Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

i3 VS Digger

Compare i3 VS Digger and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

i3 logo i3

A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

Digger logo Digger

Build on AWS without having to learn it, no-code DevOps
  • i3 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19
  • Digger Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14

i3 features and specs

  • Efficient Window Management
    i3 allows for highly efficient window management using a tree data structure, making it easy to snap windows into grids and manage multiple applications simultaneously.
  • Lightweight
    i3 is deliberately simplistic and lightweight, which allows it to run efficiently on older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Customizability
    Users can extensively customize keybindings and behavior through a plain text configuration file. This allows for a personalized workflow.
  • Keyboard-Centric
    i3 is designed to be used primarily through keyboard shortcuts, which can lead to increased productivity for advanced users.
  • Scriptability
    i3 supports various scripting languages through its IPC (Inter-process Communication) interface, enabling automation of complex workflows.
  • Community and Documentation
    i3 has strong community support and extensive documentation, making it easier for new users to learn and troubleshoot issues.

Possible disadvantages of i3

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find i3 difficult to learn and configure, especially if they are accustomed to traditional desktop environments.
  • Lack of GUI Configuration Tools
    i3 relies heavily on manual edits to text files for configuration, lacking user-friendly graphical interfaces for setup and customization.
  • Limited Out-of-the-Box Features
    i3 does not come with many built-in features available in more comprehensive desktop environments, such as app launchers or system tray support, requiring additional setups.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some applications may not play well with tiling window managers like i3, requiring workarounds or alternative software choices.
  • Minimal Default Appearance
    Without customization, i3 offers a very minimalistic and barebones visual experience, which may not be appealing to all users.

Digger features and specs

  • Infrastructure as Code
    Digger provides the ability to define infrastructure using code, which allows for versioning, automated testing, and consistency in deployment.
  • Scalability
    With Digger, you can easily scale your infrastructure up or down based on your needs, which helps in efficient resource management.
  • Automation
    Digger enables automation of infrastructure deployment, reducing manual intervention and the possibility of human errors.
  • Cross-Cloud Compatibility
    The tool supports multiple cloud providers, making it easier to manage a multi-cloud environment.
  • Community Support
    Active community support can provide quick resolutions to common issues and facilitate sharing of best practices.

Possible disadvantages of Digger

  • Learning Curve
    New users may find it challenging to learn and effectively use Digger unless they have prior experience with Infrastructure as Code paradigms.
  • Potential Complexity
    For smaller projects, using a comprehensive tool like Digger might add unnecessary complexity.
  • Dependence on Cloud Providers
    Although Digger supports multiple cloud providers, users are still dependent on their API availability and potential downtime.
  • Resource Costs
    Automating infrastructure can sometimes lead to unintentional over-provisioning, resulting in higher cloud costs.
  • Security Concerns
    Infrastructure as Code tools need appropriate security measures to ensure that sensitive information is not exposed.

Analysis of i3

Overall verdict

  • Yes, i3 is considered a very good window manager for users who appreciate its minimalist and efficient approach. Its lightweight design keeps resource usage low, which can improve performance on less powerful machines.

Why this product is good

  • i3wm is known for its simplicity, speed, and efficient use of screen space, making it a popular choice among power users and developers who prefer a keyboard-driven workspace. Its tiling feature allows for the seamless organization of multiple windows, enhancing productivity and multitasking. Furthermore, it is highly customizable, allowing users to tailor their workspace to their specific needs.

Recommended for

    i3wm is recommended for advanced users, developers, and anyone who prefers a keyboard-centric interface. It is ideal for users who like to customize their environment extensively and are comfortable with configuring software via text files. New users with a willingness to learn may also find it rewarding.

Analysis of Digger

Overall verdict

  • Digger is considered good for teams and organizations looking to streamline their infrastructure management while leveraging Terraform's capabilities. It offers automation and collaboration features that enhance workflow efficiency and help teams scale operations effectively.

Why this product is good

  • Digger (digger.dev) is a cloud infrastructure tool designed to make managing infrastructure as code easier, particularly for those who use Terraform. It integrates with GitHub CI/CD workflows and provides a collaborative environment, which is beneficial for development teams. Digger aims to simplify the deployment process, reduce complexity, and improve efficiency.

Recommended for

  • Development teams using Terraform
  • Organizations seeking to integrate cloud infrastructure management with CI/CD pipelines
  • Teams looking for a collaborative environment to manage infrastructure as code
  • Businesses aiming to simplify and automate deployment workflows

i3 videos

30k Miles with the BMW i3 - End of Lease Review

More videos:

  • Review - 2016 BMW i3 - Review and Road Test
  • Review - 2018 BMW i3s Range Extender (REx) Review - The Future Of Cars?
  • Demo - Gaming With Intel's Core i3 9100F - The First Turbo Boosted Desktop i3
  • Review - The best EV for the money? Used BMW i3 Review

Digger videos

Game Review - Digger 1983 (Full)

More videos:

