I recently added infinite scroll to my dashboard project. Not for a landing page or blog—for an actual admin panel displaying database records. And honestly? It made the experience way better.

The Problem with Standard Pagination

My dashboard shows lists of transactions, orders, user data—typical admin stuff. I started with Laravel’s default pagination—you know, the 1, 2, 3, next, previous links at the bottom.

It worked, but it had issues:

• Users had to scroll down to click “next”
• Every page change triggered a full reload
• Viewing page 5 meant clicking multiple times
• It felt slow and tedious

For a dashboard used daily, this adds up to real friction.

Why Infinite Scroll Makes Sense Here

I was skeptical at first. Isn’t infinite scroll more of a social media thing? But thinking about actual dashboard usage:

Admins scan data frequently - They scroll quickly looking for patterns or specific entries. Infinite scroll keeps that flow uninterrupted.

Fewer clicks means faster work - When someone uses your dashboard 20 times a day, eliminating pagination clicks actually matters.

Search and filters still work - Users looking for something specific can search or filter. Infinite scroll is for general browsing.

Better on tablets - If anyone accesses the dashboard from a tablet, scrolling beats tapping tiny pagination buttons.

Building It with Laravel Blade

The implementation is straightforward. I used vanilla JavaScript—no heavy libraries needed.

1. Controller Logic

In the controller, I keep using Laravel’s pagination:

public function index(Request $request)
{
    $transactions = Transaction::latest()
        ->paginate(20);
    
    if ($request->ajax()) {
        return view('dashboard.transactions.partials.list', compact('transactions'));
    }
    
    return view('dashboard.transactions.index', compact('transactions'));
}

The key: check if it’s an AJAX request. If yes, return just the partial view with the list. If no, return the full page. Simple.

2. Blade View Structure

Main view (index.blade.php):

@extends('layouts.dashboard')

@section('content')
<div class="container">
    <h1>Transactions</h1>
    
    <div id="transactions-container">
        @include('dashboard.transactions.partials.list')
    </div>
    
    <div id="loading" class="hidden text-center py-4">
        <span class="spinner"></span> Loading more...
    </div>
</div>
@endsection

@push('scripts')
<script src="{{ asset('js/infinite-scroll.js') }}"></script>
@endpush

Partial view (partials/list.blade.php):

@foreach($transactions as $transaction)
<div class="transaction-item border-b py-3">
    <h3 class="font-semibold">{{ $transaction->title }}</h3>
    <p class="text-gray-600">{{ $transaction->amount }}</p>
    <span class="text-sm text-gray-400">{{ $transaction->created_at->diffForHumans() }}</span>
</div>
@endforeach

@if($transactions->hasMorePages())
<div class="load-trigger" data-next-page="{{ $transactions->nextPageUrl() }}"></div>
@endif

The .load-trigger div is crucial—it marks where more content should load. The data-next-page attribute tells JavaScript which URL to fetch.

3. JavaScript Implementation

File infinite-scroll.js:

let isLoading = false;

const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
    entries.forEach(entry => {
        if (entry.isIntersecting && !isLoading) {
            loadMore(entry.target);
        }
    });
}, {
    rootMargin: '200px' // Start loading before user reaches bottom
});

function loadMore(trigger) {
    const nextPageUrl = trigger.dataset.nextPage;
    
    if (!nextPageUrl) return;
    
    isLoading = true;
    document.getElementById('loading').classList.remove('hidden');
    
    fetch(nextPageUrl, {
        headers: {
            'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest'
        }
    })
    .then(response => response.text())
    .then(html => {
        // Remove old trigger
        trigger.remove();
        
        // Append new content
        const container = document.getElementById('transactions-container');
        container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', html);
        
        // Observe new trigger if it exists
        const newTrigger = container.querySelector('.load-trigger');
        if (newTrigger) {
            observer.observe(newTrigger);
        }
        
        isLoading = false;
        document.getElementById('loading').classList.add('hidden');
    })
    .catch(error => {
        console.error('Error loading more:', error);
        isLoading = false;
        document.getElementById('loading').classList.add('hidden');
    });
}

// Start observing initial trigger
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
    const initialTrigger = document.querySelector('.load-trigger');
    if (initialTrigger) {
        observer.observe(initialTrigger);
    }
});

How It Works

1. Intersection Observer watches the trigger - When the .load-trigger div enters viewport (with 200px margin), it fires
2. Fetch next page via AJAX - Grabs the URL from data-next-page attribute
3. Append new content - Injects the HTML into the container
4. Observe new trigger - If there’s another page, start watching the new trigger

The isLoading flag prevents multiple simultaneous requests if the user scrolls fast.

Handling Edge Cases

Empty states - If there’s no data, show a message. Don’t show the trigger.

@if($transactions->count() > 0)
    @foreach($transactions as $transaction)
        // ... item markup
    @endforeach
@else
    <p class="text-center text-gray-500 py-8">No transactions found</p>
@endif

Error handling - Show a retry button if loading fails:

.catch(error => {
    console.error('Error:', error);
    const container = document.getElementById('transactions-container');
    container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `
        <div class="text-center py-4">
            <p class="text-red-500">Failed to load more</p>
            <button onclick="location.reload()" class="btn-retry">Retry</button>
        </div>
    `);
});

Performance - For really long lists, consider adding a “Back to Top” button:

<button id="back-to-top" class="fixed bottom-4 right-4 hidden" onclick="window.scrollTo({top: 0, behavior: 'smooth'})">
    ↑ Back to Top
</button>

Show it after scrolling past a certain point:

window.addEventListener('scroll', () => {
    const btn = document.getElementById('back-to-top');
    if (window.scrollY > 500) {
        btn.classList.remove('hidden');
    } else {
        btn.classList.add('hidden');
    }
});

The Results

After implementing this:

• Less friction - Admins can scan data continuously without interruption
• Faster perceived performance - No full page reloads
• Better mobile experience - Scrolling on tablets feels natural
• Still flexible - Search and filters work the same way

One admin told me: “I didn’t realize how annoying pagination was until I didn’t have to deal with it anymore.”

That’s the goal—make things so smooth users don’t think about the tech.

When Not to Use This

Infinite scroll isn’t always the answer for dashboards:

Data exports - If users need to export data, pagination helps them select specific page ranges Bookmarkable results - If users need to share links to specific pages Performance constraints - If loading gets slow after many items, pagination might be better User needs to jump around - If they frequently go from page 1 to page 10, pagination provides that control

But for general data browsing? Infinite scroll wins.

Worth the Effort?

Absolutely. The implementation took maybe an hour, and the UX improvement is noticeable. Users spend less time clicking and more time actually working with data.

If your dashboard has lists that users scroll through regularly, try adding infinite scroll. Your future self (and your users) will thank you.