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1st chunk of `nixos/modules/services/misc/taskserver/default.md`
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# Taskserver {#module-services-taskserver}

Taskserver is the server component of the now deprecated version 2 of
[Taskwarrior](https://taskwarrior.org/), a free and
open source todo list application.

[Taskwarrior 3.0.0 was released in March
2024](https://github.com/GothenburgBitFactory/taskwarrior/releases/tag/v3.0.0),
and the sync functionality was rewritten entirely. With it, a NixOS module
named
[`taskchampion-sync-server`](options.html#opt-services.taskchampion-sync-server.enable)
was added to Nixpkgs. Many people still want to use the old [Taskwarrior
2.6.x](https://github.com/GothenburgBitFactory/taskwarrior/releases/tag/v2.6.2),
and Taskserver along with it. Hence this module and this documentation will
stay here for the near future.

## Configuration {#module-services-taskserver-configuration}

Taskserver does all of its authentication via TLS using client certificates,
so you either need to roll your own CA or purchase a certificate from a
known CA, which allows creation of client certificates. These certificates
are usually advertised as "server certificates".

So in order to make it easier to handle your own CA, there is a helper tool
called {command}`nixos-taskserver` which manages the custom CA along
with Taskserver organisations, users and groups.

While the client certificates in Taskserver only authenticate whether a user
is allowed to connect, every user has its own UUID which identifies it as an
entity.

With {command}`nixos-taskserver` the client certificate is created
along with the UUID of the user, so it handles all of the credentials needed
in order to setup the Taskwarrior 2 client to work with a Taskserver.

## The nixos-taskserver tool {#module-services-taskserver-nixos-taskserver-tool}

Because Taskserver by default only provides scripts to setup users
imperatively, the {command}`nixos-taskserver` tool is used for
addition and deletion of organisations along with users and groups defined
by [](#opt-services.taskserver.organisations) and as well for
imperative set up.

The tool is designed to not interfere if the command is used to manually set
up some organisations, users or groups.

For example if you add a new organisation using {command}`nixos-taskserver
Title: Taskserver: Deprecated Taskwarrior 2 Sync and the nixos-taskserver Tool
Summary
This document describes Taskserver, the server component for the deprecated Taskwarrior 2.x, which remains available for users who prefer the older version despite Taskwarrior 3.0.0 introducing a new sync functionality. Taskserver's authentication relies on TLS client certificates, requiring users to manage their own Certificate Authority (CA) or acquire appropriate certificates. To simplify this, the `nixos-taskserver` helper tool is provided. This tool assists in managing custom CAs, Taskserver organizations, users, and groups, automatically generating client certificates and user UUIDs needed for Taskwarrior 2 client setup, and supports both declarative and imperative configuration.