Installing Compton on CentOS
To integrate Compton with CentOS, start by installing the package. For older CentOS versions (7 or earlier), use yum; for newer versions (8 or later), use dnf. Update the system first to ensure compatibility:
sudo yum update -y && sudo yum install compton -y # CentOS 7 or earlier
sudo dnf update -y && sudo dnf install compton -y # CentOS 8 or later
This installs Compton and its dependencies, preparing it for integration with your desktop environment.
Configuring Compton for Integration
Compton’s behavior is controlled via a configuration file, typically located at ~/.config/compton.conf. If the file doesn’t exist, create it:
mkdir -p ~/.config && nano ~/.config/compton.conf
Key configurations for seamless integration include:
glx for OpenGL acceleration (recommended for performance) or xrender for basic compatibility. Add to the config:backend = "glx"
shadow = false) and transparency (opacity = false) to reduce GPU load (adjust if you need visual effects). Example:shadow = false
opacity = false
vsync = true) to prevent screen tearing and limit frame rate (frame_rate = 60) to balance smoothness and resource usage:vsync = true
frame_rate = 60
Save the file after making changes.
Starting Compton Manually
To test Compton without rebooting, run it with your configuration file:
compton -c ~/.config/compton.conf
This starts Compton in the foreground. To run it in the background (as a daemon), omit the -c flag or use:
compton --config ~/.config/compton.conf &
Press Ctrl+C to stop it.
Setting Up Compton as a System Service
For automatic startup on boot, create a systemd service file:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/compton.service
Add the following content (replace your-username with your actual username):
[Unit]
Description=Compton Window Composer
After=display-manager.service # Ensures Compton starts after the display manager
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/compton -c /home/your-username/.config/compton.conf
Restart=on-failure # Restarts Compton if it crashes
User=your-username
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target # Enables service for all users
Save the file, then enable and start the service:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable compton.service
sudo systemctl start compton.service
Check the service status to confirm it’s running:
sudo systemctl status compton.service
This ensures Compton launches automatically with your system.
Integrating with Desktop Environments
Compton works with most X11-based desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, i3). No additional steps are required for basic integration, but you may need to adjust environment-specific settings:
~/.xinitrc for i3 or ~/.config/xfce4/xinitrc for Xfce). Example for i3:exec --no-startup-id compton -c ~/.config/compton.conf
This ensures Compton starts alongside your desktop environment.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
mesa-libGL for OpenGL support).xrender backend. Use cpulimit to cap CPU usage (e.g., cpulimit -l 50 -p $(pgrep compton)).picom (a Compton fork with Wayland support).