Virtual scrolling libraries are designed to efficiently render large lists or grids of data by only displaying the items that are currently visible in the viewport. This significantly improves performance and reduces memory consumption, especially when dealing with extensive datasets. By implementing techniques like windowing or lazy loading, these libraries help developers create smooth and responsive user interfaces without overwhelming the browser's rendering capabilities. Each library is tailored to specific frameworks, making it essential to choose one that aligns with your project's technology stack.
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react-window
3,624,894
16,950
206 kB
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7 days ago
MIT
react-virtualized
1,396,340
27,020
2.24 MB
2
10 months ago
MIT
vue-virtual-scroller
294,424
10,489
406 kB
245
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MIT
ngx-virtual-scroller
9,347
986
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153
6 years ago
MIT
Feature Comparison: react-window vs react-virtualized vs vue-virtual-scroller vs ngx-virtual-scroller
Performance Optimization
react-window:
react-window is optimized for performance with a minimalistic approach. It focuses on rendering only the visible items in a list or grid, which reduces the memory footprint and improves rendering speed. Its lightweight nature makes it suitable for applications that require basic virtual scrolling without additional complexity.
react-virtualized:
react-virtualized is known for its high performance, offering features like cell measurement and dynamic heights that allow for efficient rendering of complex lists and grids. It intelligently manages the rendering of items based on their visibility, ensuring that only the necessary components are mounted and updated, which enhances overall performance.
vue-virtual-scroller:
vue-virtual-scroller efficiently manages the rendering of large lists by only displaying the items currently in view. It uses Vue's reactivity system to ensure that updates are handled smoothly, making it a performant choice for Vue.js applications that need to handle extensive datasets.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
ngx-virtual-scroller leverages Angular's change detection strategy to minimize re-renders, ensuring that only the visible items are rendered in the DOM. This results in significant performance improvements when displaying large lists, as it reduces the number of DOM nodes and the associated rendering costs.
Ease of Use
react-window:
react-window is designed with simplicity in mind, offering a minimal API that is easy to understand and implement. This makes it an excellent choice for developers who want to quickly add virtual scrolling to their React applications without the overhead of unnecessary features.
react-virtualized:
react-virtualized offers a rich set of features, but its complexity can lead to a steeper learning curve. Developers may need to familiarize themselves with its various components and utilities to fully leverage its capabilities, which can be a drawback for those seeking simplicity.
vue-virtual-scroller:
vue-virtual-scroller features a clean and intuitive API that aligns with Vue's design principles. It allows developers to implement virtual scrolling with minimal effort, making it accessible for those familiar with Vue.js.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
ngx-virtual-scroller provides a simple API that integrates well with Angular's component architecture. Its straightforward setup allows developers to quickly implement virtual scrolling without extensive configuration, making it user-friendly for Angular developers.
Flexibility and Extensibility
react-window:
react-window is less feature-rich than react-virtualized but offers enough flexibility for most common use cases. It allows for basic customization of item sizes and rendering logic, making it suitable for straightforward virtual scrolling needs.
react-virtualized:
react-virtualized is highly extensible, providing a wide range of components and utilities for different scenarios, including grids and tables. This flexibility allows developers to create complex layouts and customize behavior according to their specific requirements.
vue-virtual-scroller:
vue-virtual-scroller is designed to be extensible, allowing developers to customize the rendering of items and integrate additional features as necessary. Its flexibility makes it a good choice for various applications that require virtual scrolling.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
ngx-virtual-scroller is flexible enough to accommodate various use cases, allowing developers to customize item heights and implement additional features as needed. However, it may not offer as many advanced options as some of its counterparts.
Framework Compatibility
react-window:
react-window is also designed for React, providing a lightweight alternative to react-virtualized. It is ideal for projects that need basic virtual scrolling without the complexity of additional features, fitting well within the React framework.
react-virtualized:
react-virtualized is tailored for React applications, leveraging React's component-based architecture. It is well-suited for projects that require advanced virtual scrolling capabilities within the React ecosystem.
vue-virtual-scroller:
vue-virtual-scroller is built for Vue.js, ensuring compatibility with Vue's reactivity and component system. It is optimized for Vue applications, making it an excellent choice for developers working within the Vue ecosystem.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
ngx-virtual-scroller is specifically built for Angular applications, ensuring seamless integration with Angular's ecosystem and best practices. It takes advantage of Angular's features, making it the go-to choice for Angular developers.
Community and Support
react-window:
react-window, being a lightweight alternative, has a smaller community compared to react-virtualized, but it is still well-documented and supported. Developers can find sufficient resources to implement and troubleshoot its features.
react-virtualized:
react-virtualized has a large and active community, providing ample resources, documentation, and support. This makes it easier for developers to find solutions to common issues and share best practices.
vue-virtual-scroller:
vue-virtual-scroller is supported by the Vue community, which is known for its helpfulness and collaboration. While it may not have as large a user base as some other libraries, it is still well-documented and has a growing number of resources available.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
ngx-virtual-scroller has a growing community and is supported by Angular developers, but it may not have as extensive resources or documentation as more established libraries. However, it benefits from the Angular community's collaborative nature.
