How to build a skeleton screen with CSS and React

Skeleton loaders are a user experience enhancement tool that gives the impression of faster loading times by displaying placeholder shapes mimicking the structure of the content that will eventually load. The article discusses the importance of skeleton loaders in improving perceived performance, emphasizing their ability to keep users engaged on sites with high traffic, slow processes, or poor internet connections. It provides a detailed guide on building skeleton loaders using React and CSS, incorporating a step-by-step tutorial on setting up a project with Vite, creating a mock server with JSON Server, and designing the skeleton loader with styled components. The article also explores animation techniques to add visual appeal to the loaders and highlights the significance of skeleton loaders in maintaining user engagement by providing a visual cue during data fetches, without actually speeding up the loading process.