Introduction to Vinegar
Vinagre is an open source VNC client developed as part of the GNOME project. Its objective is to provide a simple and secure way to connect to remote equipment using the VNC protocol, without the need for complex configurations. Although there are other alternatives such as TigerVNC or Remmina, Vinagre stands out for its close integration with the GNOME desktop and its clean interface that suits both new users and system administrators.
Installation in main distributions
In Ubuntu and its derivatives just runsudo apt install vinagre. In Fedora it is usedsudo dnf install vinagre. In Arch Linux and derivatives the package is in the official repositories:sudo pacman -S vinagre. For openSUSE the command issudo zypper install vinagre. After installation, Vinagre appears in the application menu under the Internet category or can be launched from the terminal with the commandvinagre.
Main characteristics
- Support for standard VNC and for extensions such as TLS encryption.
- Possibility to save favorite connections with name, IP address and port.
- Remote screen miniature preview before setting the full connection.
- Integration with the system clipboard to copy and paste text between local and remote.
- Quality and bandwidth adjustment options to adapt to slow connections.
How to create a new connection
When opening Vinagre, click on the buttonNew connection. A dialog box will appear where you should enter the IP address or host name of the remote equipment, the port (default 5900) and, optionally, a password if the VNC server requires it. You can dial the boxUse TLSif the server is configured to encrypt the communication. After pressingConnect, Vinagre will try to set the session and show the remote desktop in your main window.
Tips to optimize performance
- Adjust color quality toLoworAverageif you experience latency in congested Wi-Fi networks.
- Disable clipboard shipping if you do not need to copy text between machines; this reduces traffic.
- Use the modeSee alonewhen you only need to observe the remote desktop without interacting.
- Keep both the Vinagre client and the VNC server updated to benefit from the latest security improvements.
Integration with other GNOME tools
Vinagre benefits from GNOME infrastructure, for example, you can use the GNOME KeyStore credentials service to safely store the passwords of VNC connections. In addition, as a GTK application, it respects the themes and extensions of shell installed, offering a visual experience consistent with the rest of the desktop.
Alternatives and when to choose Vinagre
If you need more advanced features such as file transfer, integrated chat or multi-protocol support (RDP, SPICE), maybe Remmina or TigerVNC are more suitable. However, for users looking for a light, fast and deeply integrated GNOME client, Vinagre remains an excellent option.
Conclusion
Vinagre combines simplicity, security and good performance in a package that is installed with a single command in most Linux distributions. Its intuitive interface and configuration options make it ideal for both domestic and professional environments where occasional remote access is required. If you work with a GNOME desktop and you need a VNC solution without complications, it's worth a try vinegar.