How to Choose: react-window vs react-virtualized vs vue-virtual-scroller vs ngx-virtual-scroller
react-window:
Opt for react-window if you need a lightweight solution for virtual scrolling with a simpler API. It is ideal for projects that require basic virtual scrolling capabilities without the overhead of additional features found in react-virtualized.
react-virtualized:
Choose react-virtualized if your project requires advanced features like cell measurement, dynamic row heights, or complex grid layouts. It offers a comprehensive set of components and utilities for handling large datasets in React applications.
vue-virtual-scroller:
Use vue-virtual-scroller if you are developing with Vue.js and need an efficient way to render large lists. It provides a simple API and is designed to work well with Vue's reactivity system, making it easy to integrate into Vue applications.
ngx-virtual-scroller:
Select ngx-virtual-scroller if you are using Angular and need a straightforward solution for virtual scrolling in lists or grids. It integrates seamlessly with Angular's change detection and is optimized for performance in Angular applications.
Popular Comparisons
Similar Npm Packages to react-window
react-window is a lightweight library for efficiently rendering large lists and tabular data in React applications. It provides a simple API for creating virtualized lists, allowing developers to render only the visible items in a list, which significantly improves performance and reduces memory consumption. This is particularly useful for applications that need to display long lists of items without compromising on performance.
While react-window is a powerful solution for virtualization, there are several alternatives in the React ecosystem that also provide similar functionalities. Here are a few noteworthy options:
react-infinite is a library designed for creating infinite scrolling lists in React applications. It allows developers to load more items as the user scrolls down, making it ideal for scenarios where data is fetched in chunks. react-infinite is particularly useful for applications that require continuous loading of data without pagination, providing a smooth user experience.
react-list is another library for rendering large lists in React. It offers a simple API for creating virtualized lists and supports features like dynamic item heights and variable item sizes. react-list is a good choice for developers who need flexibility in rendering lists with varying item dimensions while maintaining performance.
react-virtual is a lightweight library that provides a simple way to implement virtual scrolling in React applications. It focuses on performance and ease of use, allowing developers to create virtualized lists with minimal configuration. If you are looking for a straightforward solution to handle large lists without the overhead of more complex libraries, react-virtual is a great option.
react-virtualized is a comprehensive library for efficiently rendering large lists, tables, and grids in React. It offers a wide range of features, including support for fixed headers, cell rendering, and dynamic row heights. While it is more feature-rich than react-window, it may also come with a steeper learning curve. If your application requires advanced virtualization features, react-virtualized is worth considering.
react-window-infinite-loader is an extension of react-window that adds infinite loading capabilities to virtualized lists. It allows developers to easily implement infinite scrolling while benefiting from the performance optimizations of react-window. This library is perfect for applications that need both virtualization and infinite scrolling in a seamless manner.
react-virtualized is a powerful library for efficiently rendering large lists and tabular data in React applications. It provides a set of components that help optimize rendering performance by only displaying the items that are currently visible in the viewport, thereby reducing the number of DOM nodes and improving overall performance. While react-virtualized is a popular choice for virtualization, there are several alternatives available in the React ecosystem. Here are a few noteworthy options:
react-infinite is a library designed for creating infinite scrolling lists in React applications. It allows developers to easily implement a scrolling mechanism that loads more items as the user scrolls down. While it focuses on infinite scrolling, it does not provide the same level of virtualization as react-virtualized, making it suitable for scenarios where you want to load more data dynamically without the need for complex virtualization logic.
react-list is a lightweight library that provides a simple way to render large lists in React. It offers a virtualized list component that efficiently renders only the visible items, similar to react-virtualized. However, react-list is designed to be more straightforward and easier to use, making it a good choice for developers who want a simple solution for rendering large lists without the overhead of more complex libraries.
react-tiny-virtual-list is a minimalistic virtualized list component for React. It aims to provide a lightweight and efficient way to render large lists while maintaining a small bundle size. If you're looking for a simple and efficient solution for virtualizing lists without the additional features and complexity of larger libraries, react-tiny-virtual-list is an excellent option.
react-window is another lightweight library for rendering large lists and tabular data in React. It is a smaller and simpler alternative to react-virtualized, focusing on performance and ease of use. React-window provides a set of components for efficiently rendering lists and grids while keeping the API straightforward and intuitive. If you need a more minimalistic approach to virtualization, react-window is a great choice.
vue-virtual-scroller is a library designed for Vue.js applications that allows developers to efficiently render large lists or tables by only displaying the items that are currently visible in the viewport. This technique, known as "virtual scrolling," significantly improves performance and reduces rendering times, especially when dealing with extensive datasets. By using vue-virtual-scroller, developers can create smooth and responsive user interfaces without compromising on performance.
