starflock

Lightweight, zero-dependency canvas particle library. Composable forces, configurable everything.

npm install starflock

Quick start

import { World, drift, dampen, twinkle, mouseRepel } from 'starflock'

const world = new World({
  canvas: document.getElementById('bg'),
  nodeCount: 60,
  colors: ['#ffffff', '#cce8ff'],
  forces: [twinkle(), mouseRepel(), dampen(), drift()],
})

world.start()

Forces are just functions — compose them in any order, pass as an array. Each force runs every frame and mutates node velocities.

Recipes

Full-screen background

const world = new World({
  canvas,
  autoResize: true,
  pauseWhenHidden: true,
  pauseWhenOffscreen: true,
  nodeCount: 60,
  colors: ['#ffffff', '#cce8ff', '#fff4e0'],
  edgeMaxDist: 180,
  forces: [twinkle(), mouseRepel(), dampen(), drift()],
})
world.start()

Constellation with predefined edges

import { World, layouts, twinkle, dampen, mouseRepel } from 'starflock'

new World({
  canvas,
  layout: layouts.constellation('orion'),
  edges:  layouts.constellationEdges('orion'),
  colors: ['#ffffff', '#aad4ff', '#ffd2aa'],
  nodeSize: [1.5, 3.5],
  edgeMaxOpacity: 0.55,
  forces: [twinkle(), dampen(), mouseRepel()],
}).start()

Preset — one-liner

import { World, presets, twinkle, dampen, mouseRepel } from 'starflock'

new World({
  canvas,
  ...presets.orion(),
  forces: [twinkle(), dampen(), mouseRepel()],
}).start()

React

import { useStarflock } from 'starflock/react'
import { drift, dampen, twinkle, mouseRepel } from 'starflock'

export default function Background() {
  const ref = useStarflock({
    nodeCount: 60,
    colors: ['#ffffff', '#cce8ff'],
    forces: [twinkle(), mouseRepel(), dampen(), drift()],
  })

  return <canvas ref={ref} style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0, width: '100%', height: '100%' }} />
}

World options

Nodes

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | nodeCount | number | 60 | Number of nodes — ignored when layout is set | | nodeSize | [min, max] | [0.8, 2.8] | Radius range in px | | colors | string[] | ['#ffffff'] | Node colors | | nodeShape | 'circle' \| 'diamond' \| 'star' \| 'cross' \| 'ring' | 'circle' | Node shape | | nodeRotation | boolean | false | Nodes rotate on their axis — visible on diamond/star | | nodeSizeDistribution | 'uniform' \| 'gaussian' \| 'weighted-small' | 'uniform' | Size sampling distribution | | nodeColorMode | 'random' \| 'by-size' \| 'sequential' \| 'gradient' \| 'by-position' | 'random' | How colors are assigned | | nodeSpawnRegion | 'full' \| 'center' \| 'edges' \| fn | 'full' | Where nodes spawn. fn(width, height) => {x, y} for custom regions | | layout | Layout \| Layout[] | — | Deterministic node placement — overrides nodeCount and nodeSpawnRegion |

Edges

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | edges | Array<[number, number]> \| null | null | Predefined index pairs — when set, only these connections are drawn | | edgeMaxDist | number | 180 | Max distance for edge to appear — ignored when edges is set | | edgeMaxOpacity | number | 0.18 | Max edge opacity | | edgeWidth | number | 0.5 | Edge stroke width in px | | edgeColors | string[] | null | Edge colors — falls back to colors if not set | | edgeStyle | 'solid' \| 'dashed' \| 'gradient' | 'solid' | gradient interpolates between connected node colors | | edgeColorMode | 'alternate' \| 'source' \| 'target' \| fn | 'alternate' | fn(a, b, i, j) => color for custom logic | | edgeCurvature | number | 0 | 0 = straight, 1 = strong bezier curve | | maxEdgesPerNode | number \| null | null | Cap connections per node — prevents dense clusters | | minEdgesPerNode | number \| null | null | Guarantee minimum connections — draws faint long-range edges as fallback |

