Does Bento Focus work in Next.js App Router?

Yes. The component includes the `'use client'` directive and uses `useGSAP` for proper cleanup across Server Component re-renders. Drop it into any page or component inside `app/`.

Does Bento Focus work with Server Components?

The component itself runs on the client (it needs the DOM for GSAP), but the parent page can be a Server Component. Import the component normally; React's "use client" boundary handles the rest. No additional configuration needed.

Does Bento Focus work in React 18 and React 19?

Yes. The component uses `useGSAP` which is React-version-agnostic. It also handles Strict Mode double-invocation correctly via `gsap.context` scoping.

Will the animation flash before hydration?

Brief flash is possible on first paint because GSAP needs the client to initialize. The component sets the parked ("starting") state via `gsap.set` on mount before the first frame, so any visible jump is sub-frame and rarely perceived. For above-the-fold use, pair with a CSS opacity:0 default that the component clears on mount.

GSAP component for React

Bento Focus in React.

Five photo tiles on a bento grid with one big focus slot. Click a small tile and it grows into the slot while the previous one shrinks back and the rest re-settle into the mixed-shape slots on the right, farther tiles moving later. Click again mid-flight and the grid simply changes course.

Install

Install Bento Focus in your React project

Bento Focus ships as a copy-paste React component. The only dependencies are GSAP and the official @gsap/react adapter for the useGSAP hook. Both work in Next.js (App Router and Pages), Vite, Remix, and Create React App.

BASH

Integrate

Where it goes in your React app

Bento Focus is a leaf-level interactive component, so it needs to render on the client. In a Next.js App Router project, add the 'use client' directive at the top of the file (it's already there in the component you copy).

The component is self-contained: it manages its own refs, useGSAP scope, and cleanup. Mount it inside any Server Component, Client Component, or page. It does not require a provider or wrapper.

If your project uses TypeScript, the component is typed - the props it accepts match the data-anm-* attributes documented on the main detail page.

Gotchas

Flip.getState reads live DOM rects, not React state

focusTile measures every tile with Flip.getState before the slot classes change - keep tile refs in an array rather than deriving positions from render state, and toggle the bf_slot_* classes on the DOM inside the same synchronous step.

Only the focused copy is split, and it is re-split on resize

SplitText.create runs on the focused tile's copy after fonts are ready and again inside normalizeTiles on resize; revert the previous split before creating a new one or the old line wrappers stay in the DOM.

FAQ

Common questions

Does Bento Focus work in Next.js App Router?: Yes. The component includes the 'use client' directive and uses useGSAP for proper cleanup across Server Component re-renders. Drop it into any page or component inside app/.
Does Bento Focus work with Server Components?: The component itself runs on the client (it needs the DOM for GSAP), but the parent page can be a Server Component. Import the component normally; React's "use client" boundary handles the rest. No additional configuration needed.
Does Bento Focus work in React 18 and React 19?: Yes. The component uses useGSAP which is React-version-agnostic. It also handles Strict Mode double-invocation correctly via gsap.context scoping.
Will the animation flash before hydration?: Brief flash is possible on first paint because GSAP needs the client to initialize. The component sets the parked ("starting") state via gsap.set on mount before the first frame, so any visible jump is sub-frame and rarely perceived. For above-the-fold use, pair with a CSS opacity:0 default that the component clears on mount.

Copy the React code

The full React implementation lives on the component page, with the live demo, every format side by side, and the ability to edit and re-run it in the browser.

Open Bento Focus

Bento Focus in React.

Install Bento Focus in your React project

Where it goes in your React app

Common questions

Copy the React code

Every component, in every framework.