The listed packages provide solutions for efficiently rendering large datasets in web applications by either loading content incrementally as the user scrolls (infinite scroll) or by only rendering visible items to reduce memory and performance overhead (virtualization). These libraries are framework-specific: ngx-infinite-scroll targets Angular, react-infinite-scroll-component, react-infinite-scroller, react-virtualized, and react-window serve React, while vue-infinite-loading and vue-virtual-scroller are built for Vue. Infinite scroll libraries typically trigger data fetching when the user nears the bottom of a container, whereas virtualized list libraries optimize rendering by recycling DOM elements for off-screen items.
Infinite Scroll vs Virtualized Lists: A Practical Guide for Angular, React, and Vue
When dealing with large datasets in web apps, two common strategies emerge: infinite scroll (load more data as the user scrolls) and virtualization (render only what’s visible). The right choice depends on your framework, data size, and performance needs. Let’s compare the leading libraries across Angular, React, and Vue.
🔄 Core Patterns: When to Load vs When to Render
Infinite Scroll Libraries
These trigger a callback (e.g., fetch next page) when the user scrolls near the bottom. They do not limit DOM size—every loaded item stays in the DOM. Suitable for moderate data volumes or when full DOM access is needed (e.g., for search).
- Angular:
ngx-infinite-scroll - React:
react-infinite-scroll-component(active),react-infinite-scroller(deprecated) - Vue:
vue-infinite-loading
Virtualized List Libraries
These render only visible items, recycling DOM nodes as the user scrolls. Essential for very large datasets (10k+ items) to avoid memory and performance issues.
- React:
react-window,react-virtualized - Vue:
vue-virtual-scroller
⚠️ Critical Note:
react-infinite-scrolleris deprecated. Its npm page states: "This package has been deprecated. Please usereact-infinite-scroll-componentinstead." Do not use it in new projects.
🧩 Framework-Specific Implementations
Angular: ngx-infinite-scroll
Attach as a directive to a scrollable container. Triggers (scrolled) when nearing the bottom.
<!-- Angular template -->
<div class="container"
infiniteScroll
[infiniteScrollDistance]="2"
[infiniteScrollThrottle]="50"
(scrolled)="onScroll()">
<div *ngFor="let item of items">{{ item }}</div>
</div>
// Component
onScroll() {
this.loadMoreData();
}
No virtualization—each new item adds to the DOM. Best for feeds with <1000 items.
React: Infinite Scroll Options
react-infinite-scroll-component (Recommended)
Wraps your list and shows a loader while fetching.
import InfiniteScroll from 'react-infinite-scroll-component';
function MyList() {
return (
<InfiniteScroll
dataLength={items.length}
next={fetchMoreData}
hasMore={hasMore}
loader={<h4>Loading...</h4>}
>
{items.map(item => <div key={item.id}>{item.name}</div>)}
</InfiniteScroll>
);
}
Simple and effective—but again, all items stay in the DOM.
react-infinite-scroller (Deprecated)
Avoid. Example shown only for legacy reference:
// DO NOT USE IN NEW PROJECTS
import InfiniteScroller from 'react-infinite-scroller';
<InfiniteScroller loadMore={loadFunc} hasMore={more}>
{items}
</InfiniteScroller>
React: Virtualized Lists
react-window (Lightweight & Fast)
Ideal for basic lists/grids. Uses FixedSizeList or VariableSizeList.
import { FixedSizeList as List } from 'react-window';
const Row = ({ index, style }) => (
<div style={style}>Row {index}</div>
);
<List
height={600}
itemCount={1000}
itemSize={35}
width="100%"
>
{Row}
</List>
Minimal API, excellent performance, small bundle.
react-virtualized (Feature-Rich)
Supports advanced layouts like Grid, Table, and Masonry.
import { List } from 'react-virtualized';
<List
width={800}
height={600}
rowCount={list.length}
rowHeight={50}
rowRenderer={({ index, key, style }) => (
<div key={key} style={style}>{list[index]}</div>
)}
/>
Use only if you need dynamic measurements or complex layouts not covered by react-window.
Vue: Infinite Scroll
vue-infinite-loading
Component-based with clear loading states.
