# dflex-js/dflex

The sophisticated Drag and Drop library you've been waiting for 🥳

Repository: https://github.com/dflex-js/dflex
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dflex
Homepage: https://www.dflex.dev
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: drag-and-drop, draggable, dom-manipulation, dom-api, dom-store, sortable, droppable, dnd
Last push: 2024-08-01T11:28:21+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2304, "days_push": 762, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1743, forks 27 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:30.490949+00:00)

## What it is
DFlex is a vanilla JavaScript drag-and-drop library that transforms DOM elements in place instead of reconstructing the DOM tree, using its own scheduler and reconciler. It is headless, framework-agnostic, and designed to prevent layout shifts while handling large lists of draggable elements.

## Use cases
- add drag and drop to a web app without jQuery or a framework lock-in
- build sortable lists with smooth animations and no layout shift
- implement kanban-style draggable cards in React, Vue, or vanilla JS
- handle drag and drop for large lists with many elements efficiently
- create draggable and droppable interfaces with custom restrictions
- replace ghost/clone-based DnD libraries with transformation-based movement

## When to choose
- you need framework-agnostic, headless drag-and-drop in vanilla JavaScript
- you want to avoid layout shifts and DOM reconstruction during dragging
- you need to sort large lists of elements with high performance
- you want fine-grained control over drag events and DOM registration

## When to avoid
- you need a batteries-included solution with prebuilt React/Vue components
- you require file drag-and-drop uploads rather than element reordering
- you want a library with a very large community and ecosystem like dnd-kit or SortableJS
- you need touch-free accessibility-first DnD out of the box

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: ui-components, animation, state-management
- domain: frontend, web-development
- platform: browser, cross-platform
- tags: drag-and-drop, sortable, dom-manipulation, vanilla-javascript, headless, typescript

## Member repositories
- dflex-js/dflex (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:30.490949+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:29:32.787383+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dflex-js/dflex (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:30.490949+00:00, sha a9478dde609b)
  - homepage: https://www.dflex.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T11:07:33.046903+00:00, sha 132b40deeac1)
  - site_page: https://www.dflex.dev/features (fetched 2026-08-29T11:07:33.056008+00:00, sha d017d6bd00c7)
  - site_page: https://www.dflex.dev/docs/drag-drop/api (fetched 2026-08-29T11:07:33.057868+00:00, sha d1c2b3a2605d)
  - site_page: https://www.dflex.dev/about (fetched 2026-08-29T11:07:33.059975+00:00, sha af2830eed2ee)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.