How do we even see anything on a browser?
How do pixels turn into shapes, color, and movement?
Every time we scroll, hover, or trigger an animation, the browser goes through a whole routine. It calculates styles, figures out layout, paints pixels, and puts everything together on screen. All of that happens in just a few milliseconds.
It’s kind of wild how much is happening behind what feels instant. And the way we write code can make that process either smooth and fluid or heavy and janky.
I wrote an article that walks through this step by step, with a small demo showing exactly how these browser processes work and how a few CSS choices can make a big difference.
How do we even see anything on a browser? How do pixels turn into shapes, color, and movement?
Every time we scroll, hover, or trigger an animation, the browser goes through a whole routine. It calculates styles, figures out layout, paints pixels, and puts everything together on screen. All of that happens in just a few milliseconds.
It’s kind of wild how much is happening behind what feels instant. And the way we write code can make that process either smooth and fluid or heavy and janky.
I wrote an article that walks through this step by step, with a small demo showing exactly how these browser processes work and how a few CSS choices can make a big difference.