<template>
<div>
<div v-for="item in items" :key="item.id">{{ item.name }}</div>
<infinite-loading @infinite="infiniteHandler" />
</div>
</template>
<script>
export default {
methods: {
infiniteHandler($state) {
fetchData().then(data => {
if (data.length) {
this.items.push(...data);
$state.loaded();
} else {
$state.complete();
}
});
}
}
};
</script>
Clean integration with Vue’s reactivity. No virtualization.
Vue: Virtual Scrolling
vue-virtual-scroller
Renders only visible items with smooth scrolling.
<template>
<RecycleScroller
class="scroller"
:items="items"
:item-size="40"
key-field="id"
v-slot="{ item }"
>
<div>{{ item.name }}</div>
</RecycleScroller>
</template>
<script>
import { RecycleScroller } from 'vue-virtual-scroller';
import 'vue-virtual-scroller/dist/vue-virtual-scroller.css';
export default {
components: { RecycleScroller },
data() {
return { items: [...] };
}
};
</script>
Essential for long lists in Vue where performance matters.
⚖️ Trade-offs: Infinite Scroll vs Virtualization
| Concern | Infinite Scroll Libraries | Virtualized Libraries |
|---|---|---|
| DOM Size | Grows indefinitely | Constant (only visible items) |
| Memory Usage | Increases with loaded data | Stable |
| Search/Filter | Easy (all items in DOM) | Requires custom logic (items not in DOM) |
| Complex Layouts | Full CSS control | Limited to list/grid; harder for masonry |
| Best For | Feeds, timelines, moderate datasets (<1k) | Chat logs, analytics, huge datasets (10k+) |
🛠️ Migration Paths
- From
react-infinite-scroller: Replace withreact-infinite-scroll-componentfor same behavior, or switch toreact-windowif performance becomes an issue. - From infinite scroll to virtualization: Only do this if profiling shows jank or memory bloat. Virtualization adds complexity—you lose direct DOM access to off-screen items.
💡 Final Recommendations
- Angular: Use
ngx-infinite-scrollfor simple cases; consider custom virtualization or third-party libs like@angular/cdkfor large lists. - React: Start with
react-infinite-scroll-componentfor simplicity. Switch toreact-windowwhen performance degrades. Usereact-virtualizedonly for advanced layouts. - Vue: Use
vue-infinite-loadingfor paginated feeds. Usevue-virtual-scrollerwhen you have thousands of items or notice slowdowns.
Remember: Infinite scroll ≠ virtualization. Choose based on whether your bottleneck is network/data loading (infinite scroll) or DOM/rendering performance (virtualization).
- react-window:
Choose
react-windowfor high-performance virtualized lists or grids in React when you prioritize simplicity and speed. It’s a lighter, faster successor toreact-virtualizedwith a smaller API focused on fixed or variable-size lists and grids. Use it when you don’t need the extra features ofreact-virtualizedand want minimal bundle impact with excellent runtime performance. - react-virtualized:
Choose
react-virtualizedwhen you need robust virtualization for complex layouts in React, including lists, grids, tables, and masonry. It offers extensive customization for item sizing, scrolling, and performance tuning but comes with a steeper learning curve and larger API surface. Prefer it overreact-windowonly if you require features like dynamic row heights with measurement caching or advanced grid layouts. - react-infinite-scroll-component:
Choose
react-infinite-scroll-componentfor simple infinite scroll behavior in React apps where you want a minimal, component-based API that wraps your list and calls a function when more data is needed. It handles scroll detection and loader display out of the box but does not perform virtualization, so it’s best suited for moderate-sized lists where performance isn’t critically impacted by DOM size. - react-infinite-scroller:
Avoid
react-infinite-scrollerin new projects—it is deprecated and no longer maintained. The package page on npm explicitly states it has been superseded by other solutions. If encountered in legacy code, plan a migration toreact-infinite-scroll-componentor a virtualized alternative depending on use case. - vue-virtual-scroller:
Choose
vue-virtual-scrollerwhen you need true virtual scrolling in Vue applications—rendering only visible items to maintain performance with thousands of records. It supports dynamic heights, recycling, and smooth scrolling out of the box. Ideal for chat logs, feeds, or any long list where DOM bloat would otherwise degrade performance. - ngx-infinite-scroll:
Choose
ngx-infinite-scrollif you're working in an Angular application and need a straightforward directive-based solution for triggering load-more callbacks during scrolling. It integrates cleanly with Angular's change detection and supports both window and container-based scrolling. Avoid it if you need advanced layout support like grids or variable-height items without additional custom logic. - vue-infinite-loading:
Choose
vue-infinite-loadingif you’re building a Vue 2 or Vue 3 app and need a clean, directive-like component for infinite scroll that shows loading states and triggers data fetches. It works well with server-paginated APIs and integrates smoothly with Vue’s reactivity system. It does not virtualize content, so pair it with manual DOM cleanup or use only when total rendered items remain manageable.
