Learn SVELTE-MOTION with Real Code Examples

Updated Nov 26, 2025

Explain

Svelte-Motion uses realistic spring physics to animate elements smoothly.

Its API is fully Svelte-friendly, using stores, actions, and components.

Designed to animate both single values and full components declaratively.

Supports enter/exit animations with Svelte’s transition lifecycle.

Integrates with pointer gestures for interactive motion.

Core Features

motion - main motion component wrapper

spring stores - animatable values with physics

variants - predefined animation states

gestures - drag, hover, press interactions

transition controls - programmatic control of animations

Basic Concepts Overview

motion component - animatable wrapper

variants - named animation states

spring store - animatable state value

gestures - drag, press, hover behaviors

transitions - physics configuration (stiffness, damping)

Project Structure

src/components/ - animated components

src/lib/motion/ - variants and motion configs

App.svelte - main Svelte entry

styles/ - SCSS/CSS for layout

stores/ - spring values for animations

Building Workflow

Wrap element with motion component

Define initial and animate states

Supply variants or direct animation targets

Trigger animations via reactive state

Use gestures or events for interaction

Difficulty Use Cases

Beginner: animate opacity/scale

Intermediate: animate lists and layout

Advanced: gesture-based drag interactions

Expert: interconnected multi-state variants

Architect: full-system animation design using variants

Comparisons

Svelte-Motion vs CSS transitions - physics-based vs static

Svelte-Motion vs Framer Motion - smaller but similar API

Svelte-Motion vs GSAP - declarative vs timeline-heavy

Svelte-Motion vs Popmotion - Svelte-native vs generic JS

Svelte-Motion vs Svelte's built-in transition - more control & physics

Versioning Timeline

2020 - Early community versions appear

2021 - Variants and gestures introduced

2022 - SvelteKit compatibility improves

2023 - Better spring performance

2025 - Stable ecosystem with ongoing community support

Glossary

motion component - animatable wrapper

variants - named animation states

spring - physics-based interpolation

gestures - interactive drag/press behaviors

transition - config controlling spring behavior