Post 1 min read
NixOS rebuilds with a soft landing
I like NixOS because it gives me sharp tools. I like safe rebuild habits because sharp tools still have edges.
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NixOS makes server state pleasantly explicit, which is a nice change from the classic "I edited five files and now the machine remembers my sins" style of operations.
The habit I keep reaching for on VPS hosts is simple: apply the new config temporarily, verify the services that matter, then make it permanent only once the host looks healthy.
rebuild.sh
sudo nixos-rebuild testsystemctl --failedcurl -fsS https://example.test/healthsudo nixos-rebuild switchDo not skip verification
A clean build does not prove your reverse proxy, firewall, DNS, or container stack still behaves the way you think it does.
What this buys you
- A reboot can fall back to the previous boot config if the test change was bad
- You get to inspect systemd failures before committing the change
- The runbook stays boring enough to repeat under pressure