Although the most straightforward way to use Torque is through either CARTO Builder, or by passing the layer's viz.json to [CARTO.js]({{site.cartojs_docs}}/), many use cases work best with the standalone [Torque.js](https://github.com/CartoDB/torque/tree/master/dist). Assuming you have a public dataset with a `date` column, it is really simple to create an animated map with the library. First, you need to have a Leaflet map prepared in an HTML page:
This HTML file automatically generates the Torque.js library, which includes any Torque dependencies. For Torque to work with your table, you only need a username, the name of the table, and a [CartoCSS]({{site.tools_cartocsss}}/) string to style the map. Leaflet's method `addTo` adds the Torque layer to the map. `play` runs the animation with the options specified in the CartoCSS properties.
Like in a video player, you can use animation control methods such as `play`, `stop` and `pause` at any point. Torque's animator fires a `change:time` event each time the animation "ticks" to the next frame, and there are a number of properties and methods that can be run during playback, which are detailed in the [API reference]({{site.torque_docs}}/reference/). At any point, for example, the styling of the layer's markers can be changed using the `layer.setCartoCSS('##style##')`.