Glow

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | glowOnLargeNodes | boolean | true | Adds radial halo to nodes above threshold | | glowThreshold | number | 2 | Minimum radius to trigger glow | | glowScale | number | 4 | Halo radius multiplier | | glowOpacity | number | 0.25 | Halo opacity |

Rendering

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | blendMode | string | 'source-over' | Canvas globalCompositeOperation — 'screen' makes overlapping nodes glow brighter | | renderOrder | 'edges-first' \| 'nodes-first' | 'edges-first' | Draw order | | background | string \| null | null | Background fill color — null for transparent | | pixelRatio | number \| 'auto' | 'auto' | HiDPI/Retina pixel ratio |

Performance

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | pauseWhenHidden | boolean | true | Pause RAF when tab is not visible | | pauseWhenOffscreen | boolean | false | Pause RAF when canvas is scrolled out of view | | autoResize | boolean | true | Fit canvas to window on resize — set to false when managing canvas size yourself | | maxEdgesPerFrame | number \| null | null | Hard cap on edges drawn per frame — useful for very high node counts | | spatialIndex | boolean | false | Use a QuadTree for edge queries — O(n log n) instead of O(n²), worth enabling above ~200 nodes |

Callbacks

| Option | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | onFrame | (nodes, context) => void | Called every frame after rendering | | onNodeHover | (node) => void | Called when cursor enters a node's hitbox | | onNodeLeave | (node) => void | Called when cursor leaves a node's hitbox | | onNodeClick | (node) => void | Called when a node is clicked |

Layouts & Presets

A Layout is a function (width, height) => Array<{x, y}> that returns deterministic node positions. Pass one or an array to combine multiple layouts.

layouts.ring(opts?)

Places nodes evenly on a circle.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | count | 48 | Number of nodes | | radius | 0.38 | Radius relative to Math.min(width, height) | | cx | 0.5 | Center x, relative to width | | cy | 0.5 | Center y, relative to height |

layouts.constellation(name, opts?)

Places nodes at named star positions. Coordinates are scaled to the canvas.

Available names: 'orion' · 'big-dipper' · 'cassiopeia' · 'crux' · 'cygnus' · 'leo'

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | scale | 0.7 | Size relative to Math.min(width, height) | | cx | 0.5 | Center x, relative to width | | cy | 0.5 | Center y, relative to height |

layouts.constellationEdges(name)

Returns the predefined edge pairs for a constellation — index pairs into the node array produced by layouts.constellation(name).

new World({
  canvas,
  layout: layouts.constellation('cassiopeia'),
  edges:  layouts.constellationEdges('cassiopeia'),
  ...
})

Combining layouts

Pass an array of layouts to merge multiple constellations. Offset the edge indices by the cumulative node count of previous layouts:

const orionEdges  = layouts.constellationEdges('orion')
const dipperEdges = layouts.constellationEdges('big-dipper').map(([i, j]) => [i + 7, j + 7])

new World({
  canvas,
  layout: [
    layouts.constellation('orion',      { cx: 0.3 }),
    layouts.constellation('big-dipper', { cx: 0.7 }),
  ],
  edges: [...orionEdges, ...dipperEdges],
  ...
})

Custom layouts

Any function (width, height) => Array<{x, y}> works:

function circle(count = 40) {
  return (width, height) => Array.from({ length: count }, (_, i) => {
    const angle = (i / count) * Math.PI * 2
    return {
      x: width  / 2 + Math.cos(angle) * width  * 0.35,
      y: height / 2 + Math.sin(angle) * height * 0.35,
    }
  })
}

new World({ canvas, layout: circle(40), forces: [twinkle(), dampen()] }).start()

Presets

Presets are plain objects — spread them into the constructor and override anything:

import { presets } from 'starflock'

presets.orion()      // layout + edges + colors for Orion
presets.bigDipper()  // layout + edges + colors for the Big Dipper

// override individual options
new World({ canvas, ...presets.orion(), edgeMaxOpacity: 0.8 }).start()

