WillPower3309/swayfx
FreeSwayFX: Sway, but with eye candy!
FreeFree tier
About WillPower3309/swayfx
SwayFX is a fork of the Sway Wayland compositor that replaces the default wlr_renderer with a custom fx_renderer, enabling GLES2-based visual effects. It extends Sway's feature set to include blur, anti-aliased rounded corners for windows, borders, and titlebars, window shadows, dimming of unfocused windows, and treating the scratchpad as a minimize action for proper dock/taskbar integration. The project also offers NixOS support and is available as a package for Fedora via COPR or Terra. Configuration options allow fine-grained control over blur parameters, corner radius, shadow properties, and layer-shell effects for panels and notifications.
Key Features
Blur effects with configurable passes, radius, noise, brightness, contrast, and saturation
Anti-aliased rounded corners for windows, borders, and titlebars
Window shadows with adjustable blur radius, color, offset, and inactive color
Dimming of unfocused windows with configurable intensity and colors for unfocused and urgent states
Scratchpad treated as minimize for proper taskbar minimize/unminimize requests
LayerShell effects to apply blur, shadows, and corner radius to panels and notifications via `layer_effects`
NixOS repository support for easy contribution and testing
Available as a package for Fedora via COPR or Terra repository
Active community with Discord server
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free and open-source (MIT license)
- Based on stable and well-established Sway codebase
- Extensive visual customization options via configuration
- Active development and community support (Discord)
- Multiple installation methods: source, Fedora COPR/Terra, Nix
Cons
- May introduce performance overhead compared to vanilla Sway due to GPU effects
- Potential for instability or bugs not present in upstream Sway
- Requires hardware and drivers that support GLES2 rendering
- Limited to Wayland; no X11 support
Best For
Users who want a visually polished Wayland compositor based on SwayCustomizing desktop environments with aesthetic effects like blur and rounded cornersIntegrating with docks or panels that require minimize/unminimize support from the window managerNixOS users looking for an enhanced Sway experience with minimal setup
FAQ
What is the difference between Sway and SwayFX?
SwayFX is a fork of Sway that replaces the wlr_renderer with a custom fx_renderer, adding visual effects like blur, rounded corners, shadows, and dimming. Sway itself aims to be a drop-in replacement for i3 without these enhancements.
How can I install SwayFX on Fedora?
SwayFX is available in the Fedora COPR repository or the Terra repository. Instructions are provided in the INSTALL-deb.md file on GitHub.
Does SwayFX support NixOS?
Yes, the repository includes a flake.nix and flake.lock for NixOS users, making it easy to build and test SwayFX on NixOS.
How do I configure blur effects in SwayFX?
Blur is enabled via the 'blur' command with options like 'blur_passes', 'blur_radius', 'blur_noise', 'blur_brightness', 'blur_contrast', and 'blur_saturation'. See the README for details.