---
id: css-animation-properties
title: "CSS Animation Properties"
category: "Frontend"
status: "draft"
verification_status: "conceptual"
canonical_id: ""
aliases: ["animation-direction", "animation-fill-mode", "animation shorthand", "animation-play-state", "alternate", "forwards"]
duplicate_of: ""
source_trust_level: "B"
confidence_score: 0.88
created_at: 2026-06-23
updated_at: 2026-06-23
review_reason: ""
merge_history: []
tags: ["css", "web", "frontend", "w3schools", "animation", "shorthand", "fill-mode"]
raw_sources: ["https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_animations_properties.asp"]
applied_in: []
github_commit: ""
---

# [[CSS Animation Properties]]

## 🎯 한 줄 통찰 (One-line insight)
`animation-direction` controls forward/backward/alternating playback, `animation-fill-mode` controls the element's style when the animation is not playing, and the `animation` shorthand packs all the individual animation properties into one declaration. [S1]

## 🧠 핵심 개념 (Core concepts)
- **`animation-direction`** — specifies whether an animation should be played forwards, backwards, or in alternate cycles. [S1]
- **`animation-fill-mode`** — specifies a style for the target element when the animation is not playing (before it starts, after it ends, or both). [S1]
- **`animation` shorthand** — sets all the animation properties in a single declaration. [S1]

## 🧩 추출된 패턴 (Extracted patterns)
- **Playback direction** — choose `normal`, `reverse`, `alternate`, or `alternate-reverse` (alternation needs an iteration count > 1 to be visible). [S1]
- **Persisting end/start state** — use `animation-fill-mode: forwards` to keep the last keyframe's style, `backwards` for the first keyframe during delay, or `both`. [S1]
- **Shorthand ordering** — `animation: name duration timing-function delay iteration-count direction;`. [S1]

## 📖 세부 내용 (Details)
**The `animation-direction` Property**
The `animation-direction` property specifies whether an animation should be played forwards, backwards or in alternate cycles. The `animation-direction` property can have the following values: [S1]
- `normal` — the animation is played as normal (forwards). This is default. [S1]
- `reverse` — the animation is played in reverse direction (backwards). [S1]
- `alternate` — the animation is played forwards first, then backwards. [S1]
- `alternate-reverse` — the animation is played backwards first, then forwards. [S1]

