---
title: 'Core Engine'
excerpt: 'Tweens, transforms, easing, stagger, and runtime control — the GSAP foundation.'
icon: 'Layers3'
---

## Chapter overview

The GSAP core engine covers single tweens and shared defaults. Master these before timelines and ScrollTrigger.

| Lesson | Concepts |
| --- | --- |
| [Tweens](/learn/gsap-react/core/tweens) | `to`, `from`, `fromTo`, `set`, relative values |
| [Transforms](/learn/gsap-react/core/transforms) | `x`, `y`, `scale`, `transformOrigin` — not `left`/`width` |
| [Easing](/learn/gsap-react/core/easing) | Built-in curves; why `ease-out` beats `ease-in` on UI |
| [Stagger](/learn/gsap-react/core/stagger) | Cascade grids, nav, chat |
| [Control](/learn/gsap-react/core/control) | `play`, `reverse`, `overwrite: "auto"` |

<Callout variant="note">
  Use **camelCase** property names in tween vars: `backgroundColor`, `rotationX`, `xPercent`.
</Callout>