Barba.js

Modern page transition library for creating fluid, smooth transitions between website pages. Barba.js makes multi-page websites feel like Single Page Applications (SPAs) by hijacking navigation and managing transitions without full page reloads.

Overview

Barba.js is a lightweight (7kb minified and compressed) JavaScript library that intercepts navigation between pages, fetches new content via AJAX, and smoothly transitions between old and new containers. It reduces page load delays and HTTP requests while maintaining the benefits of traditional multi-page architecture.

Core Features:

Smooth page transitions without full reloads
Lifecycle hooks for precise control over transition phases
View-based logic for page-specific behaviors
Built-in routing with @barba/router plugin
Extensible plugin system
Small footprint and high performance
Framework-agnostic (works with vanilla JS, GSAP, anime.js, etc.)

Core Concepts

Wrapper, Container, and Namespace

Barba.js uses a specific DOM structure to manage transitions:

HTML Structure:

<body data-barba="wrapper">  <header> <nav> <a href="/">Home</a> <a href="/about">About</a> </nav> </header>

<main data-barba="container" data-barba-namespace="home">  <h1>Home Page</h1> <p>Content that will transition out...</p> </main>

Three Key Elements:

Wrapper (data-barba="wrapper" )

Outermost container
Everything inside wrapper but outside container stays persistent
Ideal for headers, navigation, footers that don't change

Container (data-barba="container" )

Dynamic content area that updates on navigation
Only this section gets replaced during transitions
Must exist on every page

Namespace (data-barba-namespace="home" )

Unique identifier for each page type
Used in transition rules and view logic
Examples: "home", "about", "product", "blog-post"

Transition Lifecycle

Barba.js follows a precise lifecycle for each navigation:

Default Async Flow:

User clicks link
Barba intercepts navigation
Prefetch next page (via AJAX)
Cache new content
Leave hook - Animate current page out
Wait for leave animation to complete
Remove old container, insert new container
Enter hook - Animate new page in
Wait for enter animation to complete
Update browser history

Sync Flow (with sync: true ):

User clicks link
Barba intercepts navigation
Prefetch next page
Wait for new page to load
Leave and Enter hooks run simultaneously (crossfade effect)
Swap containers
Update browser history

Hooks

Barba provides 11 lifecycle hooks for controlling transitions:

Hook Execution Order:

Initial page load: beforeOnce → once → afterOnce

Every navigation: before → beforeLeave → leave → afterLeave → beforeEnter → enter → afterEnter → after

Hook Types:

Global hooks: Run on every transition (barba.hooks.before() )
Transition hooks: Defined within specific transition objects
View hooks: Defined within view objects for page-specific logic

Common Hook Use Cases:

beforeLeave
Reset scroll position, prepare animations
leave
Animate current page out
afterLeave
Clean up old page
beforeEnter
Prepare new page (hide elements, set initial states)
enter
Animate new page in
afterEnter
Initialize page scripts, analytics tracking

Views

Views are page-specific logic containers that run based on namespace:

barba.init({ views: [{ namespace: 'home', beforeEnter() { // Home-specific setup console.log('Entering home page'); }, afterEnter() { // Initialize home page features initHomeSlider(); } }, { namespace: 'product', beforeEnter() { console.log('Entering product page'); }, afterEnter() { initProductGallery(); } }] });

Common Patterns

Basic Setup

Installation:

npm install --save-dev @barba/core

or

yarn add @barba/core --dev

Minimal Configuration:

import barba from '@barba/core';

barba.init({ transitions: [{ name: 'default', leave({ current }) { // Fade out current page return gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }, enter({ next }) { // Fade in new page return gsap.from(next.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); } }] });

Fade Transition (Async)

Classic fade-out, fade-in transition:

import barba from '@barba/core'; import gsap from 'gsap';

barba.init({ transitions: [{ name: 'fade', async leave({ current }) { await gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5, ease: 'power2.inOut' }); }, async enter({ next }) { // Start invisible gsap.set(next.container, { opacity: 0 });

  // Fade in
  await gsap.to(next.container, {
    opacity: 1,
    duration: 0.5,
    ease: 'power2.inOut'
  });
}

}] });

Crossfade Transition (Sync)

Simultaneous fade between pages:

barba.init({ transitions: [{ name: 'crossfade', sync: true, // Enable sync mode leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.8, ease: 'power2.inOut' }); }, enter({ next }) { return gsap.from(next.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.8, ease: 'power2.inOut' }); } }] });

Slide Transition with Overlap

Slide old page out, new page in with overlap:

barba.init({ transitions: [{ name: 'slide', sync: true, leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { x: '-100%', duration: 0.7, ease: 'power3.inOut' }); }, enter({ next }) { // Start off-screen right gsap.set(next.container, { x: '100%' });

  // Slide in from right
  return gsap.to(next.container, {
    x: '0%',
    duration: 0.7,
    ease: 'power3.inOut'
  });
}

}] });

Transition Rules (Conditional Transitions)

