Installing Cenaly apps on Ubuntu
Business workstations often run Linux: the till at the counter, the screen in the kitchen or in the order assembly area, an operator's PC with a headset. For them Cenaly has native programs for Ubuntu — the same account, the same locations and data as in the dashboard and the Android apps. They fit any business: a café or restaurant, a shop, a salon, a hotel, a pickup point.
What you need#
| What | Requirement |
|---|---|
| System | Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 LTS (the GNOME desktop, as well as Kubuntu, Xubuntu and other flavours on the same base) |
| Processor | amd64 — ordinary PCs and laptops with Intel and AMD; arm64 — ARM computers |
| Rights | the administrator password (sudo) — to install the package |
| Account | sign in with the same email and password as in the Cenaly dashboard (the owner or a staff member with access to the section) |
| Network | internet for sign-in and work (the data lives in the Cenaly cloud) |
To find your PC's architecture, open "Terminal" and run dpkg --print-architecture — the answer is amd64 or arm64.
Which apps are available#
| App | Package | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Cenaly Phone | cenaly-phone |
operator, administrator, front desk: calls through the business PBX, queue, transfer, history |
| Cenaly KDS | cenaly-kds |
kitchen, bar, order assembly and handover: tickets by station, timers, "Ready" and "Handed over" |
| Cenaly POS | cenaly-pos |
the till: sale, payment, receipt, refund; hardware — through the bridge |
| Cenaly Hardware Bridge | cenaly-bridge |
a background service: receipt and kitchen printers, fiscal registers, scales, scanners, cash drawer |
The programs do not depend on each other: install only the ones you need. A till with a printer or a fiscal register also needs the bridge — on the same PC or on another PC of the location.
Step 1. Download the package#
- Open the app page on the website — for example, "Cenaly KDS" in the "Apps" section.
- In the Ubuntu block press the button for your architecture: .deb · amd64 or .deb · arm64. If the browser reports the architecture, the right button comes first.
- A file like
cenaly-kds_1.0.0_amd64.debis saved to the "Downloads" folder.
The button always leads to the latest released version.
Step 2. Install#
By double-click. Open "Downloads" and double-click the .deb file — App Center opens (in 22.04 — "Ubuntu Software"). Press "Install" and enter the administrator password.
With a command. In "Terminal", in the folder with the file:
cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./cenaly-kds_*_amd64.deb
apt brings the required system libraries itself. The dot and slash ./ are required — without them apt looks for the package on the internet instead of the file in the folder.
Installing from the terminal#
For servers, kiosks and remote installation over SSH there is a one-liner: it adds the Cenaly repository (the signing key is checked by its fingerprint) and installs the app through apt.
| Account on | Command |
|---|---|
| cenaly.com and other brand domains | curl -fsSL https://cdn.cenaly.com/linux/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- kds |
| cenaly.ru | curl -fsSL https://cdn.cenaly.ru/linux/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- kds |
Instead of kds — phone, pos or bridge; several separated by spaces also work: … -- kds pos. The app page shows the ready command for your brand with a "Copy" button.
Step 3. First launch and sign-in#
- Open the Ubuntu app menu and find Cenaly KDS (Phone, POS).
- Sign in with the email and password of your Cenaly account or with a device code — just like in the Android app.
- Choose the location. From then on the app remembers the sign-in: the session is kept in the system keyring (GNOME Keyring), not in a plain file.
Phone, KDS and POS live in the tray and start when you log in — so the kitchen screen does not miss an order and the phone does not miss a call. Autostart is switched off in the tray icon menu.
Updates#
On installation the package adds the Cenaly repository of its brand (/etc/apt/sources.list.d/cenaly.sources, signed with the Cenaly key). New versions arrive with the regular Ubuntu updates — in "Software Updater" or with the command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
There is no need to download the file from the website again. If your policy forbids third-party repositories, create the file /etc/default/cenaly with the line CENALY_APT_REPO=off before installing — then you update by hand with a new .deb from the website.
