Try it safely

It's sensible to be careful about installing software that needs elevated rights. Here are ways to try DataSabi in steps, starting with the one that asks for the least trust.

Try only the open-source part first

The background service, datasabi-collector, is the only part that runs with elevated rights, and it's fully open source. It also works on its own: the dsctl command shows the same usage numbers as the app, in your terminal. So you can install only the open-source part, check it, and add the app later.

1. Install only the service

Download datasabi-collector_*_amd64.deb (or the .rpm on Fedora) from the download page. Before installing, you can check what it contains. Then:

$ sudo apt install ./datasabi-collector_*_amd64.deb

On Fedora:

$ sudo dnf install ./datasabi-collector-*.x86_64.rpm

2. Use it from the terminal

You don't need to log out first. sg datasabi runs a command with your new group membership:

$ sg datasabi -c "dsctl ping"
$ sg datasabi -c "dsctl summary today"
$ sg datasabi -c "dsctl live"
$ sg datasabi -c "dsctl networks"

After you next log out and back in, plain dsctl summary today works too. See dsctl command line for all the commands, including alerts.

3. Add the app when you're ready

$ sudo apt install ./DataSabi_*_amd64.deb

It uses the service you already have, so your history is kept.

Build the service yourself

If you'd rather not run a package we built, build it from the public source. You need Rust 1.82 or newer (rustup.rs) and libpcap:

$ sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config libpcap-dev
$ cargo install cargo-deb --locked
$ git clone --branch v0.1.6 https://github.com/arkodeontech/datasabi-collector
$ cd datasabi-collector
$ cargo build --release --locked
$ cargo deb -p datasabi-collector --no-build
$ sudo apt install ./target/debian/datasabi-collector_*_amd64.deb

The build takes a few minutes and downloads the Rust libraries it needs. The package it makes contains the same files as the one on the download page. Use the tag of the version you want instead of v0.1.6.

Use a live USB on the same laptop

Boot your laptop from an Ubuntu live USB and install DataSabi there. Nothing touches your installed system, and everything is gone when you restart.

Because it runs on the same laptop, it can still give a fair comparison with your MiFi or hotspot balance: connect only this laptop, use it for a while, and compare the two totals for that time. In a live session, the dsctl steps above are the simplest option, because they don't need a log out. We haven't tested the desktop app in a live session yet.

Use a virtual machine

A virtual machine (VirtualBox, GNOME Boxes, virt-manager) is a good way to see that DataSabi installs and uninstalls cleanly. It only sees the virtual machine's own traffic, though, not the rest of your laptop, so it can't be compared with your MiFi or hotspot balance.

Why not Docker or Flatpak?

To tell apps apart, the service has to see every packet on your real network interfaces and look inside /proc to find which process owns each connection, including processes that belong to other users.

• Docker: a container could only do this with the host's network, the host's process list and the same four capabilities. It would have the same access as the package, just harder to see, so it isn't safer.
• Flatpak: Flatpak apps can't hold capabilities and can't see other apps' processes, by design. The desktop app could be a Flatpak one day, but the service would still have to be installed on the system.

Next steps

• What gets installed
• Uninstalling
• Privacy

Issue with this page? Email isaac@arkodeon.com