Browser Support

SnapEngine Core targets modern, evergreen browsers. The compatibility below is derived from the browser APIs and syntax used by the current source, not from a claim that every browser and version receives the complete automated test suite.

This audit covers src/ and was last reviewed on July 26, 2026 against MDN Browser Compatibility Data version 8.0.8.

Minimum versions

For full Core behavior, including input-listener cleanup, use at least these browser versions:

Browser	Minimum version
Chrome	90
Edge	90
Firefox	86
Safari	15
Chrome for Android	90
Firefox for Android	86
Safari on iOS	15

The limiting Core primitive is abortable event listeners: addEventListener(type, listener, { signal }). Several other required APIs, including ResizeObserver and Pointer Events, became available earlier. SnapEngine does not include browser polyfills, and Internet Explorer is not supported.

Feature support matrix

✅ 90+ means that the feature has the platform APIs it needs beginning with that browser version. It does not mean that every listed version is continuously tested by SnapEngine.

SnapEngine feature	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox Android	iOS Safari
Core engine and render queue	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
DOM measurement and synchronization	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
Pointer, wheel, drag, and pinch input	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
Camera and coordinate transforms	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
Collision detection	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
Standard CSS-property animation	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+
Custom `$variable` animation	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 128+	✅ 16.4+	✅ 90+	✅ 128+	✅ 16.4+
Canvas debug renderer	✅ 90+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+	✅ 90+	✅ 86+	✅ 15+

Custom $variable animation has a newer floor because it registers typed, numeric CSS custom properties with CSS.registerProperty(). Constructing an animation with $ keys throws a descriptive error when that API is unavailable. Ordinary CSS-property animations do not use CSS.registerProperty().

Platform API audit

SnapEngine functionality	Browser APIs and syntax currently used	Requirement
Shared render pipeline	`requestAnimationFrame()`, `cancelAnimationFrame()`, promises, `Map`, and `Set`	Required by every engine
Container and object layout	`ResizeObserver`, `MutationObserver`, `getBoundingClientRect()`, `getComputedStyle()`, and `CSSStyleDeclaration`	Required when DOM is assigned
Input handling	Pointer Events, the `PointerEvent` constructor, `WheelEvent`, abortable event listeners, and `Event.composedPath()`	Required for full pointer, wheel, drag, and pinch behavior
Object transforms	CSS `transform`, `translate3d()`, and `scale()`	Required for DOM-backed object positioning
Camera transforms	CSS `matrix3d()` and DOM rectangles	Required when applying camera output to a DOM layer
Collision detection	JavaScript number and collection APIs, including `Math.hypot()`	No additional browser API beyond Core
Standard animation	`Animation`, `KeyframeEffect`, `AnimationEffect.getComputedTiming()`, `Animation.commitStyles()`, and computed styles	Required by `AnimationObject`
Custom animation variables	CSS custom properties, `CSS.registerProperty()`, `style.setProperty()`, and `style.getPropertyValue()`	Required only for `$variable` keyframes
Debug renderer	`<canvas>` and `CanvasRenderingContext2D`	Required only when debugging is enabled
DOM bookkeeping	`classList`, data attributes, `Element.remove()`, `WeakMap`, and `Proxy`	Required by DOM-backed objects

Event.composedPath() is preferred for routing through composed DOM trees, but SnapEngine contains a parent-node fallback. globalThis.reportError() is also optional because frame-task failures fall back to console.error().

Key API version floors

These are the first unprefixed versions for the relevant API, or the newest primitive in a grouped requirement. The overall feature matrix uses the higher Core minimum where necessary.

Platform requirement	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox Android	iOS Safari
`requestAnimationFrame()`	24	12	23	7	25	23	7
`ResizeObserver`	64	79	69	13.1	64	79	13.4
`PointerEvent` and its constructor	55	12	59	13	55	79	13
Abortable `addEventListener()`	90	90	86	15	90	86	15
Animation constructors, timing, and `commitStyles()`	84	84	75	13.1	84	79	13.4
`CSS.registerProperty()`	78	79	128	16.4	78	128	16.4
ES modules and nullish coalescing	80	80	72	13.1	80	79	13.4

Canvas 2D, mutation observers, computed styles, DOM rectangles, class lists, and the CSS transform functions used by SnapEngine all predate the Core minimums above.

Build and runtime expectations

The package exports TypeScript source as ES modules. Consuming applications are expected to process it through their TypeScript-aware bundler and choose a JavaScript syntax target appropriate for their browser policy. The version matrix on this page covers runtime platform APIs; it cannot account for a consumer build that leaves unsupported JavaScript syntax untransformed.

SnapEngine is browser-only. Create engines and animations after a DOM is available rather than during server rendering.

Browser-specific notes

Safari on iOS can report adjusted getBoundingClientRect() values when the user zooms the page. Test camera and pointer-coordinate behavior if page zoom is part of the product experience.
Pointer Events provide the touch data used for drag and pinch gestures, but an application may still need an appropriate CSS touch-action policy to keep native scrolling or zooming from winning a gesture.
Animation.commitStyles() is used to preserve the final computed state. SnapEngine catches commit failures, but browsers below the documented animation floor can revert a non-persistent animation after it is canceled.
The main Playwright configuration exercises Chromium and Firefox. Some layout suites also exercise WebKit, but the compatibility table should not be read as an end-to-end test guarantee for Safari or branded mobile browsers.