river

Project Overview

River is a non-monolithic Wayland compositor. Unlike traditional compositors, River separates the compositor and window manager into two independent processes connected by the river-window-management-v1 protocol, allowing users to choose any compatible window manager.

Key Features

• Modular Design: Compositor and WM fully decoupled, hot-swappable
• Frame-Perfect Rendering: High-quality, efficient rendering
• Xwayland Support: Good compatibility with X11 applications
• Stable Protocol: river-window-management-v1 is stable and non-breaking
• Multiple WMs: Compatible with tinyrwm and other river WMs

Target Audience

• Linux users seeking a lightweight, modular Wayland desktop
• Advanced users who want to customize window management behavior
• Developers interested in Wayland protocol design

Quick Start

1. Install River: sudo apt install river (Debian/Ubuntu) or compile from source
2. Choose a compatible window manager (e.g., tinyrwm)
3. Start River in a Wayland session: river
4. Use default keybindings to switch windows and manage focus

Core Advantages

• No forced WM binding — choose your own
• Lightweight and stable core
• Well-designed protocol with comprehensive documentation
• Active community with multiple WM options

System Requirements

• OS: Linux (Wayland session)
• Architecture: x86_64, arm64
• Additional dependencies: None (optional WM installed separately)

Notes

• Requires a Wayland session environment
• Some WMs may need adaptation
• Legacy dynamic tiling version available at river-classic