Define different transitions based on navigation context:

barba.init({ transitions: [ // Home to any page: fade { name: 'from-home-fade', from: { namespace: 'home' }, leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }, enter({ next }) { return gsap.from(next.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); } }, // Product to product: slide left { name: 'product-to-product', from: { namespace: 'product' }, to: { namespace: 'product' }, leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { x: '-100%', duration: 0.6 }); }, enter({ next }) { gsap.set(next.container, { x: '100%' }); return gsap.to(next.container, { x: '0%', duration: 0.6 }); } }, // Default fallback { name: 'default', leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.3 }); }, enter({ next }) { return gsap.from(next.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.3 }); } } ] });

Router Plugin for Route-Based Transitions

Use @barba/router for route-specific transitions:

Installation:

npm install --save-dev @barba/router

Usage:

import barba from '@barba/core'; import barbaPrefetch from '@barba/prefetch'; import barbaRouter from '@barba/router';

// Define routes barbaRouter.init({ routes: [ { path: '/', name: 'home' }, { path: '/about', name: 'about' }, { path: '/products/:id', name: 'product' }, // Dynamic segment { path: '/blog/:category/:slug', name: 'blog-post' } ] });

barba.use(barbaRouter); barba.use(barbaPrefetch); // Optional: prefetch on hover

barba.init({ transitions: [{ name: 'product-transition', to: { route: 'product' }, // Trigger on route name leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { scale: 0.95, opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }, enter({ next }) { return gsap.from(next.container, { scale: 1.05, opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); } }] });

Loading Indicator

Show loading state during page fetch:

barba.init({ transitions: [{ async leave({ current }) { // Show loader const loader = document.querySelector('.loader'); gsap.set(loader, { display: 'flex', opacity: 0 }); gsap.to(loader, { opacity: 1, duration: 0.3 });

  // Fade out page
  await gsap.to(current.container, {
    opacity: 0,
    duration: 0.5
  });
},
async enter({ next }) {
  // Hide loader
  const loader = document.querySelector('.loader');
  await gsap.to(loader, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.3 });
  gsap.set(loader, { display: 'none' });

  // Fade in page
  await gsap.from(next.container, {
    opacity: 0,
    duration: 0.5
  });
}

}] });

Integration Patterns

GSAP Integration

Barba.js works seamlessly with GSAP for animations:

Timeline-Based Transitions:

import barba from '@barba/core'; import gsap from 'gsap';

barba.init({ transitions: [{ async leave({ current }) { const tl = gsap.timeline();

  tl.to(current.container.querySelector('h1'), {
    y: -50,
    opacity: 0,
    duration: 0.3
  })
  .to(current.container.querySelector('.content'), {
    y: -30,
    opacity: 0,
    duration: 0.3
  }, '-=0.2')
  .to(current.container, {
    opacity: 0,
    duration: 0.2
  });

  await tl.play();
},
async enter({ next }) {
  const tl = gsap.timeline();

  // Set initial states
  gsap.set(next.container, { opacity: 0 });
  gsap.set(next.container.querySelector('h1'), { y: 50, opacity: 0 });
  gsap.set(next.container.querySelector('.content'), { y: 30, opacity: 0 });

  tl.to(next.container, {
    opacity: 1,
    duration: 0.2
  })
  .to(next.container.querySelector('h1'), {
    y: 0,
    opacity: 1,
    duration: 0.5,
    ease: 'power3.out'
  })
  .to(next.container.querySelector('.content'), {
    y: 0,
    opacity: 1,
    duration: 0.5,
    ease: 'power3.out'
  }, '-=0.3');

  await tl.play();
}

}] });

Reference gsap-scrolltrigger skill for advanced GSAP integration patterns.

View-Specific Initialization

Initialize libraries or scripts per page:

barba.init({ views: [ { namespace: 'home', afterEnter() { // Initialize home page features initHomepageSlider(); initParallaxEffects(); }, beforeLeave() { // Clean up destroyHomepageSlider(); } }, { namespace: 'gallery', afterEnter() { initLightbox(); initMasonry(); }, beforeLeave() { destroyLightbox(); } } ] });

Analytics Tracking

Track page views on navigation:

barba.hooks.after(() => { // Google Analytics if (typeof gtag !== 'undefined') { gtag('config', 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID', { page_path: window.location.pathname }); }

// Or use data layer window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'pageview', page: window.location.pathname }); });

Third-Party Script Re-Initialization

Re-run scripts after page transitions:

barba.hooks.after(() => { // Re-initialize third-party widgets if (typeof twttr !== 'undefined') { twttr.widgets.load(); // Twitter widgets }

if (typeof FB !== 'undefined') { FB.XFBML.parse(); // Facebook widgets }

// Re-run syntax highlighting if (typeof Prism !== 'undefined') { Prism.highlightAll(); } });

Performance Optimization

Prefetching

Use @barba/prefetch to load pages on hover:

npm install --save-dev @barba/prefetch

import barba from '@barba/core'; import barbaPrefetch from '@barba/prefetch';

barba.use(barbaPrefetch);

barba.init({ // Prefetch fires on link hover by default prefetch: { root: null, // Observe all links timeout: 3000 // Cache timeout in ms } });

