Lottie

Lightweight vector animations. Just plays and loops — no complex logic.

When to Use

• Loading spinners
• Success/error checkmarks
• Empty state illustrations
• Decorative micro-animations
• Animated icons

When NOT to Use

• Animation reacts to input → Rive
• Multiple states/transitions → Rive
• Complex interactivity → Rive

Process

FIND → ADD → INTEGRATE

1. Find animation: https://lottiefiles.com
2. Download .lottie or .json
3. Place in public/animations/
4. Use component

Quick Start

npm install @lottiefiles/dotlottie-react

import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react';

// Simple autoplay
<DotLottieReact
  src="/animations/loading.lottie"
  autoplay
  loop
  style={{ width: 200, height: 200 }}
/>

Common Patterns

// Loading spinner
<DotLottieReact src="/spinner.lottie" autoplay loop style={{ width: 48 }} />

// Success feedback (plays once)
<DotLottieReact src="/success.lottie" autoplay loop={false} />

// Empty state
<div className="flex flex-col items-center py-16">
  <DotLottieReact src="/empty.lottie" autoplay loop style={{ width: 200 }} />
  <h3>No results found</h3>
</div>

// Loading button
{isLoading ? (
  <DotLottieReact src="/button-loader.lottie" autoplay loop style={{ width: 24 }} />
) : (
  "Submit"
)}

Decision: Lottie vs Rive

Finding Animations

LottieFiles:   https://lottiefiles.com/free-animations
Lordicon:      https://lordicon.com (animated icons)
useAnimations: https://useanimations.com (micro-interactions)

Playback Control

'use client'
import { useState, useCallback } from 'react'
import { DotLottieReact, DotLottie } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react'

function ControlledLottie() {
  const [dotLottie, setDotLottie] = useState<DotLottie | null>(null)

  return (
    <div
      onMouseEnter={() => dotLottie?.play()}
      onMouseLeave={() => dotLottie?.pause()}
    >
      <DotLottieReact
        src="/animation.lottie"
        loop
        dotLottieRefCallback={setDotLottie}
      />
    </div>
  )
}

// Methods: play(), pause(), stop(), setSpeed(n), goToAndPlay(frame)

SSR & Hydration

// Always 'use client'
'use client'

// Dynamic import
const DotLottieReact = dynamic(
  () => import('@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react').then(m => m.DotLottieReact),
  { ssr: false }
)

// Or mounted check
const [mounted, setMounted] = useState(false)
useEffect(() => setMounted(true), [])
if (!mounted) return <Skeleton />

Performance

// Pause when not visible
import { useInView } from 'react-intersection-observer'

const { ref, inView } = useInView({ threshold: 0.1 })

useEffect(() => {
  inView ? dotLottie?.play() : dotLottie?.pause()
}, [inView, dotLottie])

File Structure

public/animations/
  loaders/spinner.lottie
  feedback/success.lottie, error.lottie
  empty-states/no-data.lottie
  illustrations/hero.lottie

Troubleshooting

"Animation not loading":
  → Check file path in public/
  → Verify .lottie or .json extension

"Animation not playing":
  → Add autoplay={true}
  → Add loop={true}

"Hydration mismatch":
  → Add 'use client'
  → Use dynamic(() => ..., { ssr: false })

"Too fast/slow":
  → speed={0.5} for slower
  → speed={2} for faster

References

• patterns.md — Controlled playback, events, visibility pause, hover/click triggers

External Resources

• https://lottiefiles.com/free-animations — Free animations
• https://useanimations.com — Micro-interactions
• https://lordicon.com — Animated icons
• For latest API → use context7 skill