Show HN: NixOS Web Hosting for Everyone
shipnix.io
shipnix.io
Two small login related comments:
- I would have suggested launching with MFA not just being available - but enforced for all users.
- The Login with Github option requires that you provide full write access to all your public and private repositories, I think this is a bit much and would put off a lot of people.
"This application will be able to read and write all public and private repository data. This includes the following:"
Code
Issues
Pull requests
Wikis
Settings
Webhooks and services
Deploy keys
Collaboration invitesMFA is top priority to implement next. I won't remove the "beta" flag on my service before this is implemented. I also think it makes sense to have it enforced.
Yes, agreed about the Github scope, and I already had another one commenting this on Twitter. I am looking into this :)
From the front page I expected maybe some web interface for doing various tasks, such as Nix package management or setting up Let's Encrypt, etc, but judging from the docs, everything should be done via standard Nix/NixOS commands in command line. So, I'm sorry, what service Shipnix actually provides, apart from initial setup of the server with NixOS and SSH keys, that would justify paying monthly? At least it's not clear from the docs.
Most of what you would need to do is either in the UI or in the source code. They complement eachother. And I think it's a great way to learn Nix.
The NixOS configuration lets you set up LetsEncrypt and domain names declaratively through code. That's one of the strengths in my opinion, but taste might vary.
This also means no vendor lock-in. That being said, it might be that not everyone gets value of it.
I created this because I wanted something that organizes my servers nicely, saves build logs for debugging, lets me easily rollback if a build fails and is easy to managee and deploy.
Thanks for the feedback. I will work further on communicating this in the docs
Does this not cover it?
It's a free offering in Shipnix for everyone who is registered, and then you are free to create servers with this image through the DigitalOcean dashboard if that's what you prefer.
When a new NixOs release is ready, you can log into the Shipnix dashboard, and replace the image with the current stable one, also at no charge.
Hope you find it interesting!
I'm reading comments coming in and will try to answer your questions as best I can!
I have plans for making a dedicated starter to provision Elixir/Phoenix projects as a "1-click" starter
It's meant to help you with loading your current project that will be compliant with Shipnix.
The documentation is slightly outdated, but it's mainly a guided flow.
https://docs.shipnix.io/starters/migration/
You could run the generated "shipnixifier" script in a temporary folder and manually merge it to your project, and then provision it.
Feel free to reach out through the support if there is something I could help you with.
Shipnix does not provide the hardware itself, but uses a third-party server provider like DigitalOcean. So the server costs are extra.
Thanks for the feedback. I meant to add a line on the pricing page to clarify this, but it slipped. Will add this withing a few minutes!
For running a dinky little VM, I can run that for $5/mo on Digital Ocean or some other hosting provider.
For deploying a NixOS configuration, it's not too difficult to use nixos-infect, or to build a custom ISO. I've not even looked at NixOps or whatever.
What's the value add that's worth $12/mo for managing 1 server (i.e. more than running 2 tiny servers)?
The target audiences of Shipnix are freelancers, startups and agencies who wants to just spin up an IHP project for example and start creating value for their customers.
These audiences are less likely to adopt NixOS by tinkering with images and nixos-infect. The monthly price is less than what a software engineer costs for one hour.
I would think it's more of a beginner-friendly choice for those who are new to NixOS and find NixOps a bit difficult to learn.
Select a starter, have it all deployed and configured for you, do some coding, push to git and click deploy.
One of the goals of Shipnix is to have a good selection of starters to just get started quickly with building and shipping products. And I hope it can be a gateway drug for increased adoption of NixOS in the bootstrapper, freelancer and digital agency space.
For a veteran in NixOS and NixOps that already likes that flow, it might not be that interesting
If it requires some migration, would love to see a guide on how to wrap a Nixpkgs project in a barebones NixOS config
If I understand you correctly, I think the "Migration" starter should work with a "Barebones" preset. Then you could "shipnixify" the project so it can be hosted on Shipnix. Then it would only require the work of figuring out how to migrate the project away from the nixpks paradigm.
If you know of any code examples of nixpkgs code out in the open that I could look at for making a guide on how to implement it on Shipnix, let me know :) I would very much like to make a guide like this!
It's quicker, less work and you get servers running on a Nix flakes server config from the start with everything working just by filling out a form.
Especially in the freelance and startup sector, I think this brings value in terms of saving time.
That said, nothing wrong with the approach you are describing.
My target audience is a typical web developer that do not have time or energy to learn everything with NixOS from scratch, but wants to get a working Nix configuration and learn Nix a bit more softly with working code that works from the start.
Thanks for letting me know!