View Transitions in React: A New Era of Seamless UI

The View Transition API is a native browser feature built to create smooth transitions by capturing the DOM state before and after changes, allowing the browser to animate between them without manual intervention.

React 19 embraces the View Transition API with the View Transition component, making transitions declarative and native to React, integrating them with routing and supporting SSR and RSC.

The limitations include needing to wrap JSX trees for view transitions, no auto route handling, challenges with suspense and SSR, and being error-prone if transitions are not started at the correct time.

Samuel Ouyang introduces the 'Use View Transition' custom hook, which handles routing, state, and suspense for smoother transitions, is SSR safe, and works with complex nested routes.

The View Transition API aims to solve issues like zero continuities in routing changes, complex third-party animation libraries, SSR and RLC breakage, and unpredictable layout shifts.

Animations in React are considered broken due to issues with routing changes causing zero continuities, reliance on complex third-party libraries, and fragile DOM hacks that lead to SSR and RLC breakage.

Benefits include built-in smooth transitions without manual handling, handling of route updates and full page changes, and the elimination of flickers and hydration mismatches.

The View Transition API is supported in Chrome, Edge, and Safari, with Firefox support currently in development.

Ideal use cases include route changes, card animations, tab switches, and layout changes, but it is not ideal for high-frequency streaming or complex data management.

By providing smooth, flicker-free transitions that integrate seamlessly with React's declarative nature, improving performance and UX without complex DOM hacks.