Backends

Available backends

xrender

This backend uses the XRender extensions. It is slower (in some cases, much slower) than the glx backend, but supports more hardware, especially old ones.

glx

This backend uses GLX and OpenGL 3.3.

Choosing a backend

The backend used by picom can be specified on command line or in configuration file with the backend option.

Generally, it is recommended that you use the glx backend, unless your hardware doesn't support it.

Inconsistency

Using different backends can result in slightly different contents being presented on the screen. Here is a list of all the known inconsistencies:

• Color-inverted semi-transparent windows will be have slightly different color on xrender and glx backend.