By ByteBot
WebKit announced CSS Grid Lanes yesterday, December 19, delivering the first production-ready native CSS solution for Pinterest-style masonry layouts in Safari Technology Preview 234. This ends 15 years of JavaScript dependency on libraries like Masonry.js—24KB of code that developers can now delete. After a five-year debate, the CSS Working Group reached consensus in January 2025 to reuse Grid properties, unifying browser vendors around display: grid-lanes. Chrome is implementing in version 140 experimental.
Millions of developers using masonry layouts for image galleries, card grids, and newspaper designs can now eliminate JavaScript layout libraries entirely. This isn’t just faster—it’s architecturally cleaner. Layout logic belongs in CSS, not JavaScript event loops.
How CSS Grid Lanes Actually Works
The syntax is refreshingly simple. Use display: grid-lanes with existing Grid properties to create masonry layouts that automatically adjust to viewport width:
.gallery {
display: grid-lanes;
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr));
gap: 16px;
}Items flow into whichever “lane” (column) is shortest, creating the characteristic Pinterest-style stagger. The browser handles all layout calculations natively—no JavaScript, no media queries, no recalculation on resize. Responsive columns adjust automatically based on available width.
Moreover, the tolerance mechanism (item-tolerance: 1em default) controls placement sensitivity. Higher values reduce layout shuffling by ignoring small height differences; lower values maximize tight packing. WebKit provides official demos showing photo galleries, newspaper layouts, and mega-menus.
The Five-Year Browser War That Led Here
This wasn’t a quick win. The CSS Working Group debated for five years (2020-2025) about whether to integrate masonry into CSS Grid or create a separate module. Chrome initially prototyped display: masonry, Firefox tried grid-template-columns: masonry, and WebKit advocated for grid integration. Jen Simmons, WebKit engineer and CSS WG member, noted in the January 31 CSS WG meeting: “We’ve been having this argument for 5 years.”
The resolution came after feedback from W3C’s Technical Architecture Group. On January 31, 2025, the CSS WG voted to reuse grid-* properties, adopting the display: grid-lanes syntax. The specification published March 28, 2025 as CSS Grid Layout Level 3.
This consensus means all major browsers will implement the same syntax, avoiding fragmentation. Safari leads with Technology Preview 234 (shipped December 19). Chrome follows with experimental support in Chrome 140. Firefox is expected to adopt grid-lanes given their previous masonry prototyping. Unified browser implementation accelerates production readiness.
Performance Wins, Accessibility Trade-offs
Native CSS masonry eliminates JavaScript overhead. Masonry.js weighs 24KB; modern alternatives run 1.4-6KB. CSS Grid Lanes: 0KB. The WebKit team is direct about the benefits: “By moving complex layout calculations from JavaScript to the browser engine, we gain performance, accessibility, and maintainability.”
Layout calculations happen in browser layout engines (Blink, WebKit, Gecko) rather than JavaScript event loops. This matters especially with infinite scroll, where JavaScript libraries require manual recalculation on every content append. Browsers handle new items automatically as they enter the DOM.
However, accessibility improves in one way but creates trade-offs in another. Grid Lanes enables proper tab order across visible lanes rather than forcing users to tab through entire off-screen columns. Yet masonry layouts inherently create a mismatch between visual order (top-to-bottom, left-to-right across lanes) and DOM order (sequential through all items).
Hacker News developers are split. One commenter celebrated: “I’ve been waiting to remove the last 1.3KB of Javascript from my home page since 2019.” Another questioned the fundamental UX: “Your eyes bounce up and down constantly, and you end up inspecting the same elements multiple times.” The discussion (696 points, 211 comments) reveals real concern about whether masonry layouts create cognitive load.
This raises a question the industry hasn’t seriously confronted: Is native CSS masonry solving a problem or perpetuating a flawed pattern?
Browser Support Timeline and Production Reality
CSS Grid Lanes is available now in Safari Technology Preview 234 for testing. Chrome has experimental support in Chrome 140 (released July 2025 for early testing) behind feature flags. Production timeline: TBD, likely Q2-Q3 2026. Firefox previously prototyped masonry and is expected to adopt grid-lanes, but no public timeline exists. Edge follows Chromium.
Production deployment requires fallbacks today. Use feature detection for graceful degradation:
@supports (display: grid-lanes) {
.gallery { display: grid-lanes; }
}
@supports not (display: grid-lanes) {
.gallery { /* Fallback: CSS columns or regular grid */ }
}JavaScript libraries like Masonry.js remain relevant for legacy browser support. Early adopters can test in Safari Technology Preview and Chrome 140, but broad browser support is months away. Mid-2026 is the realistic production timeline.
The End of an Era
Masonry.js served the web for 15 years. Now it’s obsolete—not immediately, but inevitably. This is part of a broader trend: JavaScript migrating from layout and styling to state management and interactivity where it belongs. CSS Grid, Container Queries, and now Grid Lanes demonstrate that browser-native solutions eventually beat JavaScript workarounds.
For developers with modern browser requirements, the future is clear. For everyone else, JavaScript libraries buy you time until mid-2026. The WebKit announcement and Chrome’s implementation timeline provide technical details and browser roadmaps.
CSS Grid Lanes doesn’t just replace JavaScript—it challenges developers to reconsider whether masonry layouts themselves are worth the UX trade-offs. The technology is ready. The design pattern remains debatable.
