Installation Guide

This guide will walk you through various methods of installing and using Moonbeam.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have:

• Linux operating system
• Nix package manager with Flakes enabled
• Sunshine installed and configured

Note

Windows & macOS are not supported at this time.

Installing Nix and Setting Up Flakes

If you haven’t installed Nix or set up Flakes yet, follow the Nix Installation and Flakes Setup Guide. This guide will walk you through:

1. Installing the Nix package manager
2. Configuring Nix for your system
3. Enabling and setting up Nix Flakes

Once you’ve completed these steps, return here to continue with Moonbeam installation or usage.

Installation Options

Just Run

You can run Moonbeam directly without installing it using:

Stable

nix run github:simonwjackson/elevate/stable/moonbeam#moonbeam

Bleeding Edge

nix run github:simonwjackson/elevate/main#moonbeam

To pass options to Moonbeam when using this method, simply add them after the package name:

Stable

nix run github:simonwjackson/elevate/stable/moonbeam#moonbeam -- --help

Bleeding Edge

nix run github:simonwjackson/elevate/main#moonbeam -- --help

This method is perfect for trying out Moonbeam without making any changes to your system.

Nix

To install Moonbeam for the current user:

Stable

nix profile install github:simonwjackson/elevate/stable/moonbeam#moonbeam

Bleeding Edge

nix profile install github:simonwjackson/elevate/main#moonbeam

NixOS

For NixOS users, you can add Moonbeam to your system configuration using Flakes:

1. Edit your flake.nix file in your NixOS configuration directory:

   sudo nano /etc/nixos/flake.nix

2. Add Moonbeam to your inputs and include it in your system configuration:

   Stable

   {
     inputs = {
       nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
       moonbeam.url = "github:simonwjackson/elevate/stable/moonbeam";
     };
   
     outputs = { self, nixpkgs, moonbeam }: {
       nixosConfigurations.your-hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
         system = "x86_64-linux";
         modules = [
           ./configuration.nix
           ({ pkgs, ... }: {
             environment.systemPackages = [ moonbeam.packages.x86_64-linux.moonbeam ];
           })
         ];
       };
     };
   }

   Bleeding Edge

   {
     inputs = {
       nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
       moonbeam.url = "github:simonwjackson/elevate/main";
     };
   
     outputs = { self, nixpkgs, moonbeam }: {
       nixosConfigurations.your-hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
         system = "x86_64-linux";
         modules = [
           ./configuration.nix
           ({ pkgs, ... }: {
             environment.systemPackages = [ moonbeam.packages.x86_64-linux.moonbeam ];
           })
         ];
       };
     };
   }

   Replace your-hostname with your actual hostname.

3. Rebuild your NixOS configuration:

   sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos

Source

To build from source:

1. Clone the Elevate repository:

   Stable

   git clone -b stable/moonbeam --single-branch --depth 1 https://github.com/simonwjackson/elevate.git

   Bleeding Edge

   git clone -b main --single-branch --depth 1 https://github.com/simonwjackson/elevate.git

2. Change to the elevate directory:

   cd elevate

3. Build and install Moonbeam.

   Building and installing Moonbeam...

   nix profile install .#moonbeam

4. Verify the installation:

   moonbeam --version

Verifying the Installation

Regardless of the installation method, you can verify Moonbeam is correctly installed by running:

moonbeam --version

You should see output indicating the version of Moonbeam you’ve installed.

Shell Completion

To enable shell completion for Moonbeam, follow these steps:

1. Locate the Moonbeam completion script. If you installed Moonbeam using nix profile, the script should be located at:

   ~/.nix-profile/share/bash-completion/completions/moonbeam

2. For Bash: Add the following line to your ~/.bashrc file:

   source ~/.nix-profile/share/bash-completion/completions/moonbeam

3. For Zsh: Add the following lines to your ~/.zshrc file:

   autoload -U +X bashcompinit && bashcompinit
   source ~/.nix-profile/share/bash-completion/completions/moonbeam

4. Restart your shell or run source ~/.bashrc (for Bash) or source ~/.zshrc (for Zsh) to apply the changes.

Now you can use tab completion with Moonbeam commands and options.

Note

If you installed Moonbeam using a different method, the completion script might be in a different location. You may need to search for it or consult the documentation for your specific installation method.

Upgrading Moonbeam

To upgrade Moonbeam to the latest version, follow the method you used for installation:

Just Run

When using nix run, you might need to refresh the cache to obtain the latest version:

Stable

nix run --refresh github:simonwjackson/elevate/stable/moonbeam#moonbeam

Bleeding Edge

nix run --refresh github:simonwjackson/elevate/main#moonbeam

Nix

If you installed using nix profile, upgrade with:

nix profile upgrade moonbeam

NixOS

For NixOS users, update your flake inputs and rebuild:

sudo nix flake update moonbeam /etc/nixos
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos

Source

To upgrade a source installation:

cd elevate
git pull
nix profile upgrade .#moonbeam

Uninstalling Moonbeam

To remove Moonbeam from your system:

Just Run

No uninstallation is necessary when using nix run.

Nix

If installed with nix profile, uninstall using:

nix profile remove moonbeam

NixOS

Remove Moonbeam from your NixOS configuration, then rebuild:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos

Source

To uninstall a source installation:

nix profile remove github:simonwjackson/elevate#moonbeam

Congratulations! You have successfully installed or set up Moonbeam on your Linux system. You’re now ready to start optimizing your Moonlight game streaming experience.

Next Steps Proceed to the Core Settings section to learn how to use Moonbeam for streaming games and applications.