Overview

Aceternity UI is a copy-paste component library — not an npm package. You copy the component code directly into your project, giving you full ownership and customization power. Components are built with Framer Motion and Tailwind CSS.

Key traits:

Copy-paste approach (no runtime dependency)
Framer Motion for physics-based animations
Tailwind CSS for styling
Next.js / React compatible
TypeScript source included

Setup

Install dependencies

bash

npm install framer-motion clsx tailwind-merge

Add the `cn` utility

// lib/utils.ts
import { type ClassValue, clsx } from "clsx";
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge";

export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
  return twMerge(clsx(inputs));
}

Configure Tailwind

// tailwind.config.ts — add animations
module.exports = {
  content: ["./src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"],
  theme: {
    extend: {
      animation: {
        spotlight: "spotlight 2s ease .75s 1 forwards",
        shimmer: "shimmer 2s linear infinite",
        "move-to-right": "move-to-right 2s linear infinite",
      },
      keyframes: {
        spotlight: {
          "0%": { opacity: "0", transform: "translate(-72%, -62%) scale(0.5)" },
          "100%": { opacity: "1", transform: "translate(-50%, -40%) scale(1)" },
        },
        shimmer: {
          from: { backgroundPosition: "0 0" },
          to: { backgroundPosition: "-200% 0" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

Top 5 Components with Code

1. 3D Card Effect — tilt on hover

tsx

// components/ui/3d-card.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef, useState } from "react";
import { motion } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

export const CardContainer = ({ children, className }: { children: React.ReactNode; className?: string }) => {
  const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
  const [rotateX, setRotateX] = useState(0);
  const [rotateY, setRotateY] = useState(0);

  const handleMouseMove = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
    if (!containerRef.current) return;
    const { left, top, width, height } = containerRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
    const x = (e.clientX - left - width / 2) / 25;
    const y = (e.clientY - top - height / 2) / 25;
    setRotateX(-y);
    setRotateY(x);
  };

  return (
    <div
      ref={containerRef}
      onMouseMove={handleMouseMove}
      onMouseLeave={() => { setRotateX(0); setRotateY(0); }}
      className={cn("group/card perspective-1000", className)}
      style={{ perspective: "1000px" }}
    >
      <motion.div
        animate={{ rotateX, rotateY }}
        transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 30 }}
        style={{ transformStyle: "preserve-3d" }}
      >
        {children}
      </motion.div>
    </div>
  );
};

export const CardBody = ({ children, className }: { children: React.ReactNode; className?: string }) => (
  <div className={cn("h-96 w-96 rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-6", className)}>
    {children}
  </div>
);

// Usage
export function PricingCard() {
  return (
    <CardContainer>
      <CardBody className="flex flex-col justify-between p-8">
        <h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">Pro Plan</h3>
        <p className="text-4xl font-bold text-white">$29<span className="text-lg text-gray-400">/mo</span></p>
        <button className="rounded-lg bg-white px-6 py-3 font-semibold text-black">Get Started</button>
      </CardBody>
    </CardContainer>
  );
}

2. Background Beams — animated gradient beams

tsx

// components/ui/background-beams.tsx
"use client";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

export function BackgroundBeams({ className }: { className?: string }) {
  return (
    <div className={cn("absolute inset-0 overflow-hidden", className)}>
      <svg
        className="absolute h-full w-full"
        xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
      >
        <defs>
          <radialGradient id="beam1" cx="50%" cy="0%" r="50%">
            <stop offset="0%" stopColor="#6366f1" stopOpacity="0.3" />
            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="transparent" stopOpacity="0" />
          </radialGradient>
          <radialGradient id="beam2" cx="20%" cy="50%" r="40%">
            <stop offset="0%" stopColor="#8b5cf6" stopOpacity="0.2" />
            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="transparent" stopOpacity="0" />
          </radialGradient>
        </defs>
        <rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#beam1)" />
        <rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#beam2)" />
        {/* Animated lines */}
        {[...Array(6)].map((_, i) => (
          <line
            key={i}
            x1={`${(i + 1) * 15}%`}
            y1="0%"
            x2={`${(i + 1) * 15 + 10}%`}
            y2="100%"
            stroke={`hsl(${240 + i * 20}, 70%, 60%)`}
            strokeWidth="1"
            strokeOpacity="0.15"
          />
        ))}
      </svg>
    </div>
  );
}

