https://github.com/bbjubjub2494/miniguest

[UNMAINTAINED] lightweight NixOS images
https://github.com/bbjubjub2494/miniguest

libvirt libvirt-xml lxc-templates nix nixos

Last synced: 10 months ago
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[UNMAINTAINED] lightweight NixOS images

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/bbjubjub2494/miniguest
• Owner: bbjubjub2494
• License: gpl-3.0
• Archived: true
• Created: 2021-06-26T19:02:32.000Z (almost 5 years ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2024-08-03T11:39:47.000Z (almost 2 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-07-15T08:51:42.188Z (11 months ago)
• Topics: libvirt, libvirt-xml, lxc-templates, nix, nixos
• Language: C++
• Homepage:
• Size: 244 KB
• Stars: 46
• Watchers: 2
• Forks: 1
• Open Issues: 8
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
  • License: COPYING.GPL3

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README

          
# NOTICE: I have lost interest in this project

As of February 9th, 2023

I no longer rely on miniguest in production

and don't actively maintain it.

If you wish to take over, feel free.

# Low-footprint NixOS images

![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/bbjubjub2494/miniguest)

![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/bbjubjub2494/miniguest)

![GitHub contributors](https://img.shields.io/github/contributors/bbjubjub2494/miniguest?style=social)

![GitHub Repo stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/bbjubjub2494/miniguest?style=social)

Miniguest makes lightweight [NixOS] guest images for popular virtualisation

tools.  The guest systems live entirely on the host's Nix store.  The host

system does not need to be NixOS.

## How lightweight?

Lighter than if it were the host system.  There is no disk image, no 

bootloader, no ISO.  Just plain immutable files that are friendly to Nix's

deduplication mechanisms.

## Getting started

You can read the [Installation guide], then the [Usage guide].

## Support Vector

QEMU virtual machines and Linux containers are supported.

For VMs, [Libvirt] integration is present. For containers, Miniguest can

produce templates in [LXC] format.

## Related work

- [`nixos-container`](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable#ch-containers):

  Miniguest takes inspiration from NixOS's containers, however, containers 

  wraps `systemd-nspawn`, whereas Miniguest delegates container management

  to any supported hypervisor.

  

- `nixos-rebuild build-vm`:

  Miniguest borrows the store-sharing mechanism from NixOS's built-in

  lightweight QEMU VMs when applicable, but it lets a framework take care of

  the VM configuration and lifecycle.

[NixOS]: https://nixos.org

[Libvirt]: https://libvirt.org

[LXC]: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxc/introduction/

[Installation guide]: ./INSTALL.md

[Usage guide]: ./USAGE.md