Barrier is software that mimics the functionality of a KVM switch, which historically would allow you to use a single keyboard and mouse to control multiple computers by physically turning a dial on the box to switch the machine you’re controlling at any given moment.
Barrier does this in software, allowing you to tell it which machine to control by moving your mouse to the edge of the screen, or by using a keypress to switch focus to a different system.
Barrier needs to be installed on all machines that will share keyboard and mouse. And there’s no support for the Wayland compositor/display; the software only works with the X Window System (X11).
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/debauchee/barrier
Support:
Developer: Barrier developers
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Barrier is written in C and C++. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Software KVM Switches | |
|---|---|
| Deskflow | Cross-platform solution with Wayland, clipboard sharing and TLS encrpytion |
| Input Leap | Fork of Barrier, by Barrier’s active maintainer |
| Lan Mouse | GTK frontend and command-line interface |
| USBKVM | Keyboard, video, and mouse over USB; client app for the USBKVM hardware |
| Barrier | Only works under X11 (No Wayland support) |
| rkvm | Low overhead and doesn't need a display server |
| Perpetua | Share a keyboard and mouse across computers |
| Hydra | Flexible multi-monitor layouts and encrypted communication |
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No WayLand support. Last update 2021 Nov …
And?
We try to feature interesting software. It’s true that Barrier hasn’t seen any recent development, but that’s not, in itself, a reason to exclude it.
There’s always the possibility that development can restart — this happens so many times.
Of course, using software without recent development can be unwise such as with web browsers, AV, or if a program needs a really old toolkit which can be difficult to compile on modern distros.
I’ll update the article to make it clear it’s X11 only. Good point.