react-window is a component library that helps render large lists of data quickly and without the performance problems that often go along with rendering a lot of data. It's used in a lot of places, from React DevTools to the Replay browser.
Support
If you like this project there are several ways to support it:
The following wonderful companies and individuals have sponsored react-window:
Installation
Begin by installing the library from NPM:
npm install react-window
TypeScript types
TypeScript definitions are included within the published dist folder
FAQs
Frequently asked questions can be found here.
Documentation
Documentation for this project is available at react-window.vercel.app; version 1.x documentation can be found at react-window-v1.vercel.app.
List
Renders data with many rows.
Required props
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| rowComponent | React component responsible for rendering a row. This component will receive an ℹ️ The prop types for this component are exported as |
| rowCount | Number of items to be rendered in the list. |
| rowHeight | Row height; the following formats are supported:
⚠️ Dynamic row heights are not as efficient as predetermined sizes. It's recommended to provide your own height values if they can be determined ahead of time. |
| rowProps | Additional props to be passed to the row-rendering component. List will automatically re-render rows when values in this object change. ⚠️ This object must not contain |
Optional props
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| className | CSS class name. |
| style | Optional CSS properties. The list of rows will fill the height defined by this style. |
| children | Additional content to be rendered within the list (above cells). This property can be used to render things like overlays or tooltips. |
| defaultHeight | Default height of list for initial render. This value is important for server rendering. |
| listRef | Ref used to interact with this component's imperative API. This API has imperative methods for scrolling and a getter for the outermost DOM element. ℹ️ The |
| onResize | Callback notified when the List's outermost HTMLElement resizes. This may be used to (re)scroll a row into view. |
| onRowsRendered | Callback notified when the range of visible rows changes. |
| overscanCount | How many additional rows to render outside of the visible area. This can reduce visual flickering near the edges of a list when scrolling. |
| tagName | Can be used to override the root HTML element rendered by the List component. The default value is "div", meaning that List renders an HTMLDivElement as its root. ⚠️ In most use cases the default ARIA roles are sufficient and this prop is not needed. |
Grid
Renders data with many rows and columns.
ℹ️ Unlike List rows, Grid cell sizes must be known ahead of time.
Either static sizes or something that can be derived (from the data in CellProps) without rendering.
Required props
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| cellComponent | React component responsible for rendering a cell. This component will receive an ℹ️ The prop types for this component are exported as |
| cellProps | Additional props to be passed to the cell-rendering component. Grid will automatically re-render cells when values in this object change. ⚠️ This object must not contain |
| columnCount | Number of columns to be rendered in the grid. |
| columnWidth | Column width; the following formats are supported:
|
| rowCount | Number of rows to be rendered in the grid. |
| rowHeight | Row height; the following formats are supported:
|
Optional props
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| className | CSS class name. |
| dir | Indicates the directionality of grid cells. ℹ️ See HTML |
| style | Optional CSS properties. The grid of cells will fill the height and width defined by this style. |
| children | Additional content to be rendered within the grid (above cells). This property can be used to render things like overlays or tooltips. |
| defaultHeight | Default height of grid for initial render. This value is important for server rendering. |
| defaultWidth | Default width of grid for initial render. This value is important for server rendering. |
| gridRef | Imperative Grid API. ℹ️ The |
| onCellsRendered | Callback notified when the range of rendered cells changes. |
| onResize | Callback notified when the Grid's outermost HTMLElement resizes. This may be used to (re)scroll a cell into view. |
| overscanCount | How many additional rows/columns to render outside of the visible area. This can reduce visual flickering near the edges of a grid when scrolling. |
| tagName | Can be used to override the root HTML element rendered by the List component. The default value is "div", meaning that List renders an HTMLDivElement as its root. ⚠️ In most use cases the default ARIA roles are sufficient and this prop is not needed. |