A music production system for Linux with a lean audio-ready base, a curated software installer for DAWs and plugins, and Windows VST support on a system that stays stable over time.
rpm-ostree rebase ostree-unverified-registry:ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest
Caracal arrives already configured for music production — your audio interface works, your latency is low, and you can start a session without touching a single setting.
Ardour, Qtractor, Carla, Hydrogen, Wine/Yabridge, and a focused plugin set are included out of the box. Bigger DAWs like REAPER and Bitwig live in the bundled Caracal Software Installer.
Caracal preinstalls LSP, Calf, Guitarix, Vitalium, DISTRHO DrumSynth/EQuinox, and more. The installer expands that into Dragonfly Reverb, Surge XT, Cardinal, Decent Sampler, BYOD, AIDA-X, Neural Amp Modeler, and more.
Caracal includes built-in support for Windows VST plugins — most load and run without extra steps.
Caracal’s system files are locked — apps and updates can’t quietly corrupt your studio. Every system update is applied as a clean snapshot, and you can boot back into the previous version in seconds.
Caracal covers the whole workflow — tracking, mixing, and the Windows VST plugins you already own.
Ardour’s mixer handles large sessions cleanly — all your channels, sends, and plugins in one view, without the clutter.
The core tools you need to write and record are included from day one, and the installer handles the larger DAW and plugin catalog when you are ready.
If you’re coming from REAPER or Bitwig on Windows, they install cleanly and work exactly as you’d expect.
Caracal includes built-in tools to run most Windows VST plugins. Your existing library doesn’t have to collect dust.
Check plugin compatibility
The Caracal Audio Controller keeps common audio settings close at hand, so you can tune your setup without digging through system panels.
Waterfox is the default browser, tuned with Betterfox and a minimal one-line theme — built-in ad and tracker blocking, private browsing, and sync across your devices.
The upcoming Gnome edition brings Caracal’s audio-first setup to the Gnome desktop. Grab the beta ISO or VM image from the downloads below.
Distrobox lets you run apps from other Linux distributions, including .deb-based tools, when something you need is not available in the Caracal Software Installer yet.
Bazaar gives you a straightforward way to browse and install Flatpak apps without leaving the desktop.
Caracal keeps the base image focused: the audio system, core DAWs, compatibility tools, and a practical plugin set are ready immediately. The larger catalog is delivered through the software installer so you can add what you use.
The Caracal Software Installer gives you a curated catalog of DAWs, instruments, effects, and utilities — with a desktop GUI, queueing, and installed-state detection so you can set up multiple tools in one pass. See the full catalog list on our wiki.
Choose the ISO that matches your graphics hardware. If you’re already on a compatible Fedora Atomic desktop, switch in place with the three-step path below.
Pick your format and channel: installer ISOs for real hardware, or pre-built VM images for testing. Stage images include pre-release changes.
AMD / Intel installer image
Use this ISO on systems with AMD or Intel graphics.
This image is not currently available.
If you’re already on Fedora Atomic, you can skip the ISO and switch directly.
Already on Fedora Atomic? Switch in place:
If you’re already on a compatible Fedora Atomic desktop, one command switches you over to Caracal. Alternatively, install a Fedora Atomic image first, then switch.
rpm-ostree rebase ostree-unverified-registry:ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest
A single command sets up everything your audio interface needs — low-latency permissions, Windows plugin support, and a few quality-of-life tweaks.
ujust first-run
Open the bundled software installer to browse, queue, install, and uninstall DAWs, instruments, effects, and utilities. Or install individual apps with the focused helpers.
ujust software-installer
On first login, Caracal’s setup wizard offers to update your username and password, then auto-configures audio settings and points you to the software installer.
It replaces the usual round of driver installers, permission dialogs, and utility apps.
Download the ISO and the matching checksum into the same folder, then run the command for your image.
sha256sum -c caracal-latest-amd64.iso-CHECKSUM
sha256sum -c caracal-nvidia-latest-amd64.iso-CHECKSUM
sha256sum -c caracal-gnome-latest-amd64.iso-CHECKSUMIf switching with rpm-ostree rebase instead of using the ISO, verify the container image with Cosign.
cosign verify --key cosign.pub ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest