Ecosystem Overview

The Dendritic Nix ecosystem is a collection of focused, composable libraries that work independently or together. Each solves a specific problem in Nix configuration management.

Dependency Graph

graph TD
  dendrix["dendrix — community distribution"]
  denful["denful — facet distribution"]
  den["den — configuration framework"]
  fa["flake-aspects — aspect composition"]
  ff["flake-file — flake.nix generator"]
  it["import-tree — recursive module imports"]
  wi["with-inputs — non-flake inputs"]
  cm["checkmate — CI & testing"]
  uf["dendritic-unflake — non-flake examples"]

  dendrix --> den
  denful --> den
  denful --> fa
  den --> fa
  den --> ff
  den --> it
  den --> cm
  dendrix --> cm
  fa -.-> ff
  wi -.-> ff
  uf -.-> wi
  uf -.-> fa

The Libraries

flake-aspects

The foundation. Zero-dependency Nix library for composing aspects — transposition, dependency DAGs, parametric providers, nestable sub-aspects. Works with or without flakes. Details

den

The framework. Context-aware configuration system with declarative pipelines, host/user schemas, and batteries included. Built on flake-aspects. Details

flake-file

The generator. Define flake inputs as typed Nix module options. Regenerate flake.nix with one command. Supports flakes, unflake, and npins. Details

dendrix

The distribution. Community-driven index of Dendritic aspects — layers, import-trees, and templates for quick-start setups. Details

checkmate

The CI toolkit. Bundles treefmt and nix-unit for testing flakes with zero dependencies. Formatting checks, unit testing, GitHub CI templates. Details

import-tree

The loader. Recursively import Nix modules from a directory tree. 180+ stars. The most widely adopted library in the ecosystem. Details

with-inputs

The bridge. Flake-compatible inputs resolution for non-flake Nix. Follows, overrides, and dependency introspection — without flake.nix. Details

denful

The distribution. LazyVim-like facets for common use cases. Pre-configured Dendritic modules that just work. Work in progress. Details

dendritic-unflake

The proof. Multiple example setups demonstrating Dendritic patterns without flakes — unflake, npins, builtins, froyo, falake. Details

Design Philosophy

Every library in this ecosystem shares core principles:

• Composable — small, focused functions that combine naturally
• No lock-in — works with flakes, without flakes, with flake-parts, or standalone
• Dependency-minimal — most libraries have zero or near-zero external dependencies
• Well-tested — CI with checkmate, extensive test suites, real-world validation
• Documented — each library has its own documentation site

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