Birthday-Cake Loading (BCL) – Capability-first progressive enhancement for React and Next.js

Summary: Birthday-Cake Loading is a lightweight runtime for React and Next.js that delivers a fast baseline rendering and progressively enhances content based on device capabilities and user preferences. It respects reduced-motion and save-data settings while enabling gated loading of motion, audio, and rich media.

What it does

BCL detects device and network capabilities to render a minimal baseline first, then upgrades the experience by loading additional features like animations and audio only when appropriate. It integrates with React and Next.js with zero configuration.

Who it's for

Developers building immersive React or Next.js applications who want to optimize performance and accessibility across diverse devices and network conditions.

Why it matters

It prevents slow loading and janky media on low-end devices by delivering content progressively, improving usability and performance metrics.