# Background ASCII Wake

> A full-screen animated ASCII/canvas background where a sparse ambient scatter of monospace characters sits at rest and the mouse pointer drags a decaying character trail whose length and brightness respond to how fast it moves.

- Author: [nikolas-sapa](https://21st.dev/@nikolas-sapa)
- Library: @ns-ui
- License: MIT
- Tags: Background, Canvas, Interactive, Cursor Trail, Ascii
- Live preview: https://21st.dev/@nikolas-sapa/components/background-ascii-wake

## Install

```bash
npx shadcn@latest add "https://21st.dev/r/nikolas-sapa/background-ascii-wake?api_key=$API_KEY_21ST"
```

Requires a 21st API key (generate one at https://21st.dev/mcp) passed as `API_KEY_21ST`. Free accounts get a limited number of installs per day; unlimited on a paid plan — see https://21st.dev/pricing.

Full component directory: https://21st.dev/llms.txt · More like this: https://21st.dev/community/components/s/background.md