macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cavalocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install cavaMacPorts ports tree · audio/cava/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install cava with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, winget, zypper
Console-based Audio Visualizer for ALSA. Version 1.0.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add cavaAlpine Linux edge package indexes · cava · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install cavaDebian stable package indexes · cava · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install cavaFedora Rawhide package metadata · cava · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cavanixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ca/cava/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S cavaArch Linux sync databases · cava · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install cavaopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · cava · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id karlstav.cava -eWindows Package Manager source index · karlstav.cava · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Console-based Audio Visualizer for ALSA
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cava
history
Project history and usage
CAVA is the Cross-platform Audio Visualizer, a bar spectrum visualizer for terminal or desktop SDL output. The README says it works on Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows and is designed to look responsive and aesthetic for music visualization rather than scientific analysis.
Project history
The README credits Karl Stavestrand and thanks several early contributors for major early-development work. Over time it grew beyond an ALSA-oriented console visualizer into a cross-platform project with PipeWire, PulseAudio, ALSA, Sndio, OSS, JACK, squeezelite, Core Audio, Windows, ncurses, SDL, raw output, and a cavacore library.
Adoption history
The upstream README documents package-manager installs for Arch, Ubuntu/Debian, and Homebrew, and the supplied package facts add Alpine, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, Winget, and openSUSE. That is unusually broad adoption for a terminal visual-effect tool.
How it is used
Users run cava to visualize audio input in the terminal, use -p to choose a config file, and control sensitivity, bar width, colors, reloads, and quit from the keyboard. A default config is created in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cava/config or ~/.config/cava/config on first launch.
Why package nerds care
CAVA is significant because it turns terminal audio plumbing into visible feedback. For maintainers it touches many platform-specific audio stacks while remaining a familiar CLI package, which makes it a neat intersection of Unix terminals, desktop audio, and cross-platform packaging.
Timeline
- 2026: The README documents Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows support.
- 2026: Homebrew formula packages CAVA 1.0.0 from the official release archive.
- 2026: Supplied package facts show CAVA available from Homebrew, Debian-family, RPM-family, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Winget, and openSUSE package sets.
Related projects
- Related project surfaces include cavacore for reusable processing and cava2sse for exposing raw values as server-sent events. Related system components include PipeWire, PulseAudio, ALSA, Sndio, OSS, JACK, Core Audio, ncurses, and SDL2.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:audio
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 3 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 4 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cava/config~/.config/cava/config
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cava | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.0.0
manager updated2026-06-25
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected1.0.0
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cava |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cava |
| Homepage | https://github.com/karlstav/cava |
| Repository | https://github.com/karlstav/cava |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/karlstav/cava#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/karlstav/cava/archive/refs/tags/1.0.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-25T13:37:38+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | fftw, iniparser, portaudio |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, libtool, pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | ncurses |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | cava |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
cava 0.10.4+dfsg-1
Console-based Audio Visualizer for Alsa
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo apt install cava- Section: sound
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: cava-alsa
- 10 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
Debian apt95%
libcava-java 0.6.0-2
Libraries and tools for blockchain and decentralized software
https://github.com/ConsenSys/cava
sudo apt install libcava-java- Section: java
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cava
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
Nix95%
cava
nix profile install nixpkgs#cava- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
Ubuntu apt95%
cava 0.7.4-1build2
Console-based Audio Visualizer for Alsa
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo apt install cava- Section: universe/sound
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: cava-alsa
- 7 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
Ubuntu apt95%
libcava-java 0.6.0-1.1ubuntu1
Libraries and tools for blockchain and decentralized software
https://github.com/ConsenSys/cava
sudo apt install libcava-java- Section: universe/java
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cava
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
apk95%
cava 0.10.7-r0
Console-based Audio Visualizer
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo apk add cava- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cava
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
dnf95%
cava 0.10.2-7.fc44
Console-based Audio Visualizer for Alsa
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo dnf install cava- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cava
- 10 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
pacman95%
cava 0.10.7-1
Console-based Audio Visualizer with support for multiple backends
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo pacman -S cava- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- 11 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
zypper95%
cava 0.10.7-1.3
Console-based Audio Visualizer for Alsa
https://github.com/karlstav/cava
sudo zypper install cava- License: MIT
- Category: Productivity/Multimedia/Sound/Visualization
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cava
- 13 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
MacPorts95%
cava
sudo port install cava- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
winget95%
karlstav.cava
winget install --id karlstav.cava -e- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cava
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment