$ Linux Command

System

xinit

Initialize an X session and start a client.

x11xserverstartxdisplaysession

Additional Notes

xinit is the low-level tool used to start the X Window System server and an initial client application (typically a window manager or desktop environment). It is the underlying mechanism behind startx, which is a convenience script that sets up the environment and calls xinit.

When run without arguments, xinit looks for ~/.xinitrc in the user's home directory. If found, that script is executed as the client program. Otherwise, it defaults to xterm. The X server runs on the next available display number (:0, :1, etc.).

Syntax

xinit [client] [options] [-- [server] [display] [server_options]]

Parameters

  • client: The command to run as the X client (default: ~/.xinitrc then xterm).
  • --: Separator between client and server arguments.
  • server: The X server to start (default: X or Xorg).

Common Options

  • -display: Specify the display connection for the client.
  • -dpi DPI: Set the display resolution in dots per inch.

Examples

xinit

Start X with whatever is in ~/.xinitrc, or a plain xterm.

xinit /usr/bin/i3

Start X with the i3 window manager.

xinit /usr/bin/awesome -- :1

Start X display :1 with the Awesome window manager.

xinit -- /usr/bin/Xorg -dpi 96

Start just the X server with a custom DPI (no client).

Practical Notes

  • Most users should use startx or a display manager (GDM, SDDM, LightDM) instead of xinit directly.
  • The ~/.xinitrc file is a shell script that sets environment variables and launches the window manager or desktop environment.
  • If the client exits, the X server exits too (unless the -e server flag prevents it).
  • The -- separator is critical when specifying server options.
  • For debugging X server issues, Xorg -configure can generate a basic configuration.