|
| 1 | +# Nix Cache Documentation |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +This document explains the Nix binary cache system used in the Supabase PostgreSQL project to speed up builds and share pre-built artifacts. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## What is the Nix Cache? |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +The Nix cache is a binary cache that stores pre-built Nix packages, allowing developers to download pre-compiled artifacts instead of building them from source. This significantly speeds up development and CI builds. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +## Cache Configuration |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +The project uses a custom Nix binary cache hosted on AWS S3: |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +- **Cache URL**: `https://nix-postgres-artifacts.s3.amazonaws.com` |
| 14 | +- **Primary Cache**: `https://cache.nixos.org` (upstream Nix cache) |
| 15 | +- **Trusted Public Key**: `nix-postgres-artifacts:dGZlQOvKcNEjvT7QEAJbcV6b6uk7VF/hWMjhYleiaLI=%` |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +## How It Works |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +### 1. Cache Substituters |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +The cache is configured with two substituters: |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +```bash |
| 24 | +substituters = https://cache.nixos.org https://nix-postgres-artifacts.s3.amazonaws.com |
| 25 | +``` |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +This means Nix will: |
| 28 | +1. First check the upstream Nix cache (`cache.nixos.org`) |
| 29 | +2. Then check the Supabase-specific cache (`nix-postgres-artifacts.s3.amazonaws.com`) |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +### 2. Trusted Public Keys |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +```bash |
| 34 | +trusted-public-keys = nix-postgres-artifacts:dGZlQOvKcNEjvT7QEAJbcV6b6uk7VF/hWMjhYleiaLI=% cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY= |
| 35 | +``` |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +These keys ensure that only trusted, signed artifacts are downloaded from the caches. |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +### 3. Post-Build Hook |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +The cache includes a post-build hook that automatically uploads newly built packages to the cache: |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +```bash |
| 44 | +post-build-hook = /etc/nix/upload-to-cache.sh |
| 45 | +``` |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +## Where Cache is Configured |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +The cache configuration is duplicated across multiple files in the project: |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +### CI/CD Workflows |
| 52 | +- `.github/workflows/nix-build.yml` - Main build workflow |
| 53 | +- `.github/workflows/ami-release-nix.yml` - AMI release workflow |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +### Docker Images |
| 56 | +- `docker/nix/Dockerfile` - Nix Docker image |
| 57 | +- `Dockerfile-15`, `Dockerfile-17`, `Dockerfile-orioledb-17` - PostgreSQL Docker images |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +### Provisioning Scripts |
| 60 | +- `scripts/nix-provision.sh` - Local provisioning |
| 61 | +- `ebssurrogate/scripts/qemu-bootstrap-nix.sh` - QEMU bootstrap |
| 62 | +- `ansible/files/admin_api_scripts/pg_upgrade_scripts/initiate.sh` - Upgrade scripts |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +## Using the Cache Locally |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +### Automatic Configuration |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +The cache is automatically configured when you: |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +1. **Enter the development shell**: |
| 71 | + ```bash |
| 72 | + nix develop |
| 73 | + ``` |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +2. **Run CI workflows** - Cache is configured automatically |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +3. **Use Docker images** - Cache is pre-configured |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +### Manual Configuration |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +If you need to configure the cache manually, add these lines to your `~/.config/nix/nix.conf`: |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +```bash |
| 84 | +substituters = https://cache.nixos.org https://nix-postgres-artifacts.s3.amazonaws.com |
| 85 | +trusted-public-keys = nix-postgres-artifacts:dGZlQOvKcNEjvT7QEAJbcV6b6uk7VF/hWMjhYleiaLI=% cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY= |
| 86 | +``` |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +### Verifying Cache Usage |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +You can verify that the cache is working by checking the build logs: |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +```bash |
| 93 | +# Look for cache hits in build output |
| 94 | +nix build .#psql_15/bin --verbose |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +# Check cache status |
| 97 | +nix show-config | grep substituters |
| 98 | +``` |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +## Cache Benefits |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +### For Developers |
| 103 | +- **Faster builds** - Pre-built packages download instead of compiling |
| 104 | +- **Consistent environments** - Same artifacts across different machines |
| 105 | +- **Reduced bandwidth** - Only download what's needed |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +### For CI/CD |
| 108 | +- **Faster CI runs** - Builds complete in minutes instead of hours |
| 109 | +- **Reduced resource usage** - Less CPU and memory consumption |
| 110 | +- **Better reliability** - Fewer build failures due to compilation issues |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +## Troubleshooting |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +### Cache Not Working |
| 115 | + |
| 116 | +If you're not getting cache hits: |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +1. **Check configuration**: |
| 119 | + ```bash |
| 120 | + nix show-config | grep substituters |
| 121 | + ``` |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +2. **Verify network access**: |
| 124 | + ```bash |
| 125 | + curl -I https://nix-postgres-artifacts.s3.amazonaws.com |
| 126 | + ``` |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +3. **Check trusted keys**: |
| 129 | + ```bash |
| 130 | + nix show-config | grep trusted-public-keys |
| 131 | + ``` |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +### Cache Misses |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +If you're seeing cache misses for packages that should be cached: |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +1. **Check if the package was recently built** - New packages may not be cached yet |
| 138 | +2. **Verify the package hash** - Different inputs produce different hashes |
| 139 | +3. **Check CI logs** - Ensure the post-build hook is working |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +### Network Issues |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +If you're having network issues with the cache: |
| 144 | + |
| 145 | +1. **Try the upstream cache only**: |
| 146 | + ```bash |
| 147 | + nix build .#psql_15/bin --substituters https://cache.nixos.org |
| 148 | + ``` |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +2. **Disable cache temporarily**: |
| 151 | + ```bash |
| 152 | + nix build .#psql_15/bin --no-substituters |
| 153 | + ``` |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +## Cache Management |
| 156 | + |
| 157 | +### Uploading to Cache |
| 158 | + |
| 159 | +The cache is automatically populated by: |
| 160 | + |
| 161 | +1. **CI builds** - GitHub Actions upload successful builds |
| 162 | +2. **Post-build hooks** - Automatic upload after local builds |
| 163 | +3. **Manual uploads** - Using `nix copy` command |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +### Cache Contents |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +The cache contains: |
| 168 | +- **PostgreSQL binaries** (15, 17, orioledb-17) |
| 169 | +- **Extension packages** (all 50+ extensions) |
| 170 | +- **Development tools** (build tools, test frameworks) |
| 171 | +- **Dependencies** (libraries, compilers, etc.) |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +## Security |
| 174 | + |
| 175 | +The cache uses cryptographic signatures to ensure: |
| 176 | +- **Integrity** - Packages haven't been tampered with |
| 177 | +- **Authenticity** - Packages come from trusted sources |
| 178 | +- **Reproducibility** - Same inputs produce same outputs |
| 179 | + |
| 180 | +## Related Documentation |
| 181 | + |
| 182 | +- [Development Workflow](./development-workflow.md) - Complete development process |
| 183 | +- [Build PostgreSQL](./build-postgres.md) - Building PostgreSQL from source |
| 184 | +- [Nix Directory Structure](./nix-directory-structure.md) - Project structure overview |
| 185 | + |
| 186 | +## References |
| 187 | + |
| 188 | +- [Nix Binary Cache Documentation](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/package-management/binary-cache.html) |
| 189 | +- [Nix Substituters](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/command-ref/conf-file.html#conf-substituters) |
| 190 | +- [Nix Trusted Public Keys](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/command-ref/conf-file.html#conf-trusted-public-keys) |
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