Illustration comparing cursor-based pagination and offset pagination in modern APIs. The graphic features side-by-side visualizations of each pagination method, highlighting cursor navigation versus numbered page navigation, alongside the title "Cursor-Based Pagination vs Offset Pagination: Preserving User Navigation at Scale." Author attribution for Rachel Walker appears in the lower-left corner.

Cursor-Based Pagination vs Offset Pagination: Preserving User Navigation at Scale

Rachel Walker API Development, Architecture, Articles, UI/UX Leave a Comment

Cursor-based pagination has become the default pagination strategy for many modern APIs, including GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms, and large-scale SaaS applications. While it offers significant performance advantages over traditional offset pagination, it introduces new challenges for navigation, bookmarking, sharing links, and preserving user context. In this article, we compare cursor pagination vs offset pagination, explore why the industry is moving …