What is a CSS animation defined with @keyframes?
Jun 22, 2025 am 12:37 AM
@keyframes is used in CSS to create keyframe animations, allowing developers to define the styles of elements at different stages of the animation. 1. Specify the style of each stage of the animation through percentage or from/to, such as 0%, 50%, and 100% respectively, indicating the start, intermediate and end states respectively; 2. Use the animation attribute to apply the defined keyframe animation to the elements, including setting the animation name, duration, speed function, delay and number of playbacks, etc.; 3. It is often used to implement complex custom animation effects, such as loading indicators, hover effects, UI feedback and background animation; 4. Notes include ensuring that the start and end frames are included, avoiding layout jitter caused by animation, testing browser compatibility, and using animation-fill-mode to control the style of elements after the animation ends.
A CSS animation using @keyframes is a way to define how an element should look at specific points during an animation. Unlike simple transitions, which go from one state to another, keyframe animations let you control each step of the motion — like making something move, fade, or change color gradually over time.
What Does @keyframes Do Exactly?
You use @keyframes to create a set of styles that happen at different stages of the animation. These stages are usually expressed as percentages:
-
0%means the start of the animation -
50%means halfway through -
100%means the end
You can also use from and to instead of 0% and 100% , but most people stick with percentages for more control.
For example:
@keyframes slide {
0% {
transform: translateX(0);
}
50% {
transform: translateX(100px);
}
100% {
transform: translateX(0);
}
}This defines a basic back-and-forth movement.
How to Use @keyframes in Your CSS
Once you've defined your animation with @keyframes , you need to apply it to an element using the animation property (or individual sub-properties).
Here's a minimum example:
.slide-box {
width: 100px;
height: 100px;
background: blue;
animation-name: slide;
animation-duration: 2s;
animation-timing-function: linear;
animation-delay: 0s;
animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}Or you can shorten it using the shorthand:
.slide-box {
animation: slide 2s linear infinite;
}Some common properties:
-
animation-name: refers to the name given in@keyframes -
animation-duration: how long one cycle takes -
animation-timing-function: controls speed curve (likelinear,ease-in-out) -
animation-delay: how long to wait before starting -
animation-iteration-count: how many times it plays (infiniteloops forever)
When Should You Use Keyframe Animations?
They're especially useful when you want smooth, custom effects that aren't possible with just transitions. For instance:
- Loading spinners or progress indicators
- Hover effects that animate multiple properties
- Complex UI feedback (like buttons bouncing on click)
- Background animations or parallelax effects
Also, because they're built into CSS, they perform well on modern browsers without needing JavaScript.
Keep in mind:
- Too many animations can distract users or slow down performance.
- Always test on mobile devices where resources might be limited.
- Use them to enhance, not replace, functional design.
A Few Things to Watch Out For
There are some small gotchas when working with @keyframes . For example:
- If you forget to include
0%or100%, the browser may not animate smoothly. - Animating layout properties like
width,height, ormargincan cause layout thrashing — consider usingtransforminstead. - Browser support is solid these days, but always double-check if you're targeting older platforms.
One detail people often miss is that if you don't specify animation-fill-mode , the element will snap back to its original style after the animation ends. Adding animation-fill-mode: forwards keeps it at the last frame's style.
So, putting it all together, @keyframes gives you precise control over how elements behave during an animation. It's not hard to set up once you understand the basics, but it does require attention to timing and structure. Basically, it's a powerful tool once you get the hang of it.
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