# Pagination

Canonical HTML: /atlas/pagination
Atlas version: atlas-2026-07-28-v1
Category: Content structure for machines

## Definition

Pagination divides a bounded collection into addressable pages connected by ordinary links.

## How it works

Stable URLs, next and previous links, unique item sets, and a clear endpoint let crawlers traverse the collection without executing interface code.

## How to validate it

Walk from the first page with an HTML-only crawler, detect repeated items and loops, and record the deepest page reached under fixed budgets.

## Common failure

Infinite scroll without equivalent paginated URLs hides later items and can create an unbounded crawl trap through generated parameters.

## Related topics

- [Breadcrumb structure](/atlas/breadcrumbs)
- [Crawl traps](/atlas/crawl-traps)