv
building CA certificate bundle...
listing Emacs sub-directories...
building fonts directory...
building directory of Info manuals...
building profile with 23 packages...

[env]$ guix build --no-substitutes --no-grafts --source hello
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv
building /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv...

Starting download of /gnu/store/3dq55rw99wdc4g4wblz7xikc8a2jy7a3-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz
From https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz...
following redirection to `https://mirrors.tripadvisor.com/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz'...
downloading from https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz ...
 hello-2.12.1.tar.gz  1009KiB                                                               1.6MiB/s 00:01 [##################] 100.0%
successfully built /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv
/gnu/store/3dq55rw99wdc4g4wblz7xikc8a2jy7a3-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz

download the source and put it into the store.

2 Rebuild the Package












[env]$ guix build --no-substitutes --no-grafts --source hello
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv
building /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv...

Starting download of /gnu/store/3dq55rw99wdc4g4wblz7xikc8a2jy7a3-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz
From https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz...
following redirection to `https://mirrors.tripadvisor.com/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz'...
downloading from https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/hello/hello-2.12.1.tar.gz ...
 hello-2.12.1.tar.gz  1009KiB                                                               1.6MiB/s 00:01 [##################] 100.0%
successfully built /gnu/store/2p9bkv91gr64nm17qq0byavwg5q6w2lg-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz.drv
/gnu/store/3dq55rw99wdc4g4wblz7xikc8a2jy7a3-hello-2.12.1.tar.gz

[env]$ guix build --no-substitutes --no-grafts --verbosity=1 hello
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/3zh2qpi897s2x229s93iakji86b08a20-hello-2.12.1.drv

building /gnu/store/3zh2qpi897s2x229s93iakji86b08a20-hello-2.12.1.drv...
/gnu/store/5mqwac3zshjjn1ig82s12rbi7whqm4n8-hello-2.12.1

2

$ guix shell --container --nesting --no-grafts
guix shell: warning: no packages specified; creating an empty environment
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/jv8hws211gw8vbv9rcjnigl5xik1k8vq-profile.drv

building CA certificate bundle...
listing Emacs sub-directories...
building fonts directory...
building directory of Info manuals...
building profile with 1 package...

Test the Package

- no network as we're installing locally

- no packages as we're just going to test it

- add testing packages through a manifest (for example coreutils)

Install the package into a test shell - use it!

🏆 TIP: by avoiding installing it into a standard profile we can delete it:

$ guix gc --delete /gnu/store/<blah>

OR use --check

3

$ guix shell --container --nesting --no-grafts
guix shell: warning: no packages specified; creating an empty environment
The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/jv8hws211gw8vbv9rcjnigl5xik1k8vq-profile.drv

building CA certificate bundle...
listing Emacs sub-directories...
building fonts directory...
building directory of Info manuals...
building profile with 1 package...

[env]$ guix shell --install  /gnu/store/3zh2qpi897s2x229s93iakji86b08a20-hello-2.12.1.drv
The following package will be installed:
   hello 2.12.1

The following derivation will be built:
  /gnu/store/kkf3dwfjy1mkll3m4wbcxx76v2p2yjyc-profile.drv

building CA certificate bundle...
listing Emacs sub-directories...
building fonts directory...
building directory of Info manuals...
building profile with 1 package...
hint: Consider setting the necessary environment variables by running:

     GUIX_PROFILE="/home/steve/.guix-profile"
     . "$GUIX_PROFILE/etc/profile"

Alternately, see `guix package --search-paths -p "/home/steve/.guix-profile"'.

$ /home/steve/.guix-profile/bin/hello
Hello,world!

Test the Package

Success!

3 What we've seen

Package build command so we can build any package from the archive

1 Guix build

Using Guix shell to create both a build and a test enviroment

2 Guix shell

Installing the package locally to test it

3 Testing packages

Taking it further

To learn more:

Futurile blog: www.futurile.net
Guix Manual: guix.gnu.org

Steps from here

Profiles

Package

Commands

Shell

Command

Basic Build

Command

Manifests

Transform

Command

Manifests

Transforms in Manifests

Thank You!

VIDEO

Guix Build

2:40 minutes

Guix Package Rebuilds

By futurile

Guix Package Rebuilds

Mastering Guix Packaging

Learning Path

Guix Build Overview

Guix Build Overview

1

3

2

Package build steps

See it in Action

Common Build Options

Create a build environment

1

Rebuild the Package

2

Rebuild the Package

2

Test the Package

3

Test the Package

3

What we've seen

1

Guix build

2

Guix shell

3

Testing packages

Taking it further

Steps from here

Thank You!

VIDEO

Guix Build

Guix Package Rebuilds

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