<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="dailydev" canonical="https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl" -->

---
title: CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does
description: A deep dive into how CSS easing functions work under the hood. Explains the four control points of cubic-bezier(), maps named keywords (ease, ease-in,...
canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:site: @dailydotdev
og:type: website
og:site_name: daily.dev
og:title: CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does | daily.dev
og:description: A deep dive into how CSS easing functions work under the hood. Explains the four control points of cubic-bezier(), maps named keywords (ease, ease-in,...
og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl
og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/2uoqSmrtl.png
og:image:alt: CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 630
og:locale: en
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does

**[Flavio Copes](https://daily.dev/sources/flaviocopes)** · 5 min read · 12 upvotes · 1 comments

## Summary

A deep dive into how CSS easing functions work under the hood. Explains the four control points of cubic-bezier(), maps named keywords (ease, ease-in, ease-out, ease-in-out) to their cubic-bezier equivalents, and covers overshoot effects using y values outside the 0–1 range. Also introduces the newer linear() function for complex bounce/spring animations and steps() for sprite-sheet or typewriter effects. Includes practical advice on which easing to use for entering, leaving, and repositioning UI elements, plus a note that easing applies per keyframe segment, not across the whole animation.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://flaviocopes.com/css-easing-cubic-bezier>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@agustinbarrientos** · 0 upvotes

> Very good explanation, thanks!

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [Ease In, Ease Out, and Everything Between](https://daily.dev/posts/ease-in-ease-out-and-everything-between-gk1jf4ks3) · Creative Design Technologist · 6 upvotes · 3 comments
- [Level up CSS transitions with cubic-bezier](https://daily.dev/posts/level-up-css-transitions-with-cubic-bezier-gzpgsdnvg) · RUBYLAND · 5 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#css](https://daily.dev/tags/css)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl"},"datePublished":"2026-08-02T07:44:57.131Z","dateModified":"2026-08-02T07:45:12.950Z","description":"A deep dive into how CSS easing functions work under the hood. Explains the four control points of cubic-bezier(), maps named keywords (ease, ease-in,...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/7219243bb6b6113ecc90bd933965a4ef?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/7219243bb6b6113ecc90bd933965a4ef?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Flavio Copes","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Flavio Copes","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/1f2dbd275797411bbd37bfdaaf0951a9","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/flaviocopes"},"commentCount":1,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":12},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}],"keywords":"css","timeRequired":"PT5M"}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flavio Copes","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/flaviocopes"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"CSS easing functions: what cubic-bezier actually does"}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/css-easing-functions-what-cubic-bezier-actually-does-2uoqsmrtl","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"Very good explanation, thanks!","datePublished":"2026-08-02T19:12:11.766Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/2uoqSmrtl#c-X6CzhPLcZ","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Agustin Barrientos","url":"https://daily.dev/agustinbarrientos","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--5ayxQnqn--/f_auto/v1788281802/avatars/avatar_wQYYVe5Tbj0NJ7C7qPoa8?_a=BAMAMicg0"}}]}
```

