Wayland and Xorg are display server protocols in Linux-based operating systems, responsible for drawing user interfaces onto the screen (such as application windows, mouse cursors, images, etc.).
Is a traditional display system that has been around for a long time (around the 1980s).
Operates on a client-server model:
"Server" is Xorg, responsible for drawing everything onto the screen.
"Clients" are applications that send requests to Xorg to display content.
Allows a lot of flexibility such as remote desktop, supports middleware such as compositors (eg: Compiz, KWin, Mutter…).
However, due to its outdated design, it:
Poor security (applications can “see” other applications).
Lower performance, especially when using modern graphics effects.
Is a newer, more modern protocol, intended to replace Xorg.
Designed to be simpler and more secure, improving performance and reducing latency.
There is no intermediate "display server", applications communicate directly with compositors (like Weston, KWin, Mutter, Sway…).
Applications cannot “see” or record the content of other applications (higher security).
Limitations:
Not fully compatible with all older applications written for X11.
Some features such as screen sharing, Wacom/tablet support, or multi-GPU support are still being worked on depending on the DE.
| Criteria | Xorg | Wayland |
|---|---|---|
| App Compatibility | Very High | In Progress |
| Performance & Latency | Lower | Better |
| Security | Weaker | Stronger |
| Screen Sharing Support | Full | May be missing depending on version |
| Older Software Support | Good | Needs Compatibility Layer (XWayland) |
💡 Example: Ubuntu defaults to Wayland, but allows re-selecting Xorg when logging in. DEs like GNOME and KDE Plasma have supported Wayland quite well, while XFCE, LXQt... are still gradually converting.