Removal#
sudo apt remove cenaly-kds # remove the program, keep the system settings
sudo apt purge cenaly-kds # remove together with the system settings
Purging the last Cenaly package on the PC also removes the repository and the key. The app's personal data (cache, the chosen location) is in the home folder — ~/.local/share/cenaly/<app>; delete it if you hand the PC over to someone else. The one-liner does the same: curl -fsSL https://cdn.cenaly.com/linux/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- remove kds.
Snap Store#
Snap versions of all four programs are being prepared for the Snap Store. When they appear, the app page gets a Snap Store button, and installation is sudo snap install cenaly-kds. For a till with a fiscal register or scales on USB-COM take the .deb: by Ubuntu rules a snap does not see COM ports.
The Hardware Bridge on Ubuntu#
Cenaly Hardware Bridge on Ubuntu is a system service: it starts when the PC boots and restarts itself. After installing the cenaly-bridge package open the status page http://127.0.0.1:9100 (the "Cenaly Hardware Bridge" shortcut in the menu) and link the bridge to the location — details in the article Cenaly Hardware Bridge. If the bridge was already installed with the earlier one-liner from the "Hardware" page, the package picks up its settings and link — there stays one service.
Limitations#
- Linux has no push notifications like a phone: new orders and calls reach only a running app. That is why the programs live in the tray and start at login — do not quit them via "Exit" if you are waiting for calls or orders.
- Cenaly Phone: the PBX setup wizard, settings and team open in the browser (the dashboard), not inside the program. Headset media keys work, but the hook button (HID telephony) is not supported yet — answer with the button in the window or in the notification.
- Cenaly POS does not talk to hardware itself — only through the bridge. The PC camera as a barcode scanner is not supported; a USB scanner works as a keyboard.
- Windows run on X11; in a Wayland session — through XWayland, which Ubuntu enables by default.
Troubleshooting#
| Symptom | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No tray icon | the desktop has no icon area (AppIndicator) | Ubuntu enables the extension by default; if it was turned off — gnome-extensions enable ubuntu-appindicators@ubuntu.com and log in again. Without a tray "close" minimises the window to the taskbar — calls and orders are not lost |
| The window does not open in a Wayland session | XWayland is missing | sudo apt install xwayland and log in again |
| No call sound or microphone (Phone), the new-order chime is silent (KDS) | the sound goes to another PipeWire device | "Settings" → "Sound": choose the headset for output and input; check with wpctl status |
| Phone: "Chromium sandbox unavailable" | on 24.04+ the package's AppArmor profile is not loaded | sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/cenaly-phone or sudo apt install --reinstall cenaly-phone. Do not run it with --no-sandbox |
apt update: NO_PUBKEY or "not signed" |
the repository key was removed | the one-liner with --repo-only: curl -fsSL https://cdn.cenaly.com/linux/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --repo-only |
Unable to locate package cenaly-kds |
the repository is not added | the same --repo-only, then sudo apt update |
A double-click on the .deb opens an archive manager |
the file is not associated with App Center | right-click → "Open With" → App Center, or sudo apt install ./file.deb |
FAQ#
How is the Ubuntu package different from the Android app?#
It is the same program in screens and actions, but for a PC: mouse and keyboard, a touch screen for the till and the kitchen, the tray, desktop notifications. The account, locations and data are shared.
Will Linux Mint, Debian or Pop!_OS do?#
We test installation on Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 LTS. Systems on the same base (Linux Mint 21–22, Pop!_OS 22.04–24.04) usually install the package the same way, but we do not test them.
Is internet needed for installation?#
For sudo apt install ./file.deb — yes, apt downloads system libraries if they are missing. The program package itself is complete; no separate .NET installation is needed.
How do I install on many PCs at once?#
With the one-liner over SSH or with your own management system (Ansible and so on): apt install cenaly-kds after adding the repository (--repo-only).
Related articles#
- Mobile apps — the Android versions of the same programs
- Cenaly Hardware Bridge — the hardware bridge
- Hardware: what connects
- Kitchen (KDS) · Point of sale (POS) · Telephony: your own PBX