Smooth DOM Transitions in SPAs Using the View Transitions API
Learn how to create native, animated transitions between UI states in your single-page applications using the View Transitions API. This post walks through the basics, provides a practical example, and links to official documentation to help you get started quickly.
Modern web apps often rely on client-side routing to create fast, responsive experiences. However, one challenge remains: ensuring smooth visual transitions between pages or views without relying on heavy libraries or frameworks.
With the View Transitions API, now supported in Chromium-based browsers, you can animate DOM changes natively — offering sleek visual feedback with minimal code.
✨ What is the View Transitions API?
The View Transitions API enables animated transitions between different DOM states. Whether you're navigating between routes or toggling views in a single-page application (SPA), this API lets you animate the shift between “before” and “after” states.
✅ Unlike traditional CSS transitions, this API handles DOM updates and animations together in a well-defined sequence.
🧠 When to Use It
The API is especially useful for:
- Navigating between routes in SPAs
- Showing/hiding sections or modals
- Tab-based navigation
- Complex layout state changes
For multi-page apps, the browser automatically captures the before/after snapshots. But for same-document navigation (e.g., SPAs), you manually define the DOM update within the transition.
🔧 Basic Implementation Example
Let’s build a minimal example with two views: Home and About.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>View Transitions Example</title>
<style>
main {
view-transition-name: main;
}
::view-transition-old(main),
::view-transition-new(main) {
animation-duration: 0.4s;
animation-timing-function: ease;
}
::view-transition-old(main) {
animation-name: fade-out;
}
::view-transition-new(main) {
animation-name: fade-in;
}
@keyframes fade-in {
from { opacity: 0; }
to { opacity: 1; }
}
@keyframes fade-out {
from { opacity: 1; }
to { opacity: 0; }
}
nav {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<nav>
<button onclick="navigate('home')">Home</button>
<button onclick="navigate('about')">About</button>
</nav>
<main id="content">Welcome to the homepage.</main>
<script>
const pages = {
home: 'Welcome to the homepage.',
about: 'This is the about page.'
};
function navigate(page) {
const content = document.getElementById('content');
if (!document.startViewTransition) {
content.textContent = pages[page];
return;
}
document.startViewTransition(() => {
content.textContent = pages[page];
});
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
📦 How It Works
- We assign a
view-transition-nameto themainelement. - We define animations using
@keyframesfor both the old and new views. - On button click, we call
document.startViewTransition()and update the DOM inside it. - The browser handles the transition between the two visual states smoothly.
⚠️ Browser Support
This feature currently works in Chromium-based browsers like Chrome and Edge. For unsupported browsers, the fallback logic ensures the content is still updated — just without animation.
You can check for support like this:
if ('startViewTransition' in document) {
// Safe to use the API
}
🔗 References
If you're building a modern SPA and want to add native-feeling polish with minimal effort, the View Transitions API is a fantastic tool to explore. Try it in your next project and let your UI breathe with smooth transitions!
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