xinit

Start X with the default window manager

$ xinit

$ xinit /usr/bin/[openbox]

$ xinit -- :1

$ xinit -- /usr/bin/Xorg :0

$ xinit -- -depth 24

xinit [client] [options] [--] [server] [display] [options]

xinit starts the X Window System server and an initial client program. It is typically used on systems without a display manager or when running multiple window systems.
Without arguments, xinit reads ~/.xinitrc to determine which clients to start, or uses a default (xterm). For the server, it checks ~/.xserverrc or uses the default X server.
Programs in .xinitrc should run in the background except the last one (usually a window manager), which keeps the session alive. When the foreground client exits, xinit kills the X server and terminates.

client

Client program to start (must begin with / or .)

Separator between client and server arguments

X server program to run (must begin with / or .)

Display number (:0, :1, etc.)

~/.xinitrc

Shell script for starting client programs; last program should run in foreground

Shell script for starting the X server

System-wide default client script

System-wide default server script

xinit is a low-level utility; startx provides a friendlier interface for typical use. Programs in .xinitrc must be backgrounded except the final window manager. Display managers like GDM or SDDM are preferred for production systems.

xinit has been part of X11 since the early X Window System releases. The X Window System was developed at MIT starting in 1984, with xinit providing the fundamental mechanism for starting X sessions without a display manager.

startx(1), Xorg(1), xdm(1), xterm(1)