This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Md Habibur Rahman
"Stop bloating your bundles! If your animation task is purely visual (like a simple hover, pulse, or loader), native CSS @keyframes and the animation property are your fastest, most performant solution. Here’s a quick breakdown and a practical example."
As frontend developers, we strive for smooth, 60fps experiences. While JS libraries like GSAP are incredible for complex sequences, they carry a payload and run on the main thread. For basic visual cues, we must leverage the browser's hardware acceleration via CSS.
The Power of @keyframes
The @keyframes rule defines the style state at specific points during the animation sequence. The browser handles all the interpolations between these states.
Key Animation Properties:
| Property | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
animation-name |
Links the class to your @keyframes block. |
pulse |
animation-duration |
Specifies how long one cycle of the animation takes. | 2s |
animation-iteration-count |
Specifies how many times the animation should run (or infinite). |
infinite |
animation-timing-function |
Controls the acceleration/deceleration curve. | ease-in-out |
The Subtle Button Pulse Example
This animation subtly scales a button up and down infinitely—a common marketing trick—with minimal overhead.
/* 1. Define the states */
@keyframes pulse-btn {
0%, 100% {
transform: scale(1);
box-shadow: 0 0 0 rgba(255, 100, 0, 0);
}
50% {
transform: scale(1.03);
box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(255, 100, 0, 0.5);
}
}
/* 2. Apply the animation */
.animated-button {
background: orange;
color: white;
padding: 10px 20px;
/* Shorthand application: name duration timing-func iteration-count */
animation: pulse-btn 2s ease-in-out infinite;
}
The Takeaway
By leveraging properties like transform and opacity inside your @keyframes, you tap into hardware acceleration. Always profile your animations, but for simple, continuous visual effects, native CSS is the fastest path to a smoother user experience.
What performance trick do you use most often in your CSS?
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Md Habibur Rahman
Md Habibur Rahman | Sciencx (2025-10-15T05:39:28+00:00) Performance Boost: Ditching Heavy JS Libraries for Native CSS `@keyframes`. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/15/performance-boost-ditching-heavy-js-libraries-for-native-css-keyframes/
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