Which device?
Obacht runs on three kinds of hardware. Pick the one you have, or the one that fits what you want to run. All three install the same apps from the same store; the differences are in setup and in a few things only the Pi and the Linux PC can do.
The three kinds
Apple-silicon MacMac mini, iMac, MacBook with M1 or newer
Raspberry Pi 4 or 5SD card or one command
Linux PCold laptop, desktop or mini PC| Apple-silicon Mac | Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 | Linux PC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Mac with an M-series chip, ideally one that stays on (Mac mini, iMac) | A Pi with Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit), Bookworm or newer | An old laptop, desktop or mini-PC (x86_64) running Ubuntu Server or Debian |
| How it is set up | Install the Obacht Mac app and sign in. | Flash an SD card, copy a few files onto it, boot. Or run one command on a Pi that is already running. | Run one command in a terminal on the PC. |
| Good for | Running apps on a machine you already own. AI apps that use the Mac's chip. | Always on and cheap to run. Camera and kiosk apps. | More power and disk than a Pi. |
| What it cannot do | No terminal, no file browser and no system services from the web dashboard. No kiosk or camera apps. Apps stop when the Mac sleeps or the app is paused. | 32-bit systems. Older Pi models (see below). | Nothing that the Pi can do. |
The Pi and the Linux PC are handled the same way once they are set up. The Mac is different because its apps run inside a small virtual machine managed by the Obacht app, and the app itself is where you pause, resume and change storage. See Mac with the Obacht app.
Untested
Pi Zero 2untested
Pi 3untestedA Raspberry Pi Zero 2 or Pi 3 may work, with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS. We have not tested them. They have little memory, so expect the store to offer fewer apps, and big ones to be out of reach.
Not supported
Intel Macno Apple-silicon chip
Phonesnot a device type- Any 32-bit operating system (armv7). The agent installs, but no app from the store will run.
- Intel Macs.
- Linux systems that are not based on
apt(Debian, Ubuntu Server or Raspberry Pi OS). Fedora, Arch and friends do not work. - Docker installed from Snap. The install command refuses it and tells you how to remove it.
- Smartphones, ESP32 and Pico boards.
Memory and disk
Plan on 2 GB of RAM as the floor. Many apps ask for more, and the store only shows you apps your device can run. Apps that need more memory or disk than your device has are listed with the reason ("Needs 4 GB RAM, this device has 2 GB").
Keep about 4 GB of disk free. The installer grows the root filesystem if it has to, and newer apps check free disk before they install.
Mac requirements
Mac mini (M1, M2)Mac mini (M4)
Mac Studio
iMac (M-series)
MacBookworks, but it has to stay onAn Apple-silicon Mac (M1 or newer). It needs macOS 26 Tahoe or newer. A Mac that stays on (Mac mini, Mac Studio, iMac) is the better fit than a laptop that travels. Want to see the whole path first? Example: a Mac with its own AI in three minutes.
Next
Pick your path: Mac with the Obacht app, Raspberry Pi with an SD card or Pi or Linux PC with one command. You need an account first: Create your account.