Frequently Asked Questions
What are the technical prerequisites of the trainings?
Nix Class
The exercises in the Nix class work well with a normal Nix installation on any GNU/Linux distribution, as well as on MacOS. They should also work in a Microsoft Windows WSL2 GNU/Linux shell, but we cannot provide support for this particular case.
Running Nix inside a GNU/Linux VM is fine. Please make sure that KVM support is enabled for a stable and performant experience.
Please do not use a Nix installation inside a Docker container during the class. This will result in a very limited experience. In general, there are good use cases for this combination of technologies, but during the class we want you to experience the quality and performance of a normal native Nix installation.
NixOS Class
Same requirements as for the Nix class in general, but in addition we regularly run NixOS inside virtual machines. For this reason, please do not use a VM for the training, as this would mean that you would be running VMs inside your VM during the class. This would severely limit your experience, while we want to give you insight into how nice and fast Nix(OS) is in the commonly supported scenarios.
NixOS integration tests generally run well on macOS, but for that you have to provide a local or external Linux builder. This is not part of the class.
Training Machine
In all cases, we will provide you with SSH access to a fast NixOS bare metal server. You can either solve all exercises on this machine by default, or use it as a fallback solution in case something goes wrong on your machine.
We will ask you for your SSH public key and username one week before the course starts.
What can I do to prepare for my upcoming training?
Ideally, prepare a GNU/Linux bare-metal machine (the distribution is not important), not a VM. Install Nix using the official Nix installer or the one from Determinate Systems (do not use your native package manager!). But don't worry, we'll go into the details of installation and typical caveats on day 1 of the training.
For the NixOS classes, make sure that access to your `/dev/kvm` device is allowed for normal users and Nix build users to enjoy good performance in NixOS VMs.
Make sure you have a good webcam and headset setup. The classes include a lot of dialog between teacher and students for a personal experience and your support.
What happens after I bought a training slot?
Congratulations, your Nix skills are about to improve!
One week before the class, we will send you the meeting invitations and a TODO list of actions (SSH key for the training machine, meeting link to test your setup, etc.) to make sure we get a perfect technical experience during the class.
After the class you will get your personal Nixcademy certificate!
How do refunds work?
If you choose the wrong class, we can change you to the right one, but please let us know at least 14 days before the class starts!
If you would like a full refund, this is possible within the following limits:
- Up to 14 days after your purchase: 100% refund
- Up to 14 days before class: 100% refund
- We cannot refund a class 14 days or less before the class starts.
One week prior to the class, we provide ample opportunity to test if your setup works with the meeting solution, etc. - After that, if you find that it does not work during the class, we cannot offer refunds this late, but we can reschedule you for a later class in special cases.