The Best CSS and CSS3 Tutorials and Resources

CSS is an essential language for any web developer to know. It allows you to take your web pages from bland walls of text to beautifully designed, interactive experiences. According to W3Techs, 96.2% of all websites use CSS, demonstrating its ubiquity and importance in web development.

As a full-stack developer with over 10 years of experience, I‘ve written my fair share of CSS. I‘ve seen firsthand how learning and mastering CSS can elevate your web development skills and open up new opportunities. In this guide, I‘ll share the best tutorials, courses, and resources that have helped me on my CSS journey, as well as some tips and best practices I‘ve learned along the way.

Why Learn CSS?

If you‘re new to web development, you might be wondering why you should bother learning CSS. After all, isn‘t it just for making things look pretty? While aesthetics are certainly a big part of what CSS does, it‘s also critical for creating usable, engaging user experiences.

Consider these key benefits of CSS:

1. Separating design from structure: CSS allows you to separate the presentation of a web page from its structure and content (HTML). This makes code more maintainable and allows redesigns without having to touch the underlying HTML.

2. Creating responsive layouts: With CSS media queries and flexible units like percentages, ems, and rems, you can create layouts that adapt to different screen sizes. This is essential in our multi-device world.

3. Enhancing user experience: CSS allows you to create intuitive, interactive user interfaces with hover states, animations, transitions, and more. Used well, these can greatly enhance user engagement.

4. Improving performance: Believe it or not, CSS can be a powerful tool for improving page load times. Techniques like critical CSS and removing unused CSS can make a big difference.

5. Supporting accessibility: CSS plays a key role in making websites accessible to users with disabilities. Things like proper text contrast, ARIA roles, and keyboard-friendly focus states rely on CSS.

So as you can see, CSS is much more than just a "design" language. It‘s a critical tool for creating successful websites that meet user needs. As a full-stack developer, it‘s important to give CSS the attention it deserves.

Key CSS Concepts to Learn

CSS is a large language, and it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Based on my experience, these are the key concepts I recommend focusing on as you begin your CSS learning journey:

The Box Model

The CSS box model is the foundation of layout on the web. According to the 2020 State of CSS survey, 93% of developers use the box model, so it‘s essential to understand how it works.

Every element on a web page is a rectangular box. The box model defines how the element‘s total width and height are calculated based on its content, padding, border, and margin. Here‘s a visual representation:

          |--------------------|
          |         ^          |
          |         |          |
          |         | Margin   |
          |         |          |
          |         v          |
          |    |---------|     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    | Border  |     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    |---------|     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    | Padding |     |
          |    |         |     |
          |    |         |     |
          |----|---------|-----|
               |         |     
               | Content |
               |         |
               |---------|

Here‘s a code example demonstrating the box model properties:

.box {
  width: 250px;
  height: 150px; 
  padding: 20px;
  border: 5px solid black;
  margin: 10px;
}

In this example, the total width of the .box element would be 300px (250px content + 40px padding + 10px border) and the total height would be 200px (150px content + 40px padding + 10px border). The margin is not counted towards the element‘s dimensions.

It‘s worth noting that by default, box dimensions are additive—padding and border are added on top of specified width/height. You can change this behavior using the box-sizing property:

.box {
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

With box-sizing: border-box, padding and border are included within the specified width/height, which many developers find more intuitive. I recommend using this by default in your projects.

CSS Specificity

One of the most common frustrations with CSS is when you write a style rule but it doesn‘t seem to apply to the element you‘re targeting. Nine times out of ten, this is due to a misunderstanding of CSS specificity.

Specificity is how the browser decides which CSS rule takes precedence when multiple rules target the same element. It‘s based on the type of selectors used in the rule. Here‘s the hierarchy, from highest to lowest specificity:

1. Inline styles (styles applied directly to an element using the style attribute)
2. IDs
3. Classes, attributes, and pseudo-classes
4. Elements and pseudo-elements

When multiple rules apply, the one with the highest specificity wins out. If there‘s a tie, the rule that comes later in the stylesheet is applied.

Here‘s an example demonstrating specificity:

<style>
  #my-button {
    background-color: blue;
  }

  .button-class {
    background-color: gray;
  }
</style>

<button id="my-button" class="button-class">Click Me</button>

In this case, the button will have a blue background, because the ID selector (#my-button) has higher specificity than the class selector (.button-class).

As a general rule, I recommend relying on class selectors as much as possible in your CSS. Classes provide a good balance of specificity and reusability. Avoid using IDs for styling purposes, and only use element selectors for very broad, global styles.

If you do find yourself needing to override a high-specificity selector, you can use the !important declaration as a last resort:

.button-class {
  background-color: gray !important;
}

This will override even inline styles. However, use !important very sparingly as it can quickly lead to specificity conflicts down the road.

Responsive Design

In today‘s multi-device world, responsive design is no longer optional—it‘s a requirement. According to a 2020 study by Perficient, 68.1% of all website visits came from mobile devices. Your CSS needs to be able to adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions.

The core of responsive design lies in two CSS concepts: media queries and relative units.

Media queries allow you to apply different styles based on characteristics of the user‘s device, most commonly screen width. Here‘s a basic example:

.container {
  width: 1200px;
}

@media (max-width: 600px) {
  .container {
    width: 100%;
  }
}

Here, elements with the .container class will have a width of 1200px by default. But on screens with a max width of 600px (typically smartphones in portrait orientation), the width will be set to 100% instead to prevent horizontal scrolling.

Relative units are another key aspect of responsive design. Instead of using fixed pixel values for things like widths, heights, and font sizes, using relative units like percentages, ems, rems, and vw/vh allows your designs to scale proportionally across different devices.

