The CSS-in-React Panorama
I solely half-jokingly consult with the CSS-in-JS world as CSS-in-React. Most of the libraries listed under theoretically work in non-React conditions — they typically name that “framework-agnostic”) — however I’d guess the overwhelming majority of their utilization is on React tasks. That’s as a result of React, regardless of being a UI-focused library, has no specific blessed styling resolution. Vue has fashion tags built right into Single File Elements. Same with Svelte. Angular additionally has a built-in component-scoped styles resolution. With React, it’s bring-your-own.
Maybe not venturing too far out of their core strengths is a energy of React. I dunno. However you do have to choose on the right way to fashion issues in your React tasks. For instance, you may merely write (and there may be actually no downside with this), common ol’ flat-file vanilla CSS to fashion your React tasks. I’d suggest that over utilizing inline fashion={{ }} on the whole lot any day. However fact be instructed, there are some fairly good benefits to picking a library to assist with types. Issues like:
- Co-locating types and parts
- Scoping types to parts
- Utilizing props in styling variations
- Utilizing JavaScript talents inside CSS syntax
- Theming
Every library has its personal set of fancy issues that is perhaps variations on the above, or is perhaps completely distinctive to that library.
It’s additionally notable that through the use of a library the place you creator types in your JavaScript, it’s not a 100% assure that you need to ship your types in JavaScript. The libraries that use the time period “zero runtime” are usually referring to the concept the types are compiled to CSS throughout a construct course of, so you employ that CSS like some other, which is probably going higher for efficiency.
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A few caveats earlier than we undergo the listing:
- I’m not deeply skilled in each single considered one of these libraries. I’ve used a number of of them on actual tasks, most closely CSS Modules. I can’t fairly converse to the nuances of every. The demos under are primary demonstrations of primary styntax.
- If I get any details unsuitable otherwise you need to add extra element, hit me within the feedback or by way of our contact type and I’ll enhance issues.
- The purpose of this, partially, is to have a working code instance of every for straightforward reference.
styled-components
- Tremendous in style — in all probability the most-used possibility.
- Popularized the probabilities of dynamic styling and the magic of utilizing props for variations.
- Template literal syntax feels comfortably CSS-like. It looks like it actually encourages utilizing it that means, however it is possible (docs) to make use of Object syntax.
- Helps SSR, but it surely’s not the identical as “zero runtime” libraries (which suggests “compiles to static CSS.” It nonetheless ships a JavaScript runtime for any dynamic types.
CSS Modules
- Quite simple. All it does is scope types and encourage co-location of types and parts.
- It’s fancy characteristic is composition, which is principally mixins based mostly on current courses.
- Not a runtime factor in any respect — it requires a construct course of. But it surely nonetheless works with HMR and such. You possibly can ship it with types in JavaScript, or extract them into static CSS information. It does nothing dynamic, so it’s extraordinarily “zero runtime” if you happen to extract the CSS.
- Could be mixed with Sass.
- Built into Next.js
Emotion
Emotion is a library designed for writing css types with JavaScript. It offers highly effective and predictable fashion composition along with an ideal developer expertise with options corresponding to supply maps, labels, and testing utilities. Each string and object types are supported.
- It doesn’t appear terribly totally different than styled-components, TBQH, however this podcast will get into a number of the efficiency variations.
- Helps SSR, however isn’t zero-runtime.
- Glamorous is totally deprecated (and I suppose Glam and Glamor as properly?) in favor of Emotion, in order that’s one thing.
Stitches
- The Variants API may be very helpful and properly finished.
- The TypeScript editor expertise¹.
- Helps theming and encourages utilizing a design token strategy.
- Utilities help you construct your personal customized shorthands for styling.
- Helps SSR — and it’s nearer to zero-runtime, although not fully. Additionally doesn’t appear to really generate CSS information, relatively it has a operate that spits out CSS so you need to use SSR by way of a
<fashion>tag (which I can’t think about is right for caching). - Right here’s a Twitter thread with an trustworthy overview. Additionally see all of the reactions to this.
vanilla-extract
- I’d say vanilla-extract helps SSR but it surely’s greater than that as a result of that’s the solely means it’s used, except you choose into particular “runtime” options, like dynamic theming. That’s the which means of “zero runtime”: it solely compiles to static CSS information.
- The TypeScript editor expertise¹. (Additionally see our recent article.)
- Variants API, together with a Recipes API that’s like just like the Stiches framework above.
- Helps a theme and utility-class-like strategy by way of Sprinkles
- I used to be gonna put Aphrodite on this listing, however the creators of it are moving to vanilla-extract, so it in all probability isn’t an ideal selection as of late, regardless that it appears to do just about all the identical stuff as these different libraries.
JSS
- Has a React-specific integration
- Has an
prolongsyntax - Plugin structure
Linaria
- The OG of “Zero Runtime” CSS-in-JS