I just tried installing nixos through the minimal iso on my 1 shared vcpu, 1gb vps, and it freezes on nix-install for hours with the entire system also uninteractive.
You don’t need another nixos computer, it can be any computer that runs nix.
You only need some minimal bootstrap config, not the full one necessarily. This is a one-time action.
There’s also things like nixos-infect, nixos-anywhere, etc.
Unnecessary, just ensure your config mentions the nixpkgs input that you use. Stop using channels, though.
I’d suggest using some lockfile scheme, such as npins, nvfetcher, or flakes.