Carousel
Also called slider, image slider, or slideshow
A row of slides shown one at a time and moved with arrows, dots, swipes, or a timer, to fit several images or cards in one spot.
import { useEffect, useRef, useState, type RefObject } from 'react';
const QUOTES = [
'“We shipped the redesign two weeks early.” Maya, Northwind',
'“Our onboarding finally feels like us.” Luis, Fieldnote',
'“Support tickets dropped by a third.” Priya, Ledgerly',
'“The whole team can edit the site now.” Sam, Tidewater'
];
const AUTOPLAY_MS = 5000;
// Scroll by one slide; scroll-snap settles on it. Past the last slide, wrap.
function step(track: RefObject<HTMLDivElement | null>, direction: 1 | -1) {
const el = track.current;
if (!el) return;
const left = el.scrollLeft + direction * el.clientWidth;
el.scrollTo({ left: left >= el.scrollWidth - 1 ? 0 : left });
}
export function TestimonialCarousel() {
const root = useRef<HTMLElement>(null);
const track = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
const [paused, setPaused] = useState(false);
useEffect(() => {
if (paused || matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches)
return;
const timer = setInterval(() => {
// Hold still while the pointer or keyboard focus is inside.
if (!root.current?.matches(':hover, :focus-within')) step(track, 1);
}, AUTOPLAY_MS);
return () => clearInterval(timer);
}, [paused]);
return (
<section
ref={root}
aria-label='Customer stories'
className='w-96 overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border'
>
{/* Swiping and trackpad scrolling come free; snapping lands on whole slides. */}
<div
ref={track}
className='flex snap-x snap-mandatory overflow-x-auto overscroll-x-contain scroll-smooth [scrollbar-width:none] motion-reduce:scroll-auto'
>
{QUOTES.map((quote) => (
<p key={quote} className='w-full shrink-0 snap-center p-8 text-lg'>
{quote}
</p>
))}
</div>
<div className='flex gap-4 border-t px-4 py-2 text-sm'>
<button onClick={() => step(track, -1)}>Previous</button>
<button onClick={() => step(track, 1)}>Next</button>
<button onClick={() => setPaused(!paused)} className='ml-auto'>
{paused ? 'Play' : 'Pause'}
</button>
</div>
</section>
);
}Build a testimonial carousel with 4 slides, previous and next arrows, and pill-shaped dots. Let people drag or swipe to change slides, moving one slide when they pass 20% of the width or flick quickly, and snap into place over 400ms with an ease-out curve. Advance every 5 seconds, pause on hover, on keyboard focus, and when prefers-reduced-motion is set, and include a visible pause button.
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What is Carousel?
A carousel shows one slide, or a few cards, from a longer row. Arrows step forward and back, dots show where you are and jump to a slide, and on touch screens you swipe. Some carousels also advance on their own every few seconds.
Carousels suit browsable sets where people expect to swipe: product photos, testimonials, app screenshots, or onboarding steps. Slides after the first get far fewer views, so keep your most important message outside the carousel.
Autoplay is the most common pitfall. Pause it while the pointer is over the carousel or it has focus, offer a pause button, and turn it off for people who prefer reduced motion. Let a drag snap to the nearest slide, and for a lighter build, CSS scroll-snap-type on a horizontal scroller gives you swiping and snapping without JavaScript.
Often confused with
- Horizontal scroll section
- A horizontal scroll section moves sideways as you scroll down the page. A carousel moves when you click, swipe, or wait.
Related terms
All termsScroll snap
A CSS feature that makes a scroll container settle on set points, so carousels and full-screen sections come to rest neatly on an item.
Drag gesture
Moving an element by pressing on it and sliding the pointer or finger, usually within set bounds and with a glide after release.
Horizontal scroll section
A pinned section where scrolling down moves a row of cards sideways, turning vertical scrolling into horizontal movement.
Reduced motion
An operating system setting that asks apps to minimize movement, which websites detect with the prefers-reduced-motion media query.
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