Socktainer

nix-hex-box can optionally install and manage Socktainer, which exposes a Docker-compatible local API socket on top of Apple container.

Enable it with:

services.container-builder.socktainer = {
  enable = true;
};

The module installs the official Socktainer pkg, creates a user launch agent, and starts the daemon in the current primary user’s session.

Socktainer stores its socket and logs under:

$HOME/.socktainer

The Docker-compatible socket path is:

$HOME/.socktainer/container.sock

To point Docker-compatible clients at that socket manually:

export DOCKER_HOST=unix://$HOME/.socktainer/container.sock
docker ps

To export DOCKER_HOST automatically for user sessions:

services.container-builder.socktainer = {
  enable = true;
  setDockerHost = true;
};

This integration is optional and independent from the Nix remote builder path. The module still manages the builder machine directly through Apple container machine.