19 files changed, 176 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/src/libstore/dummy-store.cc b/src/libstore/dummy-store.cc
index b4fbe0b70..16e5fafd7 100644
--- a/src/libstore/dummy-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/dummy-store.cc
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ struct DummyStoreConfig : virtual StoreConfig {
     using StoreConfig::StoreConfig;
 
     const std::string name() override { return "Dummy Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "dummy-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 struct DummyStore : public virtual DummyStoreConfig, public virtual Store
diff --git a/src/libstore/dummy-store.md b/src/libstore/dummy-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eb7b4ba0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/dummy-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `dummy://`
+
+This store type represents a store that contains no store paths and
+cannot be written to. It's useful when you want to use the Nix
+evaluator when no actual Nix store exists, e.g.
+
+```console
+# nix eval --store dummy:// --expr '1 + 2'
+```
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.cc b/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.cc
index 93f25363a..238fd1d98 100644
--- a/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.cc
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@ struct HttpBinaryCacheStoreConfig : virtual BinaryCacheStoreConfig
     using BinaryCacheStoreConfig::BinaryCacheStoreConfig;
 
     const std::string name() override { return "HTTP Binary Cache Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "http-binary-cache-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 class HttpBinaryCacheStore : public virtual HttpBinaryCacheStoreConfig, public virtual BinaryCacheStore
diff --git a/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.md b/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..20c26d0c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/http-binary-cache-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `http://...`, `https://...`
+
+This store allows a binary cache to be accessed via the HTTP
+protocol.
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
index 2c9dd2680..7ce3dac6b 100644
--- a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
@@ -22,7 +22,14 @@ struct LegacySSHStoreConfig : virtual StoreConfig
     const Setting<Path> remoteProgram{(StoreConfig*) this, "nix-store", "remote-program", "path to the nix-store executable on the remote system"};
     const Setting<std::string> remoteStore{(StoreConfig*) this, "", "remote-store", "URI of the store on the remote system"};
 
-    const std::string name() override { return "Legacy SSH Store"; }
+    const std::string name() override { return "SSH Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "legacy-ssh-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 struct LegacySSHStore : public virtual LegacySSHStoreConfig, public virtual Store
diff --git a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.md b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..043acebd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `ssh://[username@]hostname`
+
+This store type allows limited access to a remote store on another
+machine via SSH.
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.cc b/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.cc
index f20b1fa02..e5ee6fc15 100644
--- a/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.cc
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ struct LocalBinaryCacheStoreConfig : virtual BinaryCacheStoreConfig
     using BinaryCacheStoreConfig::BinaryCacheStoreConfig;
 
     const std::string name() override { return "Local Binary Cache Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "local-binary-cache-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 class LocalBinaryCacheStore : public virtual LocalBinaryCacheStoreConfig, public virtual BinaryCacheStore
diff --git a/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.md b/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..93fddc840
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/local-binary-cache-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `file://`*path*
+
+This store allows reading and writing a binary cache stored in *path*
+in the local filesystem. If *path* does not exist, it will be created.
+
+For example, the following builds or downloads `nixpkgs#hello` into
+the local store and then copies it to the binary cache in
+`/tmp/binary-cache`:
+
+```
+# nix copy --to file:///tmp/binary-cache nixpkgs#hello
+```
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/local-store.cc b/src/libstore/local-store.cc
index c9a466ee8..1eada7cc3 100644
--- a/src/libstore/local-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/local-store.cc
@@ -44,6 +44,13 @@
 
 namespace nix {
 
+std::string LocalStoreConfig::doc()
+{
+    return
+        #include "local-store.md"
+        ;
+}
+
 struct LocalStore::State::Stmts {
     /* Some precompiled SQLite statements. */
     SQLiteStmt RegisterValidPath;
diff --git a/src/libstore/local-store.hh b/src/libstore/local-store.hh
index a84eb7c26..5e5ce86c8 100644
--- a/src/libstore/local-store.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/local-store.hh
@@ -41,8 +41,9 @@ struct LocalStoreConfig : virtual LocalFSStoreConfig
         "require-sigs", "whether store paths should have a trusted signature on import"};
 
     const std::string name() override { return "Local Store"; }
-};
 