// Usage
export function HeroSection() {
  return (
    <div className="relative flex h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center bg-black">
      <BackgroundBeams />
      <h1 className="relative z-10 text-6xl font-bold text-white">
        Build the Future
      </h1>
      <p className="relative z-10 mt-4 text-xl text-gray-400">
        The platform for modern teams
      </p>
    </div>
  );
}

3. Spotlight — cursor-following light effect

tsx

// components/ui/spotlight.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef, useState, useCallback } from "react";
import { motion } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

export function Spotlight({ className }: { className?: string }) {
  const divRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
  const [position, setPosition] = useState({ x: 0, y: 0 });
  const [opacity, setOpacity] = useState(0);

  const handleMouseMove = useCallback((e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
    if (!divRef.current) return;
    const { left, top } = divRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
    setPosition({ x: e.clientX - left, y: e.clientY - top });
  }, []);

  return (
    <div
      ref={divRef}
      onMouseMove={handleMouseMove}
      onMouseEnter={() => setOpacity(1)}
      onMouseLeave={() => setOpacity(0)}
      className={cn("relative overflow-hidden", className)}
    >
      <motion.div
        animate={{ opacity }}
        transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
        className="pointer-events-none absolute -inset-px rounded-xl"
        style={{
          background: `radial-gradient(600px circle at ${position.x}px ${position.y}px, rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.15), transparent 40%)`,
        }}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

// Usage on a card
export function SpotlightCard({ title, desc }: { title: string; desc: string }) {
  return (
    <Spotlight className="rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-8">
      <h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">{title}</h3>
      <p className="mt-2 text-gray-400">{desc}</p>
    </Spotlight>
  );
}

4. Moving Border — animated gradient border

tsx

// components/ui/moving-border.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef } from "react";
import { motion, useAnimationFrame, useMotionTemplate, useMotionValue, useTransform } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

export function MovingBorder({
  children,
  duration = 2000,
  className,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode;
  duration?: number;
  className?: string;
}) {
  const pathRef = useRef<SVGRectElement>(null);
  const progress = useMotionValue(0);

  useAnimationFrame((time) => {
    const length = pathRef.current?.getTotalLength();
    if (length) {
      const pxPerMs = length / duration;
      progress.set((time * pxPerMs) % length);
    }
  });

  const x = useTransform(progress, (val) => pathRef.current?.getPointAtLength(val).x ?? 0);
  const y = useTransform(progress, (val) => pathRef.current?.getPointAtLength(val).y ?? 0);
  const transform = useMotionTemplate`translateX(${x}px) translateY(${y}px) translateX(-50%) translateY(-50%)`;

  return (
    <div className={cn("relative", className)}>
      <svg className="absolute inset-0 h-full w-full" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
        <rect
          fill="none"
          width="100%"
          height="100%"
          rx="16"
          ry="16"
          ref={pathRef as React.RefObject<SVGRectElement>}
        />
        <motion.circle cx="0" cy="0" r="6" fill="#6366f1" style={{ transform }} />
      </svg>
      <div className="relative rounded-2xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-px">
        <div className="rounded-2xl bg-gray-950 p-6">{children}</div>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

// Usage
export function FeatureCard() {
  return (
    <MovingBorder duration={3000} className="w-72">
      <h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">Feature Name</h3>
      <p className="mt-2 text-gray-400">Description of the feature goes here.</p>
    </MovingBorder>
  );
}

