Comparison
Infinite scrollvsList virtualisation
Infinite scroll
you watch a sentinel element near the bottom and fetch the next page when it comes into view.
Loading additional pages as the user approaches the end of the list, usually with an IntersectionObserver on a trailing element. It removes a click but breaks things users rely on: the footer becomes unreachable, the back button loses position, and there is no way to say where you are in the list. Offering an explicit load-more control alongside it is the usual compromise.
Full entry →List virtualisation
the list has fifty thousand rows and only the thirty on screen exist in the DOM at any moment.
Rendering only the visible slice of a long list and adjusting the scroll container's height so the scrollbar still behaves. It is the only way to keep a large table interactive, because DOM node count drives layout, paint and memory. The costs are real: find-in-page, anchor links, keyboard navigation and screen readers all see only what is rendered, and variable row heights make the arithmetic considerably harder.
Full entry →