| name | view-transitions |
| description | Use when adding page transition animations, image expand/contract effects, shared-element transitions, or improving navigation UX in a single-page or multi-page application. |
| metadata | {"category":"css","priority":"low","difficulty":"intermediate","estimatedTime":"30","source":"frontendchecklist.io","url":"https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/css/view-transitions"} |
Use the View Transitions API for smooth page and component transitions
Jarring instant page changes are one of the most noticeable perceived- performance problems in web applications. Smooth transitions help users maintain context during navigation — they understand where they came from and where they are going. Previously, achieving this required complex JavaScript animation libraries; the View Transitions API delivers it natively at a fraction of the code cost.
Quick Reference
- Wrap DOM mutations in document.startViewTransition() for same-page transitions
- Add view-transition-name to elements that should animate individually (not the whole page)
- Use @starting-style and ::view-transition-* pseudo-elements to customise animations
- Enable cross-document transitions in CSS with @view-transition { navigation: auto }
Check
Check whether the site uses the View Transitions API or a JavaScript animation library for page and component transitions.
Fix
Implement view transitions using document.startViewTransition() for SPA route changes or @view-transition for MPA cross-document navigation.
Explain
Explain how the View Transitions API captures before/after snapshots and animates between them, and how view-transition-name enables shared-element transitions.
Code Review
Review transition implementation for missing prefers-reduced-motion guards, duplicate view-transition-name values (must be unique per snapshot), and transitions that may cause layout thrash in the old/new state.
For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance,
see references/rule.md.
Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/css/view-transitions
