Transform & Animation

CSS animation-iteration-count Property

Sets the number of times an animation cycle should be played before stopping

Syntax

CSS
animation-iteration-count: <number> | infinite;

Values

ValueDescription
1Plays once (default)
infiniteRepeats indefinitely
3Plays three times
0.5Plays halfway through once

Example

CSS
.pulse {
  animation: pulse 2s ease-in-out infinite;
}

Understanding CSS animation-iteration-count

The CSS animation-iteration-count property sets the number of times an animation cycle should be played before stopping. As part of the Transform & Animation module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.

You can set animation-iteration-count to values such as 1, infinite, 3, 0.5, among others. Each value changes how the browser renders the affected element, giving you fine-grained control over your page layout and design. Choosing the right value depends on the specific design requirements of your project.

Common use cases for the animation-iteration-count property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like animation, animation-direction, animation-fill-mode to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.

Browser support for animation-iteration-count is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, consider using fallback values or progressive enhancement strategies. The property can also be set dynamically via JavaScript using element.style.animationIterationCount or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.

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