Cabana is a Qt-based graphical tool for viewing, analyzing, and reverse-engineering raw CAN bus data. It supports creating and editing DBC (Database CAN) files, plotting signals over time, and optional synchronized video playback.
Cabana was originally developed by the repository author for the openpilot, and is now maintained as a standalone, general-purpose CAN analysis tool.
It supports multiple CAN data sources, including:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Openpilot route | Replay a recorded openpilot drive (local or via comma connect) |
| Vector ASC log | .asc files from CANalyzer, CANoe, or any compatible logger |
| candump log | .log files recorded with candump -l (SocketCAN) |
| PEAK TRC log | .trc files from PEAK PCAN-View / PCAN-Explorer (v1.x and v2.x) |
| SocketCAN | Live capture from a SocketCAN interface (e.g. can0) |
| comma.ai Panda | Live capture from a USB-connected Panda device |
| ZMQ / Msgq | Live streaming from a comma device over the network |
No openpilot installation is required. Cabana is suitable for automotive diagnostics, CAN reverse-engineering, research, and any project involving CAN networks.
Before running or compiling openpilot-cabana, install these dependencies.
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y g++ clang capnproto libcurl4-openssl-dev libzmq3-dev libssl-dev libbz2-dev libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-dev libavdevice-dev libavfilter-dev libffi-dev libgles2-mesa-dev libglfw3-dev libglib2.0-0 libjpeg-dev libncurses5-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev libzstd-dev libcapnp-dev libx11-dev libxcb1-dev libxcb-xinerama0-dev libxcb-cursor-dev opencl-headers ocl-icd-libopencl1 ocl-icd-opencl-dev qt6-base-dev qt6-tools-dev qt6-tools-dev-tools libqt6charts6-dev libqt6svg6-dev libqt6serialbus6-dev libqt6opengl6-dev
git clone https://github.com/deanlee/openpilot-cabana.git
cd openpilot-cabana
git submodule update --init --recursivepython3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install --no-cache-dir scons numpy "cython>=3.0" setuptools pycapnpsconsYou can also download a precompiled binary from the Releases page:
# Make executable
chmod +x cabana-linux-x86_64
# Run the demo route
./cabana-linux-x86_64 --demo$ ./cabana -h
Usage: ./cabana [options] route
Options:
-h, --help Displays help on commandline options.
--help-all Displays help including Qt specific options.
--demo use a demo route instead of providing your own
--auto Auto load the route from the best available source (no video):
internal, openpilotci, comma_api, car_segments, testing_closet
--qcam load qcamera
--ecam load wide road camera
--msgq read can messages from msgq
--panda read can messages from panda
--panda-serial <panda-serial> read can messages from panda with given serial
--socketcan <socketcan> read can messages from given SocketCAN device
--zmq <ip-address> read can messages from zmq at the specified ip-address
messages
--data_dir <data_dir> local directory with routes
--no-vipc do not output video
--dbc <dbc> dbc file to open
Arguments:
route the drive to replay. find your drives at
connect.comma.aiTo run Cabana using a built-in demo route, use the following command:
cabana --demoTo load a specific route for replay, provide the route as an argument:
cabana "a2a0ccea32023010|2023-07-27--13-01-19"Replace "0ccea32023010|2023-07-27--13-01-19" with your desired route identifier.
To run Cabana with multiple cameras, use the following command:
cabana "a2a0ccea32023010|2023-07-27--13-01-19" --dcam --ecamSSH into your device and start the bridge with the following command:
cd /data/openpilot/cereal/messaging/
./bridge &Then Run Cabana with the device's IP address:
cabana --zmq <ipaddress>Replace <ipaddress> with your comma device's IP address.
While streaming from the device, Cabana will log the CAN messages to a local directory. By default, this directory is ~/cabana_live_stream/. You can change the log directory in Cabana by navigating to menu -> tools -> settings.
After disconnecting from the device, you can replay the logged CAN messages from the stream selector dialog -> browse local route.
To read CAN messages from a connected Panda, use the following command:
cabana --pandaCabana can open CAN logs recorded in the Vector ASC format (produced by CANalyzer, CANoe, PEAK, and many other tools).
Launch Cabana without arguments and select the ASC Log tab in the stream selector, or open multiple files to stitch split logs together automatically:
cabanaSegmented recordings (where a logger restarts timestamps at each file boundary) are stitched seamlessly into a single continuous timeline.
Cabana supports logs captured with the Linux candump utility using the -l (log) flag:
# Record on the device
candump -l can0
# produces: candump-2026-03-08_120000.logSelect the candump tab in the stream selector and browse for one or more .log files. Multiple files are merged and sorted by timestamp automatically — useful when a long capture is split across several segments.
Each unique CAN interface name in the file (e.g. can0, can1) is mapped to a separate bus channel.
Cabana supports CAN logs recorded with PEAK hardware tools such as PCAN-View and PCAN-Explorer.
Both format versions are supported:
- v1.x — timestamps are millisecond offsets from log start, single channel
- v2.x — timestamps are
hh:mm:ss.ssswall-clock, with an optional per-frame channel column
Select the TRC tab in the stream selector and browse for one or more .trc files. Multiple files are stitched automatically, and the channel number (1-based in the file) is mapped to a 0-based bus index in Cabana.
If you run Cabana without any arguments, a stream selector dialog will pop up, allowing you to choose the data source.
cabanaCabana performs real-time statistical analysis on every byte to help you identify data patterns at a glance.
| Color | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🟩 Green | Increasing | Detected when a byte value is steadily climbing (e.g., a counter). |
| 🟥 Red | Decreasing | Detected when a byte value is steadily dropping. |
| 🟧 Amber | Toggle | Identifies bits flipping back and forth between states (e.g., flags). |
| 🟪 Purple | Noisy | High-entropy data with no discernible trend (e.g., CRC/Encryption). |
| ⬜ Grey | Static | Indicates data is currently inactive or hasn't changed recently. |