Infinite Scrolling in Web: Ultimate Guide

All you need to know about infinite scrolling engineering. Patterns behind it and web-implementation details including virtualization

Hello to all Web Engineers. I dedicate this article to everyone interested in the web and want to learn the theory behind infinite scrolling, how it works inside and ready not to be scared of building it on your own. The reader will also find UX Pattern explanation with a touch of human biology and psychology. So boil the kettle, grab some cookies and tea, and let’s get started.

Long Read Alert 🚨: this article is big! If you’re interested in the coding part, just go to the Chapter 5

Chapter 1: Pattern overview

First of all, let’s identify the problem we’re trying to solve. Modern websites use a well-known concept called — Infinite Scroll. It’s the natural pattern when the user consumes in the form of infinite posts. As we can’t just render 1 million posts, the information is delivered in chunks. Once the user finishes with a chunk, they scroll down to see the next piece (page). It’s used on many platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and etc.