Modern C Development Environment Project Template

Problem: C project setup SUCKS

• Confusing dependency management
• Environment setup varies per machine
• Toolchain configuration is complex
• Onboarding new devs takes hours/days

Solution: Nix + Zig + Containers

• Nix is a real (not C only) package manager with the biggest package library of all Linux distros!
• Zig has a build system and built-in compiler that cross-compiles better than gcc or clang!
• Containers isolate complex environments, no more setting up environment variables and installing a dozen dependencies!

Compiling Project

$ zig build

Design Principles

• Robust simplicity: default to simple and robust stack of components
• Container first: containers and nix coexist together to form the best of both worlds: reproducible environment setup and isolation
• Optionality: more complex components are included only if explicitly enabled
• Explicit configuration: options are configured by editing build.zig (a real programming language, not some DSL)
• Clear responsibility: each component does exactly one thing (well)
• Bootstrapability: builds and runs on minimal systems
• Reproducibility: builds should behave identically across machines
• No compromises: zero tolerance for sub-optimal tools

Software Stack

• Version control: git
• Build system: zig (build.zig)
• Compiler: zig cc

• (Optional) Dependency management (and container image generation): nix or lix (flake.nix)
• (Optional) Testing: non-opinionated; in this example: csds_test.h
• (Optional) Container engine: Podman or Docker
• (Optional) Documentation: doxygen
• (Optional) Error detection: valgrind + cppcheck
• (Optional) CI/CD: non-opinionated; in this example: GitHub Actions
• (Optional) Code formatting:
  • C: clang-format, astyle
  • Nix: alejandra

Targets

• zig build
• zig build env
• zig build ctr_img ??? study first
• zig build test
• zig build cicd
• zig build docs
• zig build valgrind
• zig build cppcheck
• zig build format

For more information:

$ zig build --help

Notes

• This template favors simplicity, explicitness, and minimal tooling.
• Integrations like LSP, CI/CD, containerization, or Nix shells are modular and optional.
• Ideal for systems programming, libraries, CLI tools, and embedded.