5. Wavy Background — animated wave effect

tsx

// components/ui/wavy-background.tsx
"use client";
import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
import { createNoise3D } from "simplex-noise";

export function WavyBackground({
  children,
  className,
  backgroundFill = "#0f0f0f",
  colors = ["#38bdf8", "#818cf8", "#c084fc"],
  speed = 0.001,
}: {
  children?: React.ReactNode;
  className?: string;
  backgroundFill?: string;
  colors?: string[];
  speed?: number;
}) {
  const canvasRef = useRef<HTMLCanvasElement>(null);
  const noise = createNoise3D();

  useEffect(() => {
    const canvas = canvasRef.current;
    if (!canvas) return;
    const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d")!;
    let frame = 0;

    const resize = () => {
      canvas.width = canvas.offsetWidth;
      canvas.height = canvas.offsetHeight;
    };
    resize();
    window.addEventListener("resize", resize);

    const draw = () => {
      ctx.fillStyle = backgroundFill;
      ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);

      colors.forEach((color, i) => {
        ctx.beginPath();
        ctx.lineWidth = 40;
        ctx.strokeStyle = color;
        for (let x = 0; x <= canvas.width; x += 5) {
          const y = noise(x / 800, i * 0.3, frame * speed) * 100 + canvas.height / 2;
          if (x === 0) ctx.moveTo(x, y);
          else ctx.lineTo(x, y);
        }
        ctx.stroke();
      });

      frame++;
      requestAnimationFrame(draw);
    };
    draw();

    return () => window.removeEventListener("resize", resize);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div className={cn("relative flex items-center justify-center", className)}>
      <canvas ref={canvasRef} className="absolute inset-0 h-full w-full" />
      <div className="relative z-10">{children}</div>
    </div>
  );
}

// Usage
export function WavyHero() {
  return (
    <WavyBackground className="h-screen" colors={["#6366f1", "#8b5cf6", "#ec4899"]}>
      <h1 className="text-6xl font-bold text-white text-center">
        Ship with Confidence
      </h1>
    </WavyBackground>
  );
}

Installation Helper

bash

# Install all common deps at once
npm install framer-motion clsx tailwind-merge simplex-noise

# For TypeScript types
npm install -D @types/simplex-noise

Component Reference

Component	Effect	Use for
3D Card	Tilt on hover	Pricing, features
Background Beams	Gradient beam lines	Hero backgrounds
Spotlight	Cursor-following glow	Cards, panels
Moving Border	Animated border dot	CTAs, feature cards
Wavy Background	Canvas wave animation	Section backgrounds
Glowing Stars	Star particles	Dark hero sections
Evervault Card	Scrambling text on hover	Security/tech themes
Lamp	Cone of light from top	Hero sections
Macbook Scroll	Device reveal on scroll	Product showcases
Infinite Moving Cards	Scrolling testimonials	Social proof

Tips

All components are dark-mode first — wrap in dark class or set darkMode: 'class' in Tailwind
For performance, lazy-load canvas-heavy components with next/dynamic and ssr: false
Framer Motion adds ~30KB to bundle — consider LazyMotion for code splitting
Copy from ui.aceternity.com for the latest component versions

aceternity-ui

Usage

Getting Started

Example Prompts

Information

Documentation

Overview

Setup

Install dependencies

Add the `cn` utility

Configure Tailwind

Top 5 Components with Code

1. 3D Card Effect — tilt on hover

2. Background Beams — animated gradient beams

3. Spotlight — cursor-following light effect

4. Moving Border — animated gradient border

5. Wavy Background — animated wave effect

Installation Helper

Component Reference

Tips

aceternity-ui

Usage

Getting Started

Example Prompts

Information

Documentation

Overview

Setup

Install dependencies

Add the cn utility

Configure Tailwind

Top 5 Components with Code

1. 3D Card Effect — tilt on hover

2. Background Beams — animated gradient beams

3. Spotlight — cursor-following light effect

4. Moving Border — animated gradient border

5. Wavy Background — animated wave effect

Installation Helper

Component Reference

Tips

Add the `cn` utility