Have you ever wondered how social media apps like Instagram manage to keep us scrolling, almost as if the content is endless? I know I have! It goes beyond just great content — it taps into a continuous flow that keeps us hooked, waiting for what’s next. Unlike traditional pagination, where users have to click "Next" to load more, infinite scrolling creates a seamless experience. Just as we reach the end of the visible content, new items load in, sparking curiosity and anticipation. This is the magic of infinite scroll: keeping the journey going without any interruptions.
In this guide, we’ll create a simple React app that uses infinite scroll to display GitHub users information. We'll be using:
npx create-react-app infinite-scroll-app
cd infinite-scroll-app
npm start
Install axios, react-infinite-scroll-component and tailwindcss
npm install axios react-infinite-scroll-component tailwindcss
Since we’ll be using the Github Apis, it’s important to get Access Token from GitHub To avoid rate limitations, Here’s how to create a GitHub Personal Access Token and use it in your project:
public_repo
scope).
REACT_APP_API_URL=https://api.github.com
REACT_APP_API_KEY=your_access_token
const fetchUsers = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.get(`${apiUrl}/users`, {
headers: {
Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
},
params: {
per_page: 20, // Adjust the number of users per page
since: lastUserId, //The user id it should begin listing
},
});
const newUsers = response.data;
setUsers((prevUsers) => [...prevUsers, ...newUsers]);
setLastUserId(newUsers[newUsers.length - 1]?.id); // update the last user ID
setHasMore(newUsers.length > 0);
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error fetching users from GitHub API:", error);
return [];
}
};
It’s important to note that Github uses since
and not page
just as is in the code above
<InfiniteScroll
dataLength={users.length}
next={fetchUsers}
hasMore={hasMore}
loader={
<h4 className="font-semibold mt-4 text-center">Loading...</h4>
}
endMessage={<p>No more users to display</p>}
>
<div className="flex flex-wrap gap-4 justify-between items-center">
{users.map((user, key) => (
<div
key={key}
className="border h-[8rem] w-[45%] sm:w-[30%] md:w-[20%] flex flex-col gap-2 items-center p-2"
>
<img
src={user.avatar_url}
alt={`Avatar image of ${user.login}`}
width="80px"
height="80px"
className="rounded-full"
/>
<p>{user.login}</p>
</div>
))}
</div>
</InfiniteScroll>
import axios from "axios";
import React, { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import InfiniteScroll from "react-infinite-scroll-component";
function App() {
const [users, setUsers] = useState([]);
const [lastUserId, setLastUserId] = useState(null);
const [hasMore, setHasMore] = useState(true);
const apiKey = process.env.REACT_APP_API_KEY;
const apiUrl = process.env.REACT_APP_API_URL;
const fetchUsers = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.get(`${apiUrl}/users`, {
headers: {
Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
},
params: {
per_page: 20, // Adjust the number of users per page
since: lastUserId, //The user id it should begin listing
},
});
const newUsers = response.data;
setUsers((prevUsers) => [...prevUsers, ...newUsers]);
setLastUserId(newUsers[newUsers.length - 1]?.id); // update the last user ID
setHasMore(newUsers.length > 0);
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error fetching users from GitHub API:", error);
return [];
}
};
useEffect(() => {
fetchUsers();
}, []);
return (
<div className="container py-8">
<div className="mx-auto">
<h1 className="text-4xl font-bold text-center mb-8">
React Infinite Scroll Demo
</h1>
<InfiniteScroll
dataLength={users.length}
next={fetchUsers}
hasMore={hasMore}
loader={
<h4 className="font-semibold mt-4 text-center">Loading...</h4>
}
endMessage={<p>No more users to display</p>}
>
<div className="flex flex-wrap gap-4 justify-between items-center">
{users.map((user, key) => (
<div
key={key}
className="border h-[8rem] w-[45%] sm:w-[30%] md:w-[20%] flex flex-col gap-2 items-center p-2"
>
<img
src={user.avatar_url}
alt={`Avatar image of ${user.login}`}
width="80px"
height="80px"
className="rounded-full"
/>
<p>{user.login}</p>
</div>
))}
</div>
</InfiniteScroll>
</div>
</div>
);
}
export default App;
Infinite scrolling is a way to keep users engaged by continuously loading new content without interruption, and by now, you’ve experienced how easy it is to add to a React app. Using react-infinite-scroll-component
, axios
for API calls, and tailwindcss
for styling, we’ve created a user-friendly experience that mimics popular social platforms.