| nix-amer |

name:        nix-amer
version:     0.1.0
description: Configuration automation tool
author:      xdrm-brackets

Need to automate the setup of your linux server or desktop ? This tool is made for you.

[TOC]

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I. Build Format

Your whole setup remains in 1 only build file. Each line contains one instruction, the list of instructions is listed below.

1) package management

These instructions allow you to interact with the package system available on your system.

ins <packages>

Install the listed packages. If more than one, use spaces to separate package names.

del <packages>

Remove the listed packages. If more than one, use spaces to separate package names.

3) update configuration files

This instruction allow you to update configuration files without the need of an editor and in a developer-readable manner.

cnf <expr> <content>

Update a configuration file where <expr> is a dot-separated human-readable path expression and <content> is a string or a file. If a string is given, it will override/add the field ; if a file is given the configuration file will be replaced by it.

cnf <expr>

Remove a configuration field matching the <expr> path.

4) service management

These instructions allow you to interact with the service system (cf. systemd).

ser [enable|start|stop|restart|reload] <services>

Perform the action on services. If more than one, use spaces to separate service names.

5) custom scripts

These instructions allow you to use custom scripts for complex operations.

run <script>

Execute the <script> file.

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II. Path Expressions

The syntax is pretty fast-forward, it uses 2 levels (file, fields) to find your configuration line : location/path@field.path.

Field	Description	Example
location/path	Path to the configuration file to edit. The file will be created if not found.	/etc/ssh/sshd_config, /etc/nginx/nginx.conf, /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
field.path	Dot-separated chain of strings that match a configuration field. If omitted, the <value> will just be added at the end of the configuration file. In the same way if the field does not point to a raw field but a parent or group containing fields, the <value> will be added to the group.	/etc/ssh/sshd_config@AllowGroups, /etc/nginx/nginx.conf@http.gzip

When a file is given as <content>, the cnf command acts as the shell command mv (copy).

File Formats

Configuration files can be written according to some standards or application-specific syntax. This tool uses standard and third-party to parse the following formats :

• xml and json are read/written using the go standard library (cf. json, xml).

xml to do ; complex structure the library outputs (attributes vs. content) to understand better

• yaml with go-yaml/yaml.
• ini with go-ini/ini.
• toml with BurntSushi/toml.

not consistent ; overriding a toml file with this can mess with comments and duplicate sections. Also there is type inference to do (strings are surrounded with ", there is true, false, etc)

• nginx configurations with lytics/confl.

for now it does not work with real nginx configuration files ; must create my own driver to keep syntax and comments in place

• and more to come...

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Example

myserver.build

sys name    ubuntu # required to choose which
sys version 18.4   # package-manager to use

[install]
upd
ins nginx ssh sslh

[nginx]
cnf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf@http.gzip           on
cnf /etc/nginx/sites-available/new-site      ./localConfFile
ser enable nginx
ser start nginx

[sshd]
cnf /etc/ssh/sshd_config@PermitRootLogin      no
cnf /etc/ssh/sshd_config@PermitEmptyPasswords no
cnf /etc/ssh/sshd_config@StrictModes          yes
cnf /etc/ssh/sshd_config@Port                 22
ser enable sshd
ser enable ssh

[sslh]
cnf /etc/default/sslh@RUN                  yes
cnf /etc/default/sslh@DEAMON_OPTS          "--user sslh --listen 0.0.0.0:443 --ssh 127.0.0.1:22 --ssl 127.0.0.1:44300 --pidfile /var/run/sslh/sslh.pid"
ser enable sslh
ser start sslh