The SoAI product family consists of the Core application, the private SoAI OS appliance edition, the separate SoAI Connect Android client, and the SoAI Bench capability built into Core. SoAI Core and SoAI OS share the Core application, WebUI, plugins, and compatible APIs. They are different editions, not modes selected in Settings.
Products and distribution
| Product | Role | Distribution boundary |
|---|---|---|
| SoAI Core | Self-hosted orchestration application and WebUI for a host you administer. | Source-available release artifacts for supported Linux, Windows, and macOS (experimental) hosts. |
| SoAI OS | Dedicated appliance edition containing Core plus private host-management features. | Not yet available and not currently distributed. |
| SoAI Connect | Separate Android client that displays a reachable server's WebUI and adds mobile integration. | Separate repository, version, APK, signing identity, and release process. |
| SoAI Bench | Synthetic OpenCL GPU benchmark and stress capability inside SoAI. | Part of the running server, not a separate inference engine or downloadable edition. |
Choose SoAI Core when you manage the host yourself
Core is the application edition for Linux, Windows, and macOS use. Choose it when the application will share a workstation or server with services, users, network policies, storage, and update tooling you already administer. Core deliberately has no SoAI OS host-management routes, so it does not add appliance controls for disks, NetworkManager, Debian packages, or Linux accounts.
Start with the platform-specific layout and launcher described in Install SoAI Core. This is usually the right choice for a normal workstation, an existing server, or a managed virtual machine.
Use SoAI OS on a dedicated appliance
SoAI OS is not yet available and is not currently distributed. Purchases, licenses, and appliance media are not being issued. Contact info@soai.to to join the waitlist; joining does not grant a license or promise an availability date.
SoAI OS is the Debian 13 appliance edition for amd64 and arm64 computers. It is intended for a machine dedicated to SoAI and you want the SoAI WebUI to manage the appliance as well as the application. Authorized administrators can use Network and Storage from the System sidebar, and SSH and Drivers from Settings. The Updates page also includes Debian package updates, and Settings > Users includes host user mapping. Application updates use the WebUI flow described in Updating SoAI, but an appliance accepts only its edition-specific SoAI OS release payload.
These appliance-management controls require an Administrator account. Network, Storage,
SSH, Drivers, and the host-user section require
SoAI OS administration (HOST_MANAGEMENT_ADMIN).
Settings > Users also requires User administration (USER_ADMIN).
Updates requires Software updates (SOFTWARE_UPDATE), and its Debian package controls also require SoAI OS administration. Review the
security model for the privilege boundary, and see the
SoAI OS overview when operating an appliance deployment.
The edition is fixed by its artifact and launcher
Each edition uses its own installation artifact and launcher. An appliance starts through
./soai_os/soai_os.sh. Updates must match the installed edition; a payload for the other edition is rejected.
Treat a move between editions as a new installation. Back up the instance first, then use the Backup and Restore guidance to decide what should move to the target host. Do not point one edition's launcher at the other edition's installation directory.