Web/API/CanvasRenderingContext2D/createLinearGradient

The CanvasRenderingContext2D.createLinearGradient() method of the Canvas 2D API creates a gradient along the line connecting two given coordinates.

[[File:../../../../../../media.prod.mdn.mozit.cloud/attachments/2017/02/20/14681/0a069ef24d8876abde48cb3788957f5f/mdn-canvas-linearGradient.png]]

This method returns a linear CanvasGradient. To be applied to a shape, the gradient must first be assigned to the fillStyle or strokeStyle properties.

Note: Gradient coordinates are global, i.e., relative to the current coordinate space. When applied to a shape, the coordinates are NOT relative to the shape's coordinates.

Syntax

CanvasGradient ctx.createLinearGradient(x0, y0, x1, y1);

The createLinearGradient() method is specified by four parameters defining the start and end points of the gradient line.

Parameters

x0: The x-axis coordinate of the start point.
y0: The y-axis coordinate of the start point.
x1: The x-axis coordinate of the end point.
y1: The y-axis coordinate of the end point.

Return value

CanvasGradient: A linear CanvasGradient initialized with the specified line.

Examples

Filling a rectangle with a linear gradient

This example initializes a linear gradient using the createLinearGradient() method. Three color stops between the gradient's start and end points are then created. Finally, the gradient is assigned to the canvas context, and is rendered to a filled rectangle.

HTML

<canvas id="canvas"></canvas>

JavaScript

var canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');

// Create a linear gradient
// The start gradient point is at x=20, y=0
// The end gradient point is at x=220, y=0
var gradient = ctx.createLinearGradient(20,0, 220,0);

// Add three color stops
gradient.addColorStop(0, 'green');
gradient.addColorStop(.5, 'cyan');
gradient.addColorStop(1, 'green');

// Set the fill style and draw a rectangle
ctx.fillStyle = gradient;
ctx.fillRect(20, 20, 200, 100);

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
HTML Living StandardThe definition of 'CanvasRenderingContext2D.createLinearGradient' in that specification.	Living Standard

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`createLinearGradient`	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1.5	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support Yes	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support

Gecko-specific notes

Starting with Gecko 2.0 (Firefox 4 / Thunderbird 3.3 / SeaMonkey 2.1), specifying non-finite values now throws NOT_SUPPORTED_ERR instead of SYNTAX_ERR.