{"id":5543,"date":"2026-09-17T06:50:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T06:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/netguide.io\/linux\/nixos-recovering-a-deleted-configuration-nix-from-earlier-generations\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T06:50:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T06:50:53","slug":"nixos-recovering-a-deleted-configuration-nix-from-earlier-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/netguide.io\/linux\/en\/nixos-recovering-a-deleted-configuration-nix-from-earlier-generations\/","title":{"rendered":"NixOS: Recovering a Deleted configuration.nix from Earlier Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"4797\" data-bid=\"2\" data-placement=\"4798\">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<\/script><p>In this guide, you will learn how to recover an accidentally deleted <code>configuration.nix<\/code> without having to restore a full system backup. This tutorial is intended for users with NixOS experience.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Prerequisites<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A functional <strong>NixOS<\/strong> system.<\/li>\n<li>Root privileges via the <code>sudo<\/code> command.<\/li>\n<li>An open terminal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Step 1: Search for Configuration Files in the Store<\/h2>\n<p>By searching for corresponding directories, you can look for remaining configuration files:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>ls -d \/nix\/store\/*-source\/configuration.nix<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">ls<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-d<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/nix\/store\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">*<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">-source\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n<p>If successful, the output will display a list of paths:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>\/nix\/store\/a1b2c3d4e5f6...-source\/configuration.nix\n\/nix\/store\/f7g8h9i0j1k2...-source\/configuration.nix<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #e1e4e8\">\/nix\/store\/a1b2c3d4e5f6...-source\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #e1e4e8\">\/nix\/store\/f7g8h9i0j1k2...-source\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n<p>If at least one line appears, the configuration is still present on the drive.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Step 2: Check Flake Metadata (Alternative)<\/h2>\n<p>Alternatively, if you use flakes, you can run the metadata command to locate configuration paths:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>nix flake metadata<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">nix<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">flake<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">metadata<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n<h2>Step 3: Copy the Configuration Back to \/etc\/nixos<\/h2>\n<p>Now, copy the discovered file back to <code>\/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/code>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>Warnung: Achte darauf, den Zielpfad exakt anzugeben, um keine anderen Systemdateien in \/etc zu \u00fcberschreiben.<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>sudo cp \/nix\/store\/QUELL_PFAD-source\/configuration.nix \/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">sudo<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">cp<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/nix\/store\/QUELL_PFAD-source\/configuration.nix<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n<p>Replace <code>\/nix\/store\/QUELL_PFAD-source\/configuration.nix<\/code> with the path you identified earlier.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Step 4: Set Write Permissions for the Restored File<\/h2>\n<p>After copying, permissions must be adjusted so you can edit the configuration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>sudo chmod 644 \/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">sudo<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">chmod<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">644<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n<h2>Step 5: Best Practices for the Future<\/h2>\n<p>For simple setups, the <code>system.copySystemConfiguration<\/code> option keeps a copy of the configuration on hand. Using Git for version control is also strongly recommended.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Verifying the Setup<\/h2>\n<p>Run the following command to check whether the file exists and contains text:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono\" style=\"font-size:.875rem;font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:1.25rem;--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><span style=\"display:block;padding:16px 0 0 16px;margin-bottom:-1px;width:100%;text-align:left;background-color:#24292e\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"54\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 54 14\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(1 1)\"><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FF5F56\" stroke=\"#E0443E\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"26\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#FFBD2E\" stroke=\"#DEA123\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><circle cx=\"46\" cy=\"6\" r=\"6\" fill=\"#27C93F\" stroke=\"#1AAB29\" stroke-width=\".5\"><\/circle><\/g><\/svg><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" style=\"color:#e1e4e8;display:none\" aria-label=\"Copy\" class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button\"><pre class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-pre\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><textarea class=\"code-block-pro-copy-button-textarea\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" readonly>head -n 5 \/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/textarea><\/pre><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><path class=\"with-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2m-6 9l2 2 4-4\"><\/path><path class=\"without-check\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5H7a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2h10a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2M9 5a2 2 0 002 2h2a2 2 0 002-2M9 5a2 2 0 012-2h2a2 2 0 012 2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">head<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-n<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">5<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n<h2>Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n<p><strong>ls: cannot access &#8216;\/nix\/store\/*-source\/configuration.nix&#8217;: No such file or directory<\/strong><br>Cause: No matching store paths are available.<br>Solution: If you have a backup, restore the file from there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Permission denied when editing the file<\/strong><br>Cause: Missing write permissions after copying.<br>Solution: Run <code>sudo chmod 644 \/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Rolling Back<\/h2>\n<p>If you want to undo the copy operation, you can delete the restored file at <code>\/etc\/nixos\/configuration.nix<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Your configuration is now restored. As a best practice, managing your configuration with Git version control is highly recommended.<\/p>\n<p><em>Quellen: <a href=\"https:\/\/discourse.nixos.org\/t\/is-it-possible-to-recover-configuration-nix-from-an-older-generation\/2659\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Forum: NixOS &#8211; Forum<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/discourse.nixos.org\/t\/is-it-possible-to-recover-configuration-nix-from-an-older-generation\/2659\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">discourse.nixos.org<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NixOS\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">de.wikipedia.org<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gnulinux.ch\/nixos-teil-2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gnulinux.ch<\/a><\/em><\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"4799\" data-bid=\"2\" data-placement=\"4800\">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<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Accidentally deleted your configuration.nix file? Here is how to locate your system configuration in the Nix store and protect it for the 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