JACK Audio Connection Kit (or JACK) is a professional sound server API and
pair of daemon implementations to provide real-time, low-latency connections
for both audio and MIDI data between applications.
Jackd is the JACK audio server daemon that allows JACK client programs to process
and route audio and MIDI data in a synchronous, sample-accurate and low-latency manner.
Originally written for the GNU/Linux operating system, it also runs on various Unix
platforms, Mac OS X and MS Windows.
JACK can connect a number of different client applications to an audio device and also
to each other. Most clients are external, running in their own processes as normal applications.
JACK also supports internal clients, which run within the jackd process using a loadable
"plugin" interface.
JACK differs from other audio servers in being designed from the ground up for professional
audio work. It focuses on two key areas: synchronous execution of all clients, and low
latency operation.
