Cascading Style Sheet – CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a design language used in web development to control the look and feel of websites. It allows developers to apply colors, layouts, fonts, and spacing to web pages separately from the content.

CSS works in combination with HTML, which provides the structure of a webpage. While HTML organizes content into elements like headings and paragraphs, CSS controls how those elements appear on screen. This separation of content and style helps keep websites easier to maintain and more visually consistent. CSS can be written by hand or applied using various design tools and code editors.

Key Aspects

• CSS controls the visual appearance of web pages, such as colors, fonts, borders, and spacing.
• It separates content from design, allowing developers to update styles without changing the content structure.
• CSS can be applied directly in an HTML file or linked externally for broader reuse across many pages.
• Styles in CSS follow a rule-based format, using selectors to target specific elements on a page.
• Popular web development tools like Visual Studio Code and browser developer tools support CSS editing and testing.

CSS Controls Web Page Appearance

CSS plays a critical role in defining how web pages look by assigning design rules to HTML elements. It can set visual properties such as background colors, text alignment, spacing, and font styles to make content more appealing and readable.

Using CSS, developers can create consistent branding across all website pages. Whether it is a corporate website or a blog, CSS ensures that every section follows the same visual rules, which improves user experience and accessibility.

CSS Separates Content from Design

One of CSS’s most powerful aspects is its ability to keep content and design separate. HTML handles what the content says, while CSS manages how the content looks to the user.

This separation means designers can update the website’s visual style without changing its structure or rewriting content. It also allows multiple web pages to share the same design rules, reducing the need for repetitive code and simplifying maintenance.

CSS Can Be Written in Different Ways

CSS can be written in three different ways: inline, internal, and external. Inline CSS applies styles directly to HTML elements, while internal CSS is placed within the head of an HTML document using a <style> tag.

External CSS is often preferred in professional web development because it stores the style rules in a separate .css file. This approach allows multiple web pages to share the same stylesheet, making site-wide updates much easier and more efficient.

CSS Uses Selectors and Rules

A CSS rule consists of a selector and a set of declarations. The selector identifies which HTML elements should be styled, while the declarations define the style properties and their values.

For example, a CSS rule could select all <h1> tags and apply a specific font size and color. Developers often use more advanced selectors to target specific parts of a page, such as classes, IDs, or elements within a section.

CSS Works with Web Development Tools

Modern development tools make writing and testing CSS more efficient. Tools like Visual Studio Code provide features like syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and live previews to help developers work faster.

Web browsers also include built-in developer tools that allow users to inspect, modify, and test CSS in real time. These tools help identify styling issues, test layout adjustments, and experiment with new design changes without altering the live website.

Conclusion

CSS is a foundational technology that defines the visual design of websites and applications. Keeping content and style separate makes web development more efficient and visually consistent.

CSS in 100 seconds