Cedra System

Install software and apply the system settings that make it useful on a workstation.

Cedra is a GTK application for Debian-family workstations. It uses APT where appropriate, then applies the small pieces of system integration that a package install does not know about: Git defaults and templates, browser policies, desktop handlers, printing settings, terminal files, or font defaults.

APT answers "which package should be installed?" Cedra also answers "what should this workstation do with it?" The answer is different for each capability and is visible before you apply changes.

The home screen groups the actions Cedra actually supports:

• install and configure software;
• check and update selected software;
• choose programming fonts and terminal settings;
• check and repair settings applied by an operation;
• remove supported software and the settings Cedra can identify.

A short tour

Choose an action, search or filter the catalog, select one or more capabilities, and apply the changes. Cedra can explain whether downloads, an official software source, or administrator approval may be needed. It keeps personal files and unrelated software outside the operation.

The catalog contains applications and workstation capabilities rather than only package names. For example, Git can install safer defaults, repository templates, hooks, and GitHub CLI readiness. Firefox can install Firefox ESR or use Mozilla's source when needed, then apply policies and web-link defaults. Fonts and Terminal can install their packages and apply the corresponding system files. OpenSSH can install client tools and a client configuration without changing your keys.

Some capabilities are mostly package installation. Others have a specific integration to apply or repair. The Knowledge catalog lists those actions and their limits.

When removal is supported, Cedra removes the selected packages only when it can identify a safe APT transaction. It removes operation-owned settings separately and preserves personal data and ambiguous shared state. For example, uninstalling Docker does not remove containers, images, volumes, or networks; uninstalling Steam does not remove game libraries or Proton data.

Install and run

Cedra's main application is the GUI:

./cedra

You can also launch it from the installed application menu. To build and install a Debian package from a checkout:

make package
sudo apt install ./dist/cedra_*_all.deb
cedra

In Preferences, choose Check for updates to compare the installed version with the latest stable publication. Cedra can open the official release page, but the user remains responsible for downloading and installing an update.

The package and runtime dependencies are listed in debian/control. A development machine can install the build and runtime tools with:

sudo apt install debhelper meson ninja-build python3 python3-yaml \
  gir1.2-gtk-4.0 lintian apt ca-certificates gnupg pkexec sudo

cedra-cli is the administrative interface, not the main product. Use it to inspect the catalog or run one explicit operation:

./cedra-cli --help
./cedra-cli list
./cedra-cli run git install.sh

What to expect

Cedra is built around Debian packages, APT, selected official software sources, and the system files that its capabilities explicitly describe. It is not a universal Linux installer, and sharing APT or systemd with another distribution does not establish support for that distribution. Compatibility is checked for particular Debian-family targets.

Operations may download software and may ask for an administrator password. They can change system packages, services, sources, handlers, policies, and configuration files. Read the selected action and its impact before applying it. Existing profiles, projects, documents, credentials, repositories, keys, and other personal data remain outside the operation unless a capability explicitly documents otherwise.

Software remains under the user's control. Cedra does not claim ownership of installed software, and it does not infer that it installed a package just because the package is present.

Development

The root Makefile is the maintainer interface:

make
make check
make package

make and make check run the product contract suite. make package builds and validates an unsigned Debian package in dist/. See docs/VERIFY.md for packaging and workstation checks, docs/CONTRIBUTING.md for the development workflow, and ARCHITECTURE.md for the internal contracts.

License

Cedra is free software released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. Third-party software retains its respective licenses.