CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the design language that brings your HTML structures to life. It enables you to control colors, fonts, layouts, and responsive design to create visually engaging web experiences.
By separating content from presentation, CSS makes your code more organized and easier to maintain. Whether you're just starting out or refining your skills, mastering CSS is key to building modern, user-friendly websites.
Explore the basics and progress to advanced techniques as you build a solid foundation in web design.
/* Style the body */
body {
background-color: #f0f0f0;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
/* Heading example */
h1 {
color: #333;
text-align: center;
}
/* Paragraph example */
p {
color: #666;
line-height: 1.6;
}
Every CSS rule consists of a selector and a declaration block. The selector targets the HTML element(s) you want to style, while the declaration block defines the properties to apply. A strong grasp of CSS syntax and selectors enables you to write efficient, maintainable stylesheets.
With a variety of selectors at your disposal, you can target elements in multiple ways. Understanding these selectors helps you create more specific rules and avoid conflicts:
p selects all paragraph elements..container will style all elements with class "container".#header applies styles only to the element with id "header".input[type="text"] selects all text input fields.:hover styles an element when the user hovers over it.::before can be used to insert content before an element’s actual content.By combining selectors or using descendant and group selectors, you can write complex and targeted rules that ensure consistency and scalability in your styles.
/* Reset default browser styling */
* {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
/* Element selector: style all paragraphs */
p {
font-size: 1rem;
color: #333;
}
/* Class selector: highlighting specific elements */
.highlight {
background-color: #ffeb3b;
}
/* ID selector: unique header styling */
#main-header {
background-color: #f0f0f0;
padding: 20px;
}
/* Attribute selector: style text inputs */
input[type="text"] {
border: 1px solid #ccc;
padding: 8px;
}
/* Pseudo-class: hover effect on links */
a:hover {
color: #007acc;
}
/* Pseudo-element: decorative quote for blockquotes */
blockquote::before {
content: open-quote;
font-size: 2rem;
vertical-align: -0.5rem;
}
Experiment with combining these selectors to write powerful, efficient CSS. As your projects grow, using the right mix of selectors will help keep your stylesheets clean and maintainable.
Find answers to common questions about CSS—from its basics to advanced techniques. Click on any question to reveal the answer.
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is used to define the visual appearance and layout of a webpage. It separates content from presentation.
The cascade determines which CSS rules apply by considering the order of declarations, specificity, and source of style rules. This helps resolve conflicts when multiple rules target the same element.
Pseudo-classes style an element based on its state (e.g., :hover), while pseudo-elements target specific parts of an element (e.g., ::before, ::after).
A CSS preprocessor such as SASS or LESS is a tool that extends traditional CSS with features like variables, nesting, and functions, resulting in more maintainable and scalable stylesheets.
Responsive design is achieved with CSS media queries, flexible grids, and relative units. This allows your website to adjust its layout based on screen size, ensuring a good user experience across all devices.
Optimizing CSS can be done by minimizing code, reducing redundancy, using shorthand properties, and leveraging modular approaches or preprocessors to keep your code organized and efficient.