User Management

This guide explains how to add and manage users within the infrastructure.

Adding a New User

User management is declarative and handled through the users/rpcu directory in the Hephaestus repository.

1. Create User Directory

Create a directory for the new user under users/rpcu/. The directory name should match the desired username.

mkdir -p users/rpcu/<username>

2. Create User Configuration

Create a default.nix file inside the new user directory. This file will hold the user-specific configuration (e.g., shell preferences, dotfiles).

File: users/rpcu/<username>/default.nix

{ ... }:
{
  # Import additional configurations if needed
  # imports = [ ./git.nix ];
}

3. Register the User

Register the new user in the main user registry file users/rpcu/default.nix. You must use the mkUser helper function.

File: users/rpcu/default.nix

Add the following block to the imports list:

(mkUser {
  username = "<username>";
  userImports = [ ./<username> ];
  authorizedKeys = [
    "ssh-ed25519 AAAA..." # Paste the user's public SSH key here
  ];
})

4. Deploy

Commit your changes and deploy the configuration. The new user will be created across the fleet with the specified SSH access.