  • Review - Classic Game Room HD - DIGGER for Playstation 3 review
  • Review - Bobcat E19 Mini Digger Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to i3 and Digger)
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
50 50%
50% 50

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare i3 and Digger

i3 Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Sway is a tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that dynamically arranges app windows to rationally maximise desktop space. It is free, open-source, and lightweight. By default, it arranges windows in a grid and supports practically all of the i3 commands.
Source: www.hubtech.org
Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
i3-wm is one of my most loved standalone window managers, qualifying it to easily fit under the desktop environment list! The configuration is just very easy, and you can change everything that you see on screen. This includes what information you see on the bottom panel, how windows behave, and keyboard shortcuts to move, align, and set up windows on the screen.
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
Sway is a free, open-source, and lightweight tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that automatically arranges app windows to logically maximize desktop space. It arranges windows into a grid by default and supports almost all the commands included in i3.
Source: www.tecmint.com
5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux
I begun testing i3 just this week. I was always fascinated by the Tiling WMโ€™s as they seem really light on system resources and functional. To my surprise , although i3 is really easy to customize, and works really well (at least for my needs) , I found that it isnโ€™t really that lightweight. I had Mate desktop environment use the same amount of RAM. Maybe I was mislead to...

Digger Reviews

We have no reviews of Digger yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, i3 should be more popular than Digger. It has been mentiond 92 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

i3 mentions (92)

  • Why I traded my custom "Opinionated Linux" for Omarchy
    I've been using Omarchy as my main setup since June 26, 2025, the day DHH released the first version. Before that I had my own custom Opinionated Linux, mclovin-ARCHived: an Arch + i3wm installer set up exactly the way I liked. It was total control over the OS: me deciding what goes in, keeping every piece (i3wm, polybar, picom, kitty, dotfiles) up to date and making sure they all talked to each other for the... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Omarcacca
    Then few years back, in 2015, I got shown i3wm and used it on my ubuntu-netinstall until 2020, then I switched to Budgie and my personal laptop has been using that ever since. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Automatic Visual Feedback for System Volume Change in I3wm via Dunst
    I switched to the i3 tiling based window manager. Because it's a whole different environment and thinking, it was very different from what I was used to. The volume buttons were working on my keyboard, but I didn't get any visual feedback. Furthermore, the volume percentage could go down below zero and increase up to more than hundread percent. There were times when I was confused why the keys stopped working, but... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • "We understand" ;)
    This is partially why I use tools like i3 (/ sway). I like the tool; it works extremely well for me; the design has stayed the same for 20 years; there's no profit motive to come along and fuck everything up. It just works. It is boring in the best way possible. Source: over 2 years ago
  • what machines have you used for development, and what do you prefer?
    I use MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid-2014) with Manjaro as OS using i3 as a window manager. It isn't perfect, but I'm thrilled with it. I have been a Mac OS user for the last 15 years and wouldn't change what I have now for a Mac OS because I don't need more than what I'm using for development. Source: about 3 years ago
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Digger mentions (13)

  • Show HN: Tf-dialect: Teach AI agents your org's Terraform standards via MCP
    Hey HN - I am working on a terraform automation tool [1] and have been observing that a lot of our users are now using coding agents in their workflows, even for infra tasks. Obviously, this means a lot of terraform is being generated by coding agents, and while this is great for greenfield setups, most teams already have conventions in place. My colleague was speaking to a friend earlier today, who mentioned that... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • OpenTofu 1.7.0 is out with State Encryption, Dynamic Provider-defined Functions
    None of these are a replacement of Terraform Cloud (recently rebranded to HCP Terraform). For example, when you create a PR, it could affect multiple workspaces. The new experimental version of TFC/TFE (I refuse to call it HCP!) implements Stacks, which is something like a workflow, and links one workspace output to other workspace inputs. None of the open-source solutions, including the paid Digger [0], support... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Call for a new public facing โ€œvalidation metricโ€ for Commercial OSS startups
    I'm part of the founding team at Digger, an Open Source Terraform Enterprise alternative. For the past few days, I have been wanting to talk about why the usual metrics in Commercial Open Source just don't cut it anymore. Source: about 3 years ago
  • publish terraform file to build artifacts in CI?
    Depending on the organisation, it is not always a good idea to make assumptions on what another team will be doing to use your module. Don't get me wrong, there are attempts at making cross-platform workflows like digger.dev, or RedHat who have recently released an ansible playbook that runs terraform (so in theory you'd only need ansible then) but at the very minimum, be aware if you tightly integrate your... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Want to start an OSS bounty program - how do we structure it?
    We are building an open source terraform cloud alternative (https://digger.dev/) and are looking to start a bounty program. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing i3 and Digger, you can also consider the following products

Sway - Sway is a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager, but for Wayland instead of X11.

Up by apex - Deploy serverless apps and APIs in seconds to AWS Lambda

dwm - dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

Spacelift.io - Collaborative Infrastructure For Modern Software Teams

Openbox - Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

Webiny - The Enterprise CMS platform that you can host on your cloud