Compositing Window Managers

sway – tiling Wayland compositor and a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager

Sway is an i3-compatible tiling Wayland compositor and a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager for X11. It works with your existing i3 configuration and supports most of i3’s features, plus a few extras.

Sway allows you to arrange your application windows logically, rather than spatially. Windows are arranged into a grid by default which maximizes the efficiency of your screen and can be quickly manipulated using only the keyboard.

Sway is not an X11 window manager.

Sway is free and open source software.

Features include:

  • Input method editors (IME) are now supported via the input-method and text-input protocols.
  • Adaptive synchronization (also known as variable refresh rate, VRR) can be enabled
    to reduce stuttering in games.
  • Support for the wlr-foreign-toplevel-management protocol, allowing custom docks and window switchers.
  • Headless outputs can be created dynamically.
  • Support for VNC via wayvnc.
  • Configurable input latency controls.
  • Support for layer-shell popups with partial support for the MATE panel.
  • swaybar includes touch support – tapping to activate hotspots and dragging across to cycle through workspaces. swaybar also supports an “overlay” mode, which shows the bar on top of other windows and doesn’t process input events.

Website: swaywm.org
Support: GitHub Code Repository
Developer: Drew DeVault
License: MIT License

Sway is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

Return to Tiling Wayland Compositors | Return to Tiling Window Managers | Return to Compositing Window Managers | Return to Window Managers


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