Forces

Forces are plain functions — (nodes, context) => void. The context object provides { time, mouse, scrollY, width, height }. Combine freely.

drift({ maxSpeed })

Caps node velocity — prevents runaway acceleration. Use as the last force in your chain.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | maxSpeed | 0.08 | Maximum speed in px/frame |

dampen({ factor })

Multiplies all velocities by factor each frame — simulates friction.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | factor | 0.99 | 0.95 = heavy friction, 0.999 = near frictionless |

twinkle({ minBrightness, variance })

Oscillates node opacity using a per-node sine wave.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | minBrightness | 0.5 | Minimum alpha | | variance | 0.5 | Oscillation amplitude |

mouseRepel({ mode, radius, strength, fn })

Cursor interaction.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | mode | 'repel' | 'repel' · 'attract' · 'orbit' · 'custom' | | radius | 120 | Influence radius in px | | strength | 0.012 | Force multiplier | | fn | — | fn(node, mouse, context) when mode: 'custom' |

gravity({ x, y, strength })

Pulls all nodes toward a fixed point. Values 0..1 are relative to canvas size.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | x | 0.5 | Target x — 0.5 = center | | y | 0.5 | Target y | | strength | 0.0002 | Force magnitude |

attract({ x, y, radius, strength })

Like gravity but only affects nodes within radius. Has a dead zone at the center — combine with nodeRepel to prevent clustering.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | x | 0.5 | Target x | | y | 0.5 | Target y | | radius | 200 | Influence radius in px | | strength | 0.001 | Force magnitude |

nodeRepel({ radius, strength })

Nodes push each other away — simulates charged particles. O(n²), keep radius small.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | radius | 60 | Repulsion radius | | strength | 0.003 | Force magnitude |

wind({ angle, strength, gust })

Constant directional force with optional sinusoidal gusting.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | angle | 0 | Direction in radians | | strength | 0.001 | Base force magnitude | | gust | 0 | Gust amplitude |

noise({ scale, strength, speed })

Moves nodes along a slowly shifting 2D vector field. Nearby nodes flow in the same direction — organic, non-random.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | scale | 0.004 | Field scale — small = broad sweeping currents | | strength | 0.001 | Force magnitude | | speed | 0.0003 | How fast the field shifts over time |

scrollDrift({ mode, strength })

Reacts to world.scrollY. In autoResize mode this tracks window.scrollY automatically.

| Param | Default | | |---|---|---| | mode | 'rotate' | 'rotate' · 'wave' · 'scatter' · 'custom' | | strength | 1.0 | Effect multiplier | | fn | — | fn(node, delta, context) when mode: 'custom' |

Custom forces

Any function matching (nodes, context) => void works as a force:

function pulse() {
  return (nodes, { time }) => {
    const scale = Math.sin(time * 0.001)
    for (const node of nodes) {
      node.vx += (node.x - 400) * scale * 0.0001
      node.vy += (node.y - 300) * scale * 0.0001
    }
  }
}

new World({ canvas, forces: [pulse(), dampen(), drift()] })

Shapes

circle · diamond · star · cross · ring

Custom shape function: (ctx, x, y, r) => void

import { World } from 'starflock'

function triangle(ctx, x, y, r) {
  ctx.beginPath()
  ctx.moveTo(x, y - r)
  ctx.lineTo(x + r, y + r)
  ctx.lineTo(x - r, y + r)
  ctx.closePath()
  ctx.fill()
}

new World({ canvas, nodeShape: triangle })

API

world.start()

Begins the render loop and registers event listeners.

world.stop()

Cancels the render loop and removes all event listeners.

world.update(options)

Live-updates any option without restarting. Node positions and velocities are preserved.

world.update({ colors: ['#ff0000'], edgeMaxOpacity: 0.4 })

world.resize()

Recomputes canvas dimensions and recreates nodes. Call this when managing canvas size manually (autoResize: false).

world.scrollY

Set directly when managing scroll manually (e.g. in a bounded canvas):

window.addEventListener('scroll', () => { world.scrollY = window.scrollY })