+    std::string doc() override;
+};
 
 class LocalStore : public virtual LocalStoreConfig, public virtual LocalFSStore, public virtual GcStore
 {
diff --git a/src/libstore/local-store.md b/src/libstore/local-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..893457d32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/local-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `local`, *root*
+
+This store type accesses a Nix store in the local filesystem directly
+(i.e. not via the Nix daemon). *root* is an absolute path that denotes
+the "root" of the filesystem; other directories such as the Nix store
+directory (as denoted by the `store` setting) are interpreted relative
+to *root*. The store pseudo-URL `local` denotes a store that uses `/`
+as its root directory.
+
+A store that uses a *root* other than `/` is called a *chroot
+store*. With such stores, the store directory is "logically" still
+`/nix/store`, so programs stored in them can only be built and
+executed by `chroot`-ing into *root*. Chroot stores only support
+building and running on Linux when mount and user namespaces are
+enabled.
+
+For example, the following uses `/tmp/root` as the chroot environment
+to build or download `nixpkgs#hello` and then execute it:
+
+```console
+# nix run --store /tmp/root nixpkgs#hello
+Hello, world!
+```
+
+Here, the "physical" store location is `/tmp/root/nix/store`, and
+Nix's store metadata is in `/tmp/root/nix/var/nix/db`.
+
+It is also possible, but not recommended, to change the "logical"
+location of the Nix store from its default of `/nix/store`. This makes
+it impossible to use default substituters such as
+`https://cache.nixos.org/`, and thus you may have to build everything
+locally. Here is an example:
+
+```console
+# nix build --store 'local?store=/tmp/my-nix/store&state=/tmp/my-nix/state&log=/tmp/my-nix/log' nixpkgs#hello
+```
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.cc b/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.cc
index 8006bd733..05842a2ea 100644
--- a/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.cc
@@ -205,6 +205,13 @@ struct S3BinaryCacheStoreConfig : virtual BinaryCacheStoreConfig
         (StoreConfig*) this, 5 * 1024 * 1024, "buffer-size", "size (in bytes) of each part in multi-part uploads"};
 
     const std::string name() override { return "S3 Binary Cache Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "s3-binary-cache-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 struct S3BinaryCacheStoreImpl : virtual S3BinaryCacheStoreConfig, public virtual S3BinaryCacheStore
diff --git a/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.md b/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70fe0eb09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/s3-binary-cache-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `s3://`*bucket-name*
+
+This store allows reading and writing a binary cache stored in an AWS
+S3 bucket.
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/ssh-store.cc b/src/libstore/ssh-store.cc
index cfa063803..6f3ee6262 100644
--- a/src/libstore/ssh-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/ssh-store.cc
@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ struct SSHStoreConfig : virtual RemoteStoreConfig
     const Setting<Path> remoteProgram{(StoreConfig*) this, "nix-daemon", "remote-program", "path to the nix-daemon executable on the remote system"};
     const Setting<std::string> remoteStore{(StoreConfig*) this, "", "remote-store", "URI of the store on the remote system"};
 
-    const std::string name() override { return "SSH Store"; }
+    const std::string name() override { return "Experimental SSH Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "ssh-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 class SSHStore : public virtual SSHStoreConfig, public virtual RemoteStore
diff --git a/src/libstore/ssh-store.md b/src/libstore/ssh-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..881537e71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/ssh-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `ssh-ng://[username@]hostname`
+
+Experimental store type that allows full access to a Nix store on a
+remote machine.
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/libstore/store-api.hh b/src/libstore/store-api.hh
index 4d8db3596..9afb33b9e 100644
--- a/src/libstore/store-api.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/store-api.hh
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@ struct StoreConfig : public Config
 
     virtual const std::string name() = 0;
 
+    virtual std::string doc()
+    {
+        return "";
+    }
+
     const PathSetting storeDir_{this, false, settings.nixStore,
         "store", "path to the Nix store"};
     const Path storeDir = storeDir_;
diff --git a/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.hh b/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.hh
index d31a4d592..caa452919 100644
--- a/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.hh
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ struct UDSRemoteStoreConfig : virtual LocalFSStoreConfig, virtual RemoteStoreCon
     }
 
     const std::string name() override { return "Local Daemon Store"; }
+
+    std::string doc() override
+    {
+        return
+          #include "uds-remote-store.md"
+          ;
+    }
 };
 
 class UDSRemoteStore : public virtual UDSRemoteStoreConfig, public virtual LocalFSStore, public virtual RemoteStore
diff --git a/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.md b/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8df0bd6ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/uds-remote-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+R"(
+
+**Store URL format**: `daemon`, `unix://`*path*
+
+This store type accesses a Nix store by talking to a Nix daemon
+listening on the Unix domain socket *path*. The store pseudo-URL
+`daemon` is equivalent to `unix:///nix/var/nix/daemon-socket/socket`.
+
+)"
diff --git a/src/nix/main.cc b/src/nix/main.cc
index 0ea6d7784..6caca9c22 100644
--- a/src/nix/main.cc
+++ b/src/nix/main.cc
@@ -175,6 +175,7 @@ struct NixArgs : virtual MultiCommand, virtual MixCommonArgs
         for (auto & implem : *Implementations::registered) {
             auto storeConfig = implem.getConfig();
             auto storeName = storeConfig->name();
+            stores[storeName]["doc"] = storeConfig->doc();
             stores[storeName]["settings"] = storeConfig->toJSON();
         }
         res["stores"] = std::move(stores);