The Secret to Smooth Animations in JavaScript!

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by zain ul abdin

Want to create buttery-smooth animations in your web app? Try requestAnimationFrame—JavaScript’s built-in method for optimizing animations!

Instead of using setTimeout or setInterval, which can lead to janky animations due to inconsistent frame rates, requestAnimationFrame syncs your animations with the browser’s refresh rate for the best possible performance.

Here’s how you can use it:

let position = 0;

function animate() {
  position += 1;
  document.getElementById('box').style.transform = `translateX(${position}px)`;

  if (position < 200) {
    requestAnimationFrame(animate); // Calls animate again before the next repaint
  }
}

requestAnimationFrame(animate); // Start the animation

By using requestAnimationFrame, your animations run more efficiently, consuming less power and providing a smoother experience for your users.

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This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by zain ul abdin