Do you have a Dockerfile for testing this, @p-alik ?

No I haven't it yet, but I'll prepare once.

On fddd82e docker build . succeeds with this Dockerfile:

FROM nixos/nix
WORKDIR /opt/gearmand
ADD . .
RUN nix-shell --packages autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx \
              --run "bash && ./bootstrap.sh -a && ./configure --with-mysql=no --with-postgresql=no --with-boost=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost) --with-boost-libdir=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost.out)/lib && make && make test"

On fddd82e docker build . succeeds with this Dockerfile:

FROM nixos/nix
WORKDIR /opt/gearmand
ADD . .
RUN nix-shell --packages autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx \
              --run "bash && ./bootstrap.sh -a && ./configure --with-mysql=no --with-postgresql=no --with-boost=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost) --with-boost-libdir=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost.out)/lib && make && make test"

Hi, @p-alik. Thank you for the above.

The extra configure arguments should not be needed. Something is broken if they are needed, IMHO.

Any idea as to why nix-env --install autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx fails with

warning: there are multiple derivations named 'git-2.26.2'; using the first one
error: selector 'libuuid' matches no derivations

If I remove libuuid from that list, I then get

error: selector 'python37Packages.sphinx' matches no derivations

Using nixos/nix:latest:

97a3ebb198b7:/# nix-env --install libuuid
error: selector 'libuuid' matches no derivations
97a3ebb198b7:/# nix-env --install python37Packages.sphinx
error: selector 'python37Packages.sphinx' matches no derivations
97a3ebb198b7:/# nix-env --version
nix-env (Nix) 2.3.6

You could run nix-env -f '<nixpkgs>' --install -A autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx if you intend to use nix-env.
As mentioned here nix-shell appears to me more appropriate for the purpose of development.

You could run nix-env -f '<nixpkgs>' --install -A autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx if you intend to use nix-env.
As mentioned here nix-shell appears to me more appropriate for the purpose of development.

I can see their point for when it comes to distributing an image, but it doesn't fit how I test builds.

Your new nix-env command gives me the following errors:

error: packages '/nix/store/jijd3hi94w5nwzrd9ihvs34q69hx0vcd-boost-1.69.0/lib/libboost_context.so' and '/nix/store/j8dbv5w6jl34caywh2ygdy88knx1mdf7-nix-2.3.6/lib/libboost_context.so' have the same priority 5; use 'nix-env --set-flag priority NUMBER INSTALLED_PKGNAME' to change the priority of one of the conflicting packages (0 being the highest priority)
builder for '/nix/store/746clhr2530ra1xfsj67v7ly9v0hak15-user-environment.drv' failed with exit code 1
error: build of '/nix/store/746clhr2530ra1xfsj67v7ly9v0hak15-user-environment.drv' failed

I split up the nix-env and got it to work.

nix-env --install \
	autoconf \
	automake \
	bash \
	boost \
	git \
	gperf \
	libevent \
	libtool \
	openssl \
 && nix-env -f '<nixpkgs>' --install -A \
	gcc \
	m4 \
	libuuid \
	python37Packages.sphinx

I had to add m4 and gcc, by the way.

./configure can't find boost though, and the nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost command does not work as non-root user.

error: could not set permissions on '/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user' to 755: Operation not permitted

Wow, this nix package manager is super-annoying!

Wow, this nix package manager is super-annoying!

In my opinion because you are trying to install all dependencies with nix-env. All will be fine, if you'll switch to nix-shell:
nix-shell --packages autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx

Wow, this nix package manager is super-annoying!

In my opinion because you are trying to install all dependencies with nix-env. All will be fine, if you'll switch to nix-shell:
nix-shell --packages autoconf automake bash boost git gperf libevent libtool libuuid python37Packages.sphinx

Only if you build gearmand as root, I think, and I don't want to do that.

Only if you build gearmand as root, I think, and I don't want to do that.

You can run nix-shell (and nix-env --install as well) as usual user.
What I've put into a Dockerfile is a subset of shell.nix, which I'm using to start nix-shell. It looks like:

let
  sources = import ./nix/sources.nix;
  pkgs = import sources.nixpkgs {};
in
pkgs.mkShell {
  buildInputs = [
    pkgs.boost
    pkgs.boost.dev
    pkgs.boost.out
    pkgs.file
    pkgs.libevent
    pkgs.libuuid
    pkgs.libtool
    pkgs.hiredis
    pkgs.python37Packages.sphinx
    pkgs.gperf
    pkgs.autoconf
    pkgs.automake
    # keep this line if you use bash
    pkgs.bashInteractive
  ];

  nativeBuilds = [
    pkgs.gcc8
    pkgs.pkgconfig
  ];

  shellHook =''
cat <<'HERE'
To build gearmand:

cd gearmand
./bootstrap.sh -a
./configure --with-mysql=no --with-postgresql=no --with-boost=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost) --with-boost-libdir=$(nix-build --no-out-link '<nixpkgs>' -A boost.out)/lib
HERE
'';
}

Only if you build gearmand as root, I think, and I don't want to do that.

You can run nix-shell (and nix-env --install as well) as usual user.

Well, it doesn't work for me, at least not using the nixos/nix image. The nix-* commands in that Docker image only work as root.

There are differences between nix-docker and PC (VM surely also) environment:

• docker

ba10e3ca04d6:/# ls -l `which nix-env`
lrwxrwxrwx   12 root     root             3 Jun 10 16:45 /root/.nix-profile/bin/nix-env -> nix
ba10e3ca04d6:/# ls -l `which nix`
-r-xr-xr-x    2 root     root       1816736 Jan  1  1970 /root/.nix-profile/bin/nix

• nix-PC

$ nixos-version 
20.03.2648.69af91469be (Markhor)
$ ll `which nix-env`
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 65 Jan  1  1970 /run/current-system/sw/bin/nix-env -> /nix/store/jrl2jxaqzq7si48crdk69brbv6bgqfs7-nix-2.3.6/bin/nix-env

These days Debian testing offers nix package manager.