I recently got a report from a client who was running a high-end photography portfolio. It looked stunning, but their Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) was a total disaster—clocking in at nearly 6 seconds on mobile. The culprit? A heavy JS-based solution they used to achieve a native Masonry layout look. It was render-blocking everything, leaving users staring at a white screen while a 25KB script figured out where to place a few images. Total mess.
My first thought was to just throw more code at it. I figured I could lazy-load the script or maybe use a lighter library. But that’s the trap we’ve all fallen into for the last decade. We’ve become so used to reaching for a library the moment we see a complex UI challenge that we forget the browser is actually evolving. If you’re serious about performance optimization, you have to start looking at what the platform gives you for free.
The Problem with JS-Heavy Layouts
About 15 years ago, we didn’t have a choice. We had to support IE6, and even basic stuff like rounded corners required JS or “clever” sprite hacks. But today? Most of the stuff we’re still pulling in Lodash or Floating UI for is already built-in. According to the 2024 Web Almanac, the median page weight has ballooned to 2MB, mostly due to JavaScript bloat. We’re sending more code to devices than ever before, and for what?
When you use a library for a native Masonry layout, you’re forcing the browser to wait. The script has to load, parse, and execute before the first image even knows its position. On a slow 4G connection, that’s a death sentence for your conversion rates. Trust me on this: the best code is the code you don’t have to write—or download.
Why You Need a Native Masonry Layout Now
For years, the “clean” way to do Masonry without JS was using CSS columns. But here’s the kicker: columns flow vertically. If you have 10 items, item #2 is at the top of the second column, not next to item #1. It’s a UX nightmare for accessibility and reading order. This is why the new MDN documentation on CSS Masonry is such a big deal. We’re finally getting a way to pack items into the tightest spots without breaking the logical flow of the document.
This is where grid-lanes (the new display type) comes in. It allows the browser engine to handle the heavy lifting. No more recalculating positions on window resize; the browser just does its thing. If you want to dive deeper into how this changes the game, check out my thoughts on modern CSS and why it’s killing the JS-first mindset.
/*
* The bbioon_native_masonry helper
* Note: This uses the upcoming grid-lanes spec
*/
.bbioon-gallery-container {
display: grid;
gap: 1.5rem;
/* Defining columns but letting rows pack naturally */
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr));
grid-template-rows: masonry; /* This is the magic line */
}
.bbioon-item-featured {
grid-column: span 2; /* Items can still span tracks! */
}
/* Fallback for older browsers using CSS columns */
@supports not (grid-template-rows: masonry) {
.bbioon-gallery-container {
column-count: 3;
column-gap: 1.5rem;
}
.bbioon-item {
break-inside: avoid;
margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
}
}Is It Ready for Production?
Look, I’m a pragmatist. I know you can’t just flip a switch and expect every browser to support a native Masonry layout tomorrow. But the progress being made by the Chromium team and Firefox is rapid. As I mentioned in the source article on Smashing Magazine, browser vendors are finally listening to developers who are tired of the JS-only route.
By using @supports, you can start implementing these features today. You give modern browsers the high-performance experience they’re capable of while providing a functional fallback for the stragglers. It’s about being a responsible engineer, not just a dev who copies and pastes from StackOverflow. I’ve spent 14 years in the trenches, and the one thing that never fails is betting on the web platform’s native capabilities.
Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work at the speed of light, drop me a line. I’ve probably seen it before—and fixed it.
So, What’s the Point?
- JS libraries for layout are a performance liability in 2025.
- A native Masonry layout using
grid-template-rows: masonrypreserves accessibility and DOM order. - Betting on browser primitives reduces your maintenance burden and makes your site future-proof.
- Performance isn’t just a metric—it’s your brand’s reputation.
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