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Overview

The vanilla JavaScript adapter provides framework-agnostic drag and drop functionality through the core @dnd-kit/dom package. Use this when you’re building without a framework or want direct control over the DOM.

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Installation

Install the core packages: 
npm install @dnd-kit/dom @dnd-kit/abstract

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Getting Started

1

Create a DragDropManager

Initialize the drag and drop manager that coordinates all interactions:
import {DragDropManager} from '@dnd-kit/dom';

const manager = new DragDropManager();
2

Create draggable elements

Register elements as draggable:
import {Draggable} from '@dnd-kit/dom';

const draggableElement = document.getElementById('draggable-1');

const draggable = new Draggable(
  {
    id: 'draggable-1',
    element: draggableElement,
  },
  manager
);
3

Create droppable zones

Register elements as drop targets:
import {Droppable} from '@dnd-kit/dom';

const droppableElement = document.getElementById('droppable-1');

const droppable = new Droppable(
  {
    id: 'droppable-1',
    element: droppableElement,
  },
  manager
);
4

Listen to drag events

Subscribe to drag and drop events:
manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragstart', (event) => {
  console.log('Drag started:', event.operation.source.id);
});

manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragend', (event) => {
  const {source, target} = event.operation;
  console.log('Dropped', source.id, 'on', target?.id);
});

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Complete Example

Here’s a full working example: 
import {DragDropManager, Draggable, Droppable} from '@dnd-kit/dom';

// Initialize the manager
const manager = new DragDropManager();

// Create draggable items
const draggableElements = document.querySelectorAll('[data-draggable]');
draggableElements.forEach((element) => {
  new Draggable(
    {
      id: element.id,
      element: element as HTMLElement,
      data: {
        label: element.textContent,
      },
    },
    manager
  );
});

// Create droppable zones
const droppableElements = document.querySelectorAll('[data-droppable]');
droppableElements.forEach((element) => {
  new Droppable(
    {
      id: element.id,
      element: element as HTMLElement,
    },
    manager
  );
});

// Handle drag events
manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragstart', (event) => {
  event.operation.source.element?.classList.add('dragging');
});

manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragover', (event) => {
  event.operation.target?.element?.classList.add('drag-over');
});

manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragend', (event) => {
  event.operation.source.element?.classList.remove('dragging');
  event.operation.target?.element?.classList.remove('drag-over');
});

// Cleanup when done
window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
  manager.destroy();
});

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Sortable Lists

Create sortable lists using the Sortable class: 
import {DragDropManager} from '@dnd-kit/dom';
import {Sortable} from '@dnd-kit/dom/sortable';

const manager = new DragDropManager();

const items = ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3'];
const listElement = document.getElementById('sortable-list');

items.forEach((item, index) => {
  const element = document.createElement('div');
  element.textContent = item;
  element.id = `item-${index}`;
  listElement.appendChild(element);

  new Sortable(
    {
      id: element.id,
      element: element,
      group: 'list',
      index: index,
    },
    manager
  );
});

manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragend', (event) => {
  const source = event.operation.source;
  const target = event.operation.target;
  
  if (source && target) {
    // Update your state/data based on the new order
    console.log(`Moved ${source.id} to position ${target.index}`);
  }
});

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Advanced Features

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Custom Drag Handles

Specify a different element as the drag handle: 
const draggableElement = document.getElementById('card');
const handleElement = document.getElementById('drag-handle');

new Draggable(
  {
    id: 'card',
    element: draggableElement,
    handle: handleElement,
  },
  manager
);

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Modifiers

Apply modifiers to constrain or modify drag behavior: 
import {DragDropManager} from '@dnd-kit/dom';
import {restrictToHorizontalAxis} from '@dnd-kit/abstract/modifiers';

const manager = new DragDropManager({
  modifiers: [restrictToHorizontalAxis],
});

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Sensors

Customize how drag operations are initiated: 
import {DragDropManager} from '@dnd-kit/dom';
import {PointerSensor} from '@dnd-kit/dom';

const manager = new DragDropManager({
  sensors: [
    new PointerSensor({
      activationConstraint: {
        distance: 10, // Require 10px movement before dragging
      },
    }),
  ],
});

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Type Safety

Add type safety to your drag and drop data: 
interface CardData {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  status: 'todo' | 'in-progress' | 'done';
}

const draggable = new Draggable<CardData>(
  {
    id: 'card-1',
    element: cardElement,
    data: {
      id: 'card-1',
      title: 'Implement feature',
      status: 'todo',
    },
  },
  manager
);

manager.monitor.addEventListener('dragend', (event) => {
  const data = event.operation.source.data;
  console.log(data.title); // Type-safe access
});

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Cleanup

Always destroy the manager when you’re done: 
// Destroy individual entities
draggable.destroy();
droppable.destroy();

// Or destroy the entire manager (destroys all registered entities)
manager.destroy();

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Best Practices

  • Initialize once: Create your DragDropManager instance once and reuse it
  • Clean up: Always call destroy() to prevent memory leaks
  • Use data property: Store metadata on draggables for easier event handling
  • Batch updates: Apply multiple changes together for better performance
  • Element references: Keep element references up to date when DOM changes

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Next Steps

Sensors

Configure how drag operations are initiated

Modifiers

Constrain and modify drag behavior

Collision Detection

Control how droppable targets are detected

Events

Listen to all available drag and drop events

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