Motion
Production-ready animation library for React and JavaScript
Overview
Motion, formerly Framer Motion, makes complex animations accessible through a declarative API. Instead of manually managing animation timelines and state, you describe what you want - enter, exit, hover, drag - and Motion handles the implementation details.
Layout animations are Motion's standout feature. Elements smoothly animate between positions when the DOM changes, creating polished transitions that would be extremely difficult to implement manually. Shared layout animations between components create the kind of fluid experiences users expect from native apps.
The gesture system handles drag, hover, tap, and viewport detection with a consistent API. Building interactive components that respond to user input becomes straightforward rather than requiring complex event handling and state management.
Key Features
Declarative Animations
Describe animations with props - enter, exit, hover, tap
Layout Animations
Smooth transitions when elements change position or size
Gestures
Drag, hover, tap, and viewport detection with consistent API
Shared Layout
Animate elements between different components smoothly
Spring Physics
Natural-feeling spring animations with configurable parameters
Scroll Animations
Trigger animations based on scroll position and progress
Why We Recommend Motion
Motion is our go-to for any animation work in React projects. The layout animation system alone justifies its inclusion - smooth transitions between states that would take days to build manually happen in a few lines of code.