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sparhk
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Feb 25, 2026
| - Users must be able to jump to an arbitrary page, this is a validated user need and not just an assumed one. | ||
| - UX requirements genuinely call for it, and the above technical factors do not contradict it. | ||
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| **Note:** Cursor is also the safer default: switching from cursor to offset later is straightforward, but the reverse |
kevin-wise
reviewed
Feb 25, 2026
| Use cursor-based pagination when: | ||
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| - The dataset is large, unbounded, or expected to grow significantly over time. | ||
| - The underlying database is NoSQL or sharded, where offset scanning is expensive or unreliable. |
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is it worth adding somewhere (either to this bullet or elsewhere) that sometimes databases support cursors natively (i.e. Datastore)?
- The database supports cursor-based pagination natively
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Just about every modern database supports cursor-based pagination natively today. Saying something like "only some databases natively support cursors" implies others don't, which would be misleading.
But I think I understand what you are trying to get at though. It's more about NoSQL and sharded databases tend to make offset pagination actively painful or explicitly don't support it?
So how about something more like this?
- The underlying database is NoSQL or sharded. These databases are often designed around
cursor-style access and may not support offset scanning at all or do so at significant
performance cost.
…set option. Add guidance on when to choose each method.
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bryanstephens
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Feb 25, 2026
…ename offset/limit to pageNumber/pageSize.
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Change guidance to allow both offset and cursor. Remove the token offset option. Add guidance on when to choose each method.