CSS Boilerplates: Starter Kits and Frameworks
CSS boilerplates are a great way to get started with responsive web design. They provide a solid foundation for your project and help you avoid common mistakes. In this article, we’ll take a look at what CSS boilerplates are, why you should use them, and some of the best ones out there.
Small CSS Boilerplates
SUIT CSS
SUIT CSS is a CSS framework built with developers in mind. With the module-based design and comprehensive setup, you can start building your web application without worrying about buggy styles caused by bloated frameworks or old-school methods of development. This saves time and gives you more freedom to focus on what really matters: features and user experience (UX).
With SUIT, we’ve written modular CSS base styles that give your app a reliable foundation. The preprocessor includes variables and mixins so you never have to worry about clearing floats again. And last but not least, there are tonnes of modules for components like dropdowns or buttons which require much less code than what was required in the past.
mini.css
mini.css is a lightweight framework designed with mobile devices and modern browsers in mind. Responsiveness, ease of use, and customization are some of the main features of the framework while accessibility and extensive documentation are some of the secondary focuses of the project. The framework is written using Sass, while most of its components are based on Flexbox which gives it more control over how your content will be displayed on different screen sizes.
This makes mini.css an extremely versatile tool that can be used for creating responsive websites quickly and easily. Additionally, as mini.css is based on Flexbox, it will work equally well on all types of devices – from desktops to smartphones.
inuitcss
inuitcss is a framework in its truest sense: it does not provide you with UI and design out of the box, instead, it provides you with a solid architectural baseline upon which to complete your own work.
Extensible, scalable, and Sass-based; inuitcss accommodates all large or long-lasting UI project needs so that developers can get past styling bugs towards more important aspects such as programming logic.
OOCSS removes duplication from coding and streamlines CSS by basing entire pages on a few select theme classes rather than many lengthy rules. The end result? Speedier site loading times whilst simultaneously increasing visual cohesion!
5 Best CSS Frameworks
Bootstrap 5
Bootstrap is the most popular front-end framework in existence. It’s beloved by developers for its stability, well-documented codebase, and large community. Bootstrap makes it easy to create responsive websites that look great on any device.
Bootstrap 5 is the newest incarnation of the world’s most popular front-end development framework. It has been completely rewritten from the ground up and features a host of new features and improvements.
It supports CSS Custom Properties, which allow you to create variables for your styles that can be changed at runtime. This makes it much easier to develop responsive websites that adapt to different screen sizes. The grid system has also been improved, with more intuitive classes and better support for nesting.
The documentation has also been greatly improved, making it easier than ever to learn Bootstrap and get started creating awesome websites. But perhaps the best new feature is the utility API, which provides a wealth of helper methods for dealing with common tasks like positioning elements or clearing floats. And last but not least, Bootstrap 5 features a brand new icon library with over 1,500 icons.
Foundation
For those of you who want a framework to base your projects off of taking Foundation for a spin. This is the definitive starting point for any serious web project. It includes sensible defaults, pixel-perfect cross-browser Compatibility & SEO-friendly CSS & HTML5 boilerplate templates that can save hours of editing code.
Build any project from the ground up with this powerful, flexible framework that includes all the taste-making components and styles like navigation bars, multiple containers, grids, and more so you don’t have to waste time researching new custom layouts.
Ready-made HTML templates are also available if building your own layout infrastructure isn’t something you’re interested in tackling today.
Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is a powerful, responsive, and fast front-end development toolkit created by the team at @aweber. It’s used by some of the biggest brands in the world, including HubSpot, Shopify, and Adobe.
Tailwind provides everything you need to get started with creating beautiful responsive websites quickly and easily – from foundational styles for typography, buttons, and form fields to comprehensive grid systems, layout helpers, and ready-made components.
Best of all, it integrates seamlessly with your existing workflow whether you’re using WordPress, ReactJS, or anything else.
Tailwind CSS is a powerful tool that helps you create reusable components for your projects. With Tailwind, you can easily design custom interfaces without having to worry about overriding existing styles. You can also find some component examples on the official website to help you get started.
Bulma
Bulma is a fantastic option for people who want to use modern code and a distinctive look.
Bulma’s simple and intuitive grid system makes it easy for programmers to quickly create layouts that look great on any device. Plus, Bulma’s vast library of components gives you everything you need to create polished, professional web pages without having to write a lot of custom code.
Bulma includes CSS animation functionality with auto-prefixer, emoji integration, and font-awesome built-in- just to name a few of the perks! If you would like more customization there are plenty of plugins available at no cost for jQuery 2+, Sass/SCSS, and Stylus web pages that can be easily integrated into your site!
UIkit
UIkit allows web developers of any level to add new features or modify existing ones without having to interact with the raw CSS or markup. With this CSS framework, programmers are able to quickly iterate their development and test out radical ideas without having to stress about codifying everything from scratch for each and every project.
The product is valid cross-browser compatible, which means that your site will look perfect no matter what device you’re using it on. UIKit helps make website design faster while also reducing time spent maintaining projects by giving users a convenient way of including only the components they need in their build files and increasing productivity as a result.
CSS3 Grid Template
Basic website layout using grid.
<div class="wrapper">
<header class="box">Header</header>
<nav class="box">Navigation</nav>
<div class="sidebar box">Sidebar</div>
<main class="box">Main content</main>
<footer class="box">Footer</footer>
</div>
.sidebar {
grid-area: sidebar;
}
nav{
grid-area: nav;
}
main {
grid-area: content;
}
header {
grid-area: header;
}
footer {
grid-area: footer;
}
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-gap: 10px;
grid-template-columns: 30% 70%;
grid-template-areas:
"header header" "nav nav" "sidebar content" "sidebar footer";
}
.box {
background: #EEE;
border-radius: 5px;
padding: 20px;
font-size: 150%;
}