Bootstrap Pagination

Bootstrap 5 Pagination

Basic Pagination

For websites with multiple pages of content, like blogs, search results, or product listings, pagination provides an intuitive way for users to navigate between these pages.

A basic pagination component in Bootstrap 5 looks like this:

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Previous</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

To create this, wrap a <ul> element with the .pagination class. Inside, use <li> elements with the .page-item class, and <a> elements with the .page-link class.

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">4</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">5</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Accessibility Note: Ensure the pagination component is wrapped in a <nav> element and includes an aria-label to describe its purpose, like aria-label="Page navigation".

Active State

The active state indicates the current page. Add the .active class to the .page-item of the current page.

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Previous</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item active" aria-current="page"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

It’s recommended to add aria-current="page" to the active .page-item for better accessibility.

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item active" aria-current="page">
      <a class="page-link" href="#">2 <span class="visually-hidden">(current)</span></a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Disabled State

Use the .disabled class on a .page-item to indicate that a link (e.g., ‘Previous’ on the first page, or ‘Next’ on the last page) is not clickable.

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item disabled"><a class="page-link" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Previous</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item active" aria-current="page"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Add tabindex="-1" and aria-disabled="true" to the link within a disabled .page-item for accessibility.

<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item disabled">
      <a class="page-link" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Previous</a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Pagination Sizing

Need larger or smaller pagination? Add .pagination-lg or .pagination-sm to the .pagination <ul> for additional sizes.

Large Pagination:
<nav aria-label="Large page navigation">
  <ul class="pagination pagination-lg">
    <li class="page-item active" aria-current="page">
      <span class="page-link">1</span>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Small Pagination:
<nav aria-label="Small page navigation">
  <ul class="pagination pagination-sm">
    <li class="page-item active" aria-current="page">
      <span class="page-link">1</span>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

<!-- Large -->
<ul class="pagination pagination-lg">
  <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
  <li class="page-item active"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
  <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
</ul>

<!-- Small -->
<ul class="pagination pagination-sm">
  <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
  <li class="page-item active"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
  <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">3</a></li>
</ul>

Alignment

You can align pagination to the center or right using flexbox utility classes like .justify-content-center or .justify-content-end on the parent .pagination <ul>.

<!-- Centered -->
<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination justify-content-center">
    <li class="page-item disabled"><a class="page-link" href="#">Previous</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

<!-- Right Aligned -->
<nav aria-label="Page navigation example">
  <ul class="pagination justify-content-end">
    <li class="page-item disabled"><a class="page-link" href="#">Previous</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">1</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">2</a></li>
    <li class="page-item"><a class="page-link" href="#">Next</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Application Scenario: A search results page showing 10 results per page. Pagination allows users to easily navigate through hundreds of results. The ‘Previous’ button would be disabled on page 1, and ‘Next’ disabled on the last page. The current page number would be highlighted.

For more details on pagination and its options, check the official Bootstrap documentation.