About chjj/compton
Compton is a lightweight, standalone compositor for the X Window System. It was forked from Dana Jansens' fork of xcompmgr and refactored to add features such as an OpenGL backend, inactive window transparency and dimming, titlebar and frame transparency, menu transparency, colored shadows, a new fade system, VSync support (with caveats), blur of transparent window backgrounds, and window color inversion. It also provides a configuration file for customization and fixes several bugs from the original xcompmgr, including a segfault with certain window types and a memory leak. Compton aims to be stable and is actively developed as a learning experience in Xlib.
Key Features
OpenGL backend (--backend glx) in addition to the old X Render backend
Inactive window transparency (-i) and dimming (--inactive-dim)
Titlebar/frame transparency (-e)
Menu transparency (-m)
Colored shadows (--shadow-red, --shadow-green, --shadow-blue)
New fade system
VSync support (not always working)
Blur of background of transparent windows
Window color inversion (bad in performance)
Configuration file support (see man page)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight and standalone compositor with minimal dependencies
- Customizable via configuration file and command-line options
- Open source (free) and actively maintained
- Fixes known bugs from original xcompmgr (e.g., segfault, memory leak)
- Supports multiple backends (OpenGL, X Render)
- Provides visual effects like shadows, transparency, dimming, blur, and color inversion
Cons
- VSync does not work well (known issue)
- Blur and window color inversion have poor performance
- May cause screen flicker when --unredir-if-possible is enabled
- No official GUI; configuration requires editing text files
- Limited to X11; no Wayland support
Best For
Enhancing visual appearance of lightweight desktop environments on X11Adding window shadows, transparency, and fade effects to window managersReducing screen tearing with VSync supportConfiguring compositing behavior for individual window types (inactive, menus, etc.)Blurring backgrounds behind transparent windows for aesthetic effect
FAQ
What is Compton?
Compton is a compositor for the X Window System, forked from Dana Jansens' fork of xcompmgr. It adds features like OpenGL backend, window transparency/dimming, colored shadows, fade system, and VSync support.
What dependencies are needed to build Compton?
Key build-time and runtime dependencies include libx11, libxcomposite, libxdamage, libxfixes, libXext, libxrender, libXrandr, libXinerama, pkg-config, make, xproto, libpcre, libconfig, libdrm, libGL, libdbus, and asciidoc for documentation.
Does VSync work reliably in Compton?
No, VSync does not work too well. Users may refer to the VSync Guide for potentially better effects.
How do I build and install Compton?
Run 'make' to build the main program, 'make docs' for man pages, and 'make install' to install. A CMakeLists.txt is also available but not yet the primary build system.
What are the known issues with Compton?
Key known issues include poor VSync performance, performance problems with blur and color inversion, and possible screen flicker when --unredir-if-possible is enabled.