compton

compton [OPTIONS]
compton --config FILE

-b
    Daemonize compton, running it in the background.

-c
    Enable client-side shadows on windows.

-f
    Enable fading effects for windows (e.g., on open/close, focus changes).

-D DELAY
    Specify the fading steps or duration for fade effects.

--config FILE
    Specify an alternative configuration file to use. Default is often ~/.config/compton.conf or ~/.config/picom.conf.

--backend BACKEND
    Choose the compositing backend: glx (hardware accelerated) or xrender (software rendering).

--vsync
    Enable VSync to prevent screen tearing, with various modes available (e.g., drm, opengl, none).

--shadow-exclude 'EXPRESSION'
    Define rules to exclude specific windows from having shadows based on their properties.

--opacity-rule 'EXPRESSION'
    Apply custom opacity rules to windows based on their properties (e.g., make certain windows transparent).

--inactive-dim FACTOR
    Dim inactive windows by a specified factor.

--log-level LEVEL
    Set the logging verbosity (e.g., error, warn, info, debug).

--version
    Display the compton version information.

--help
    Show a summary of command-line options.

compton is a standalone composite manager for the X Window System, designed to provide various visual effects such as shadows, transparency, fading, and blur for windows and the desktop.

It is commonly used with lightweight window managers (like Openbox, i3, Awesome) that do not include built-in compositing capabilities, allowing users to achieve a modern and aesthetically pleasing desktop appearance without the overhead of a full desktop environment. While compton itself is relatively lightweight and efficient, it's important to note that its development has largely ceased, with picom being its actively maintained successor. compton aimed to provide smooth animations and visual enhancements, significantly improving the aesthetic appeal and user experience of X-based desktops.

compton is largely considered a deprecated project. Its development has ceased, and it has been effectively succeeded by picom.

Many Linux distributions now either ship picom under the compton name or have replaced compton with picom entirely in their repositories. Users are strongly encouraged to use picom for better performance, more features, and ongoing maintenance.

While compton accepts command-line arguments, its full power and flexibility are unleashed through a configuration file, typically located at ~/.config/compton.conf (or ~/.config/picom.conf for its successor). These files allow for intricate customization of shadow properties, fading behavior, opacity rules for specific windows, and more. Command-line options can override settings defined in the configuration file.

compton supports different compositing backends. The primary ones are xrender (software rendering, widely compatible but can be slower) and glx (hardware-accelerated rendering using OpenGL, generally preferred for smoother performance and lower CPU usage if your graphics driver supports it). Users can choose the backend based on their system's capabilities and performance needs.

compton originated as a fork of xcompmgr-dana, which itself was an improved version of the original xcompmgr. It was created to provide more features, better performance, and enhanced stability for X composite management.

For several years, compton was a popular choice for users of lightweight window managers seeking modern visual effects. However, its development eventually slowed down and stopped. This led to the creation of picom, a direct and actively maintained successor that continues compton's lineage, incorporating new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements, effectively rendering compton obsolete in terms of active development and community support.

picom(1), xcompmgr(1), xprop(1), xrandr(1)