Learn REACT-TRANSITION-GROUP with Real Code Examples

RTG manages component mount/unmount transitions cleanly.

It works with any animation approach-CSS, JS, or external libraries.

Provides lifecycle hooks for entering/exiting states.

Allows coordinated animations for lists and dynamic UI elements.

Lightweight and minimal, focusing only on transition state control.

Transition - low-level transition state manager

CSSTransition - class-based CSS animations

TransitionGroup - orchestrates multiple child transitions

SwitchTransition - handles in-place component transitions

Lifecycle states: entering, entered, exiting, exited

Transition states: entering/entered/exiting/exited

Timeouts define animation duration

CSSTransition applies classNames automatically

TransitionGroup manages a collection of items

SwitchTransition handles one-at-a-time replacements

components/ - UI components using RTG

animations/ - CSS or JS animation rules

pages/ - animated route pages

utils/ - helpers for timing and transition logic

App.js - root animation wrappers

Install RTG

Wrap UI components inside Transition or CSSTransition

Define CSS classes for the animation lifecycle

Set timeouts and mount/unmount behaviors

Add TransitionGroup for lists or repeated elements

Beginner: fade-in text

Intermediate: dropdown or modal animation

Advanced: animated route transitions

Expert: dynamic list animations with TransitionGroup

Architect: animation architecture for large React apps

RTG vs Framer Motion: RTG controls lifecycle, FM controls animation physics.

RTG vs GSAP: RTG manages presence, GSAP manages animation logic.

RTG vs React Spring: Spring handles physics animations; RTG doesn’t.

RTG vs CSS only: RTG enables mount/unmount transitions.

RTG vs Anime.js: different animation responsibilities.

2015 - Part of React Addons

2017 - Released as react-transition-group v1

2019 - Major improvements with v2

2021 - Compatibility upgrades for React 17/18

2025 - Stable with minor updates for concurrent React

Transition - base component managing states

CSSTransition - auto-applies CSS classes

TransitionGroup - animate list items

SwitchTransition - swap animations

Timeout - duration of animation