---
name: "nix-store-serve"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nix-bin"
version: "2.26.3+dfsg-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nix-store-serve"
---

# nix-store-serve(1)

serve local Nix store over SSH

## Name

`nix-store --serve` - serve local Nix store over SSH

## Synopsis

`nix-store` `--serve` \[`--write`\]

## Description

The operation `--serve` provides access to the Nix store over stdin and stdout, and is intended to be used as a means of providing Nix store access to a restricted ssh user.

The following flags are available:

- •

  `--write`

-

  Allow the connected client to request the realization of derivations. In effect, this can be used to make the host act as a remote builder.

{{#include ./opt-common.md}}

{{#include ../opt-common.md}}

{{#include ../env-common.md}}

## Examples

To turn a host into a build server, the `authorized_keys` file can be used to provide build access to a given SSH public key:

```
$ cat <<EOF >>/root/.ssh/authorized_keys
command="nice -n20 nix-store --serve --write" ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAA...
EOF
```