For example, setting font-size: 2vw would make the text size 2% of the viewport width. On a 1200px wide screen, this would equate to 24px. On a 360px wide smartphone screen, it would be 7.2px. The text scales relative to the screen size.

CSS Layout Systems

CSS provides several ways to lay out elements on the page, each with its own strengths and use cases. The three main layout systems in CSS are:

1. Flow layout: The default layout system where elements are laid out in the order they appear in the HTML. Elements can be displayed as block (stacked vertically), inline (laid out horizontally), or inline-block (laid out horizontally but with the ability to set width/height).

2. Flexbox: A one-dimensional layout system for laying out items in rows or columns. It provides powerful alignment and space distribution capabilities. According to the State of CSS 2020, 97% of developers have used flexbox.

3. Grid: A two-dimensional layout system for creating complex, responsive layouts. It allows you to define rows and columns and place items precisely within the grid. While newer than flexbox, the State of CSS 2020 shows 88% adoption among developers.

Each of these layout systems has its place in modern web development. Flow layout is great for simple documents and content-centric pages. Flexbox excels at laying out navigation bars, form elements, and other one-dimensional UI components. Grid is ideal for overall page layouts and complex, multi-dimensional components.

Here‘s a simple example demonstrating each layout system:

<!-- Flow layout -->
<div>
  <p>Paragraph 1</p>
  <p>Paragraph 2</p>
</div>

<!-- Flexbox -->
<ul class="flex-nav">
  <li>Home</li>
  <li>About</li>
  <li>Contact</li>
</ul>

<!-- Grid -->
<div class="grid-container">
  <header>Header</header>
  <nav>Navigation</nav>
  <main>Main Content</main>
  <footer>Footer</footer>
</div>

/* Flow layout */
div {
  display: block;
}

p {
  margin-bottom: 1em; 
}

/* Flexbox */
.flex-nav {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
}

/* Grid */
.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
  grid-template-areas: 
    "header header"
    "nav    main"
    "footer footer";
}

header { grid-area: header; }
nav    { grid-area: nav;    }
main   { grid-area: main;   }
footer { grid-area: footer; }

I recommend getting comfortable with all three layout systems, as you‘ll likely use each of them regularly in your projects. Flexbox and grid, in particular, are indispensable tools for creating modern, responsive layouts.

Where to Learn CSS

Now that we‘ve covered what you should learn in CSS, let‘s dive into some of the best resources for actually learning it. These are the tutorials, courses, and guides that I‘ve personally found most helpful in my CSS journey.

Beginner Tutorials and Courses

If you‘re brand new to CSS, start with a comprehensive beginner course to learn the fundamentals. Here are my top recommendations:

• freeCodeCamp‘s Responsive Web Design Certification: This free course covers all the basics of HTML and CSS, including flexbox and grid. It‘s a great starting point, and you‘ll build several projects for your portfolio.

• Codecademy‘s Learn CSS Course: Another great option for beginners, this free course is interactive and engaging. It covers all the essential CSS concepts.

• CSS Crash Course For Absolute Beginners: If you prefer video tutorials, this 1-hour crash course by Traversy Media is an excellent introduction to CSS. Brad explains the key concepts clearly and concisely.

Intermediate/Advanced Tutorials

Once you have a grasp of the CSS fundamentals, these resources will take you to the next level:

• CSS Diner: A fun, interactive game for practicing your CSS selector skills. It‘s a great way to master the ins and outs of selectors.

• What The Flexbox?!: A free 20-video course by Wes Bos that deep dives into all things flexbox. Highly recommended for mastering this essential layout tool.

• CSS Grid: Another excellent free course by Wes Bos, this one focusing on the CSS grid layout system. It‘s the perfect companion to the flexbox course.

• CSS Tricks Almanac: An extensive reference guide to all CSS selectors and properties, with clear descriptions and examples. Bookmark this one for sure.

Staying Up-to-Date

The web development landscape is constantly evolving, and CSS is no exception. To stay on top of the latest CSS trends, techniques, and best practices, I recommend these resources:

• CSS Weekly Newsletter: A weekly roundup of CSS articles, tutorials, experiments, and tools from around the web. It‘s a great way to discover new and interesting CSS content.

• CSS Tricks: One of the premier resources for CSS content, CSS Tricks publishes high-quality articles, tutorials, and guides on a near-daily basis. Their Almanac and Guides sections are especially useful.

• CSS Conferences: Attending CSS-focused conferences is a great way to learn from experts, discover new techniques and tools, and network with other passionate developers. This site maintains a calendar of upcoming CSS (and front-end) conferences around the world.

Remember, the best way to learn CSS is by doing. As you‘re working through tutorials and courses, be sure to practice on your own projects. Experiment, break things, and learn from your mistakes. Over time, CSS will start to feel like second nature.

Conclusion

We covered a lot of ground in this guide to learning CSS. We explored what CSS is and why it‘s so important for web development, as well as the key concepts you need to learn like the box model, specificity, responsive design, and layout systems. We also looked at some of the best resources out there for learning CSS, from beginner tutorials to advanced courses.

Remember, learning CSS is a journey. It takes time, practice, and patience to master. But the payoff is well worth it. With strong CSS skills, you‘ll be able to create engaging, responsive, and performant user interfaces—an essential skill for any web developer.

As a full-stack developer, I can attest that CSS is just as important as any server-side language or JavaScript framework. It‘s the bridge between your application‘s functionality and the user‘s experience of it. Treat it with the same care and attention you would any other part of the stack.

I hope this guide has given you a roadmap for your CSS learning journey. Bookmark it, share it with your fellow developers, and refer back to it often as you progress in your studies. And most importantly, have fun! Happy styling.