---
name: frontend-aceternity
description: Dramatic animated effects for landing pages and marketing sites. Use when user needs "wow-factor", hero sections with spotlights/aurora, 3D hover cards, text reveal animations, animated backgrounds. Built on Framer Motion + Tailwind. NOT for basic UI (use shadcn) or SaaS dashboards (use Magic UI).
allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Write, Bash (*)
---

# Aceternity UI

Copy-paste animated effects for stunning landing pages. Built on Framer Motion + Tailwind.

## When to Use

- Hero sections with spotlight/aurora effects
- 3D card hover effects
- Text reveal animations
- Animated backgrounds (beams, stars, meteors)
- User asks for "cool effects", "wow factor"

## When NOT to Use

- Basic UI components → shadcn/ui
- SaaS stats/marquees → Magic UI
- State-driven animations → Rive

## Process

**IDENTIFY → INSTALL → CUSTOMIZE**

1. Identify effect type needed
2. Install: `npx aceternity-ui@latest add [component]`
3. Customize colors/timing

## Dependencies

```bash
npm install framer-motion clsx tailwind-merge
```

## Component Categories

```yaml
Backgrounds:  spotlight, aurora-background, background-beams, wavy-background, meteors, sparkles
Cards:        3d-card, evervault-card, focus-cards, infinite-moving-cards, wobble-card
Text:         text-generate-effect, flip-words, typewriter-effect, hero-highlight
Navigation:   floating-navbar, floating-dock, navbar-menu
Special:      lamp, tracing-beam, parallax-scroll, globe, timeline
Buttons:      moving-border, hover-border-gradient
```

## Decision Tree

```yaml
Need dramatic effect?
  ├─ Hero background → spotlight, aurora-background, background-beams
  ├─ Feature cards → 3d-card, focus-cards
  ├─ Testimonials → infinite-moving-cards
  ├─ Headlines → text-generate-effect, flip-words
  └─ Section divider → lamp, tracing-beam
```

## Quick Patterns

```tsx
// Spotlight Hero
<div className="relative h-screen bg-black">
  <Spotlight className="absolute top-0 left-0" fill="white" />
  <div className="relative z-10">
    <h1>Content</h1>
  </div>
</div>

// 3D Card
<CardContainer>
  <CardBody className="bg-gray-50 rounded-xl p-6">
    <CardItem translateZ="50">Title</CardItem>
    <CardItem translateZ="100"><img src="..." /></CardItem>
  </CardBody>
</CardContainer>

// Flip Words
<h1>Build <FlipWords words={["faster", "better", "smarter"]} /> apps</h1>
```

## SSR & Hydration

```tsx
// ALL components require 'use client'
'use client'

// Heavy components: dynamic import
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'
const Globe = dynamic(() => import('@/components/ui/globe'), { ssr: false })

// Hydration fix pattern
const [mounted, setMounted] = useState(false)
useEffect(() => setMounted(true), [])
if (!mounted) return null
```

## Performance Tips

```tsx
// Reduce particles on mobile
const count = isMobile ? 20 : 100

// Respect reduced motion
const prefersReducedMotion = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches
```

## References

- **[components.md](references/components.md)** — Full component API with all props and patterns

## External Resources

- https://ui.aceternity.com/components
- For latest API → use context7 skill