# Overlay Nav

> A design-system-aware marketing navbar with a wordmark, animated-underline links and a primary CTA on desktop; on mobile a burger opens a viewport navigation layer with staggered display-size links, a focus trap over an inert background, Escape close, scroll lock and desktop auto-close.

- Category: Menu
- Frameworks: Vanilla, React + CSS, React + Tailwind
- Design system: Aperture
- Dark mode: yes
- Access: premium (Atheros AI Pass)
- Tags: navigation, overlay
- Page: https://builder.atheros.ai/components/overlay-nav
- Preview: https://d17nmjscumqk5d.cloudfront.net/builder/templates/tpl_builder_overlay_nav/preview-8309725cf2b1.webp

## Features

- The logo glyph follows the proven text-on-surface pair. Desktop navigation links retain a minimum 24px interaction height, while `--buttons-radius`, capped at half the control height, gives the CTA and the burger/close pair an exact capsule on pill systems and the system's own corner everywhere else.
- Semantic `<header>` with a `<nav aria-label="Primary">` primary navigation bar
- Full-screen overlay menu (`role="dialog"` + `aria-modal`) opened by a burger with `aria-expanded`, `aria-controls` and `aria-haspopup="dialog"`
- Bar links and overlay links share mono `01`-`04` index numerals; overlay links reveal with a staggered transform/opacity transition
- Real focus trap while the overlay is open — Tab and Shift+Tab cycle only the visible links and buttons, focus returns to the burger on close
- The header bar is made `inert` while the overlay is open, so background controls are unreachable
- Escape closes the overlay and body scroll is locked while it is open
- Resizing past the desktop breakpoint with the overlay open auto-closes it and releases the scroll lock
- Outline CTA repeated inside the overlay footer next to a contact link
- Icons are real 24x24 Tabler glyphs drawn with `currentColor`
- Fully respects `prefers-reduced-motion`

## Accessibility

- **Navigation landmark** — `<nav aria-label="Primary">` wraps the nav list, `<nav aria-label="Overlay">` inside the dialog
- **Overlay dialog** — `role="dialog"` + `aria-modal="true"` + `aria-label` on the overlay
- **Burger control** — `<button aria-expanded aria-controls aria-haspopup="dialog">` with a swapped `aria-label`
- **Focus trap** — Tab and Shift+Tab wrap across the visible overlay controls; focus moves to the close button on open and returns to the burger on close
- **Inert background** — The header row is `inert` while the dialog is open, so nothing behind the overlay is reachable
- **Escape support** — Escape closes the overlay from anywhere in the document
- **Breakpoint safety** — Crossing to the desktop layout auto-closes the overlay and releases the scroll lock
- **Decorative icons** — Icon spans and the overlay brand marked `aria-hidden="true"`
- **Focus indicators** — `:focus-visible` outlines — `--ring` in the header, accent outlines inside the dark overlay
- **Reduced motion** — `prefers-reduced-motion: reduce` disables all animations

## Keyboard shortcuts

- `Tab` — Move focus between links and buttons; wraps inside the open overlay
- `Shift+Tab` — Reverse focus movement; wraps inside the open overlay
- `Enter` — Activate the focused button or link
- `Space` — Activate the focused button
- `Escape` — Close the overlay and return focus to the burger

## Common questions

**Which frameworks is Overlay Nav available in?**

Overlay Nav ships as Vanilla, React + CSS and React + Tailwind — HTML, CSS, JS and React source you can copy, download or clone into Atheros AI Builder.

**Is the Overlay Nav menu component free?**

Overlay Nav is a premium component. Anyone can preview it; the source, downloads and AI customisation are included with Atheros AI Pass.

**Does Overlay Nav support dark mode?**

Yes. Overlay Nav ships light and dark themes, both drawn from the Aperture design system's tokens. Switch the preview to dark mode to compare them.

## Get the code

Preview Overlay Nav live, then sign in to copy or download the source, apply another design system, or ask the AI assistant to change it: https://builder.atheros.ai/components/overlay-nav

Every component on https://builder.atheros.ai is also reachable from Claude Code, Cursor and Codex through the Atheros MCP server (paid plans). Component index: https://builder.atheros.ai/llms-components.txt