The following example will run the animation in reverse direction (backwards): [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  position: relative;
  background-color: red;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 4s;
  animation-direction: reverse;
}
```
The following example uses the value "alternate" to make the animation run forwards first, then backwards: [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  position: relative;
  background-color: red;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 4s;
  animation-iteration-count: 2;
  animation-direction: alternate;
}
```
The following example uses the value "alternate-reverse" to make the animation run backwards first, then forwards: [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  position: relative;
  background-color: red;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 4s;
  animation-iteration-count: 2;
  animation-direction: alternate-reverse;
}
```

**The `animation-fill-mode` Property**
The `animation-fill-mode` property specifies a style for the target element when the animation is not playing (before it starts, after it ends, or both). The `animation-fill-mode` property can have the following values: [S1]
- `none` — default value. Animation will not apply any styles to the element before or after it is executing. [S1]
- `forwards` — the element will retain the style values that are set by the last keyframe (depends on animation-direction and animation-iteration-count). [S1]
- `backwards` — the element will get the style values that are set by the first keyframe (depends on animation-direction), and retain this during the animation-delay period. [S1]
- `both` — the animation will follow the rules for both forwards and backwards, extending the animation properties in both directions. [S1]

The following example lets the `<div>` element retain the style values from the last keyframe when the animation ends: [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  background: red;
  position: relative;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 3s;
  animation-fill-mode: forwards;
}
```
The following example lets the `<div>` element get the style values set by the first keyframe before the animation starts (during the animation-delay period): [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  background: red;
  position: relative;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 3s;
  animation-delay: 2s;
  animation-fill-mode: backwards;
}
```
The following example lets the `<div>` element get the style values set by the first keyframe before the animation starts, and retain the style values from the last keyframe when the animation ends: [S1]
```css
div {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  background: red;
  position: relative;
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 3s;
  animation-delay: 2s;
  animation-fill-mode: both;
}
```

**Animation Shorthand Property**
The animation properties can be specified one by one, like this: [S1]
```css
div {
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 5s;
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-delay: 2s;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
  animation-direction: alternate;
}
```
The same animation effect as above can be achieved by using the shorthand `animation` property: [S1]
```css
div {
  animation: myAnimation 5s linear 2s infinite alternate;
}
```

**CSS Animation Properties**
The following table lists the `@keyframes` rule and all the CSS animation properties: [S1]

| Property | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `@keyframes` | Specifies the animation code |
| `animation` | A shorthand property for setting all the animation properties |
| `animation-delay` | Specifies a delay for the start of an animation |
| `animation-direction` | Specifies whether an animation should be played forwards, backwards or in alternate cycles |
| `animation-duration` | Specifies how long time an animation should take to complete one cycle |
| `animation-fill-mode` | Specifies a style for the element when the animation is not playing (before it starts, after it ends, or both) |
| `animation-iteration-count` | Specifies the number of times an animation should be played |
| `animation-name` | Specifies the name of the @keyframes animation |
| `animation-play-state` | Specifies whether the animation is running or paused |
| `animation-timing-function` | Specifies the speed curve of the animation |

## 🛠️ 적용 사례 (Applied in summary)
The page applies `reverse`, `alternate`, and `alternate-reverse` directions to a `<div>`, the `forwards`/`backwards`/`both` fill modes, and shows the same animation expressed both as individual properties and as the `animation` shorthand (`myAnimation 5s linear 2s infinite alternate`). No external project/commit applications found in the source.

## 💻 코드 패턴 (Code patterns)
Individual properties vs. shorthand (language: CSS):
```css
div {
  animation-name: myAnimation;
  animation-duration: 5s;
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-delay: 2s;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
  animation-direction: alternate;
}

div {
  animation: myAnimation 5s linear 2s infinite alternate;
}
```
Fill mode to retain end state:
```css
div {
  animation-fill-mode: forwards;
}
```

## ⚖️ 비교 및 선택 기준 (Comparison & decision criteria)
For `animation-direction`, pick `normal` for plain forward playback, `reverse` to run backwards, `alternate` to bounce forward-then-back, and `alternate-reverse` to bounce back-then-forward (the alternating options require an iteration count above 1). For `animation-fill-mode`, use `forwards` to keep the final keyframe's appearance after the animation ends, `backwards` to apply the first keyframe during the delay, `both` for both effects, and `none` (default) to apply no styles outside the active run. The `animation` shorthand is preferred for conciseness when several properties are set together. [S1]

## ⚖️ 모순 및 업데이트 (Contradictions & updates)
No contradictions found in the source.

## ✅ 검증 상태 및 신뢰도
- **상태:** draft
- **검증 단계:** conceptual (실제 적용 사례 발견 시 applied/validated로 승격 가능)
- **출처 신뢰도:** B (W3Schools — widely used educational reference, not a primary standards body)
- **신뢰 점수:** 0.88
- **중복 검사 결과:** 신규 생성 (New discovery)

## 🔗 지식 그래프 (Knowledge Graph)
- **상위/루트:** [[CSS Tutorial]]
- **관련 개념:** [[CSS Animations]], [[CSS Animation Timing]], [[CSS Transition Timing]]
- **참조 맥락:** Completes the animation feature set with direction, fill-mode, and the shorthand that consolidates all animation properties.

## 📚 출처 (Sources)
- [S1] W3Schools — CSS Animation Properties — https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_animations_properties.asp

## 📝 변경 이력 (Change history)
- 2026-06-23: Initial draft synthesized from the W3Schools "CSS Animation Properties" page (Astra wiki-curation, P-Reinforce v3.1 format).