Prevent Layout Shift

Set container min-height to prevent content jump:

[data-barba="container"] { min-height: 100vh; /* Or use viewport height minus header/footer */ min-height: calc(100vh - 80px - 60px); }

Optimize Animations

Use GPU-accelerated properties:

// ✅ Good - GPU accelerated gsap.to(element, { opacity: 0, x: -100, scale: 0.9, rotation: 45 });

// ❌ Avoid - causes reflow/repaint gsap.to(element, { width: '50%', height: '300px', top: '100px' });

Clean Up Event Listeners

Remove listeners in beforeLeave or view hooks:

barba.init({ views: [{ namespace: 'home', afterEnter() { // Add listeners this.clickHandler = () => console.log('clicked'); document.querySelector('.btn').addEventListener('click', this.clickHandler); }, beforeLeave() { // Remove listeners document.querySelector('.btn').removeEventListener('click', this.clickHandler); } }] });

Lazy Load Images

Defer image loading until after transition:

barba.init({ transitions: [{ async enter({ next }) { // Complete transition first await gsap.from(next.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 });

  // Then load images
  const images = next.container.querySelectorAll('img[data-src]');
  images.forEach(img => {
    img.src = img.dataset.src;
    img.removeAttribute('data-src');
  });
}

}] });

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting to Return Promises

Problem: Transitions complete instantly without waiting for animations.

Solution: Always return promises or use async/await :

// ❌ Wrong - animation starts but doesn't wait leave({ current }) { gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }

// ✅ Correct - returns promise leave({ current }) { return gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }

// ✅ Also correct - async/await async leave({ current }) { await gsap.to(current.container, { opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }); }

Not Preventing Default Link Behavior

Problem: Some links cause full page reloads.

Solution: Barba automatically prevents default on internal links, but you may need to exclude external links:

barba.init({ prevent: ({ href }) => { // Allow external links if (href.indexOf('http') > -1 && href.indexOf(window.location.host) === -1) { return true; } return false; } });

CSS Conflicts Between Pages

Problem: Old page CSS affects new page layout during transition.

Solution: Use namespace-specific CSS or reset styles:

/* Namespace-specific styles */ [data-barba-namespace="home"] .hero { background: blue; }

[data-barba-namespace="about"] .hero { background: red; }

Or reset in beforeEnter :

beforeEnter({ next }) { // Reset scroll position window.scrollTo(0, 0);

// Reset any global state document.body.classList.remove('menu-open'); }

Not Updating Document Title and Meta Tags

Problem: Page title and meta tags don't update on navigation.

Solution: Use @barba/head plugin or update manually:

npm install --save-dev @barba/head

import barba from '@barba/core'; import barbaHead from '@barba/head';

barba.use(barbaHead);

barba.init({ // Head plugin automatically updates <head> tags });

Or manually:

barba.hooks.after(({ next }) => { // Update title document.title = next.html.querySelector('title').textContent;

// Update meta tags const newMeta = next.html.querySelectorAll('meta'); newMeta.forEach(meta => { const name = meta.getAttribute('name') || meta.getAttribute('property'); if (name) { const existing = document.querySelector(meta[name="${name}"], meta[property="${name}"]); if (existing) { existing.setAttribute('content', meta.getAttribute('content')); } } }); });

Animation Flicker on Enter

Problem: New page flashes visible before enter animation starts.

Solution: Set initial invisible state in CSS or beforeEnter :

/* CSS approach */ [data-barba="container"] { opacity: 0; }

[data-barba="container"].is-visible { opacity: 1; }

// JavaScript approach beforeEnter({ next }) { gsap.set(next.container, { opacity: 0 }); }

Sync Transitions Without Proper Positioning

Problem: Sync transitions cause layout shift as containers stack.

Solution: Position containers absolutely during transition:

[data-barba="wrapper"] { position: relative; }

[data-barba="container"] { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; }

Or manage in JavaScript:

barba.init({ transitions: [{ sync: true, beforeLeave({ current }) { gsap.set(current.container, { position: 'absolute', top: 0, left: 0, width: '100%' }); } }] });

Resources

This skill includes:

scripts/

Executable utilities for common Barba.js tasks:

transition_generator.py
Generate transition boilerplate code
project_setup.py
Initialize Barba.js project structure

references/

Detailed documentation:

api_reference.md
Complete Barba.js API (hooks, transitions, views, router)
hooks_guide.md
All 11 hooks with execution order and use cases
gsap_integration.md
GSAP animation patterns for Barba transitions
transition_patterns.md
Common transition implementations

assets/

Templates and starter projects:

starter_barba/
Complete Barba.js + GSAP starter template
examples/
Real-world transition implementations

Related Skills

gsap-scrolltrigger - For advanced GSAP animations in transitions
locomotive-scroll - Can be combined with Barba for smooth scrolling between pages
motion-framer - Alternative approach for React-based page transitions

barba-js

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