Backends

Kanvas separates backend implementation from higher-level Kotlin/Compose rendering integration.

Backend	Platform	Status	Notes
Metal	macOS	Present	Primary macOS path
Vulkan	Linux	Present	Primary Linux path
Vulkan	Windows	Present	Primary Windows GPU candidate
Direct3D 9	Windows	Present	Legacy Windows GPU backend
OpenGL	Windows	Present	Alternative Windows GPU path
GDI	Windows	Reference	CPU/software reference, not GPU acceleration

What “Present” means

A backend marked Present has an implementation in Kanvas. It does not mean every GPU vendor, driver, resize/device-loss path, or Compose operation has been broadly certified.

Automatic selection

backend = "auto" currently means:

• macOS: Metal
• Linux: Vulkan
• Windows: Vulkan → Direct3D 9 → OpenGL

GDI is not a GPU fallback

GDI exists as a Windows software/reference path. Kanvas does not describe it as GPU acceleration and does not silently treat software rendering as equivalent to a successful GPU takeover.

Linux

Attached rendering currently targets X11/XWayland.

Native Wayland is not implemented yet

A Wayland desktop running an XWayland-compatible application path can work through the current Linux attachment model. Native Wayland attachment remains future work.

Verification status

Use Compatibility for the currently investigated Compose/Skiko lines and Technical Backend Architecture for implementation details.