While vue-virtual-scroller is an excellent choice for Vue applications, there are several alternatives available for different frameworks. Here are a few notable options:
ngx-virtual-scroller is a virtual scrolling library specifically designed for Angular applications. It provides a similar functionality to vue-virtual-scroller, allowing developers to efficiently render large lists and tables in Angular projects. By using ngx-virtual-scroller, Angular developers can enhance the performance of their applications and ensure a smooth user experience, even with extensive datasets. Its integration with Angular's change detection system makes it a seamless choice for Angular developers looking to implement virtual scrolling.
react-virtualized is a widely used library for React applications that provides a set of components for efficiently rendering large lists and tables. It offers a variety of features, including windowing, lazy loading, and cell measurement, making it a powerful tool for developers dealing with extensive datasets. react-virtualized is highly customizable and can be tailored to fit various use cases, making it an excellent choice for React developers who need advanced virtual scrolling capabilities.
react-window is a lightweight alternative to react-virtualized, designed to provide similar functionality with a simpler API. It focuses on performance and ease of use, making it an ideal choice for developers who want to implement virtual scrolling without the overhead of additional features. react-window is particularly well-suited for projects where simplicity and performance are paramount, allowing developers to quickly set up virtual scrolling in their React applications.
ngx-virtual-scroller is an Angular library designed to efficiently render large lists of items by only displaying the items that are currently visible in the viewport. This approach, known as "virtual scrolling," significantly improves performance and user experience, especially when dealing with extensive datasets. While ngx-virtual-scroller is a robust solution for Angular applications, there are several alternatives available for different frameworks. Here are a few notable options:
ngx-infinite-scroll is another Angular library that provides an easy way to implement infinite scrolling in your applications. Unlike virtual scrolling, which focuses on rendering only the visible items, infinite scrolling loads more items as the user scrolls down the page. This is particularly useful for scenarios where data is fetched from an API in chunks. If your application requires a seamless loading experience as users scroll, ngx-infinite-scroll is a great choice.
react-infinite-scroll-component is a popular library for React applications that enables infinite scrolling functionality. It allows developers to easily implement a loading mechanism that fetches more data as the user scrolls down. This library is straightforward to use and integrates well with existing React components, making it an excellent option for React developers looking to enhance their applications with infinite scrolling capabilities.
react-virtualized is a comprehensive library for React that provides a suite of components for efficiently rendering large lists and tabular data. It includes features for both virtual scrolling and infinite scrolling, making it a versatile choice for developers who need to handle extensive datasets. react-virtualized is particularly beneficial for applications that require complex data structures and advanced rendering techniques.
react-window is a smaller, more lightweight alternative to react-virtualized, focusing solely on virtual scrolling. It is designed to be easy to use and highly performant, making it an excellent choice for React applications that need to render long lists without the overhead of additional features. If you want a simple and efficient solution for virtual scrolling, react-window is worth considering.
vue-virtual-scroller is a library for Vue.js applications that implements virtual scrolling. Similar to ngx-virtual-scroller, it efficiently renders only the items in view, improving performance for large lists. If you are working with Vue and need a solution for virtual scrolling, vue-virtual-scroller provides a straightforward and effective way to manage large datasets.
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:
This component will receive an index and style prop by default.
Additionally it will receive prop values passed to rowProps.
ℹ️ The prop types for this component are exported as RowComponentProps
rowCount
Number of items to be rendered in the list.
rowHeight
Row height; the following formats are supported:
number of pixels (number)
percentage of the grid's current height (string)
function that returns the row height (in pixels) given an index and cellProps
dynamic row height cache returned by the useDynamicRowHeight hook
⚠️ 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 ariaAttributes, index, or style props.
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 useListRef and useListCallbackRef hooks are exported for convenience use in TypeScript projects.
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
Required props
Name
Description
cellComponent
React component responsible for rendering a cell.
This component will receive an index and style prop by default.
Additionally it will receive prop values passed to cellProps.
ℹ️ The prop types for this component are exported as CellComponentProps
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 ariaAttributes, columnIndex, rowIndex, or style props.
columnCount
Number of columns to be rendered in the grid.
columnWidth
Column width; the following formats are supported:
number of pixels (number)
percentage of the grid's current width (string)
function that returns the row width (in pixels) given an index and cellProps
rowCount
Number of rows to be rendered in the grid.
rowHeight
Row height; the following formats are supported:
number of pixels (number)
percentage of the grid's current height (string)
function that returns the row height (in pixels) given an index and cellProps
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
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 useGridRef and useGridCallbackRef hooks are exported for convenience use in TypeScript projects.
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.
