# CSS Navigation Matching: A New Approach

Applying styles during page transitions with CSS

- **Source:** [CSS-Tricks](https://brifing.si/source/eea3b580-b2ba-4369-b9e0-7fc8ad2ad5e3)
- **Published:** 2026-08-19
- **Topic:** [Software & Engineering](https://brifing.si/c/engineering)
- **Original article:** <https://css-tricks.com/css-navigation-matching-early-days/>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/aea2a247-0e9a-4b7f-891b-e132fcb57050

## What is CSS Navigation Matching?

CSS Navigation Matching is a new feature that allows applying styles when users navigate between specific pages. This feature makes page transitions more efficient by using CSS instead of JavaScript. It enables developers to define styles for transitions between specific URLs, offering a cleaner and less complex code structure.

## Using @location

@location is a CSS property used to define specific pages. For example, styles can be defined for URLs like '/contact' and '/contact/thanks'. This allows developers to have more controlled style applications during page transitions. Additionally, URL pattern matching enables style definitions for dynamic URLs, which is particularly useful for dynamic content like blog posts.

## Transitions with @navigation

@navigation is used to apply styles during transitions between specific pages. For instance, a specific style can be applied when navigating from '/contact' to '/contact/thanks'. This allows developers to create more dynamic and impressive effects during page transitions. Moreover, keywords like 'between' and 'at' can be used to define more specific transitions.

## URL Pattern Matching

URL pattern matching is used to define styles for dynamic URLs. For example, a pattern like '/article/:id' can be used to apply styles to all article pages. This is particularly useful for sites with a lot of dynamic content. Additionally, style definitions can be made for other URL components like hash, port, and hostname.

## Security in Transitions

CSS Navigation Matching brings some security concerns when applying styles during page transitions. Specifically, applying styles for users coming from certain pages could lead to potential security vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is important to be cautious and take security measures when using this feature.

## Developer Experience

CSS Navigation Matching offers a cleaner and less complex code structure for developers. By reducing dependency on JavaScript, it allows developers to work faster and more efficiently. Additionally, more DX (Developer Experience) focused features are suggested to lower the learning curve.

## Example Use Cases

CSS Navigation Matching is particularly useful for sites with dynamic content like blogs and e-commerce sites. For example, a specific style can be applied when transitioning from a blog post to the homepage. This can be used to enhance user experience and create more impressive transitions.

## Future Potential

CSS Navigation Matching could open a new era in web development. By reducing dependency on JavaScript, it enables the creation of faster and more efficient websites. This feature could be widely adopted by developers in the future, leading to new use cases and scenarios.

## Sources covering this story

- https://css-tricks.com/css-navigation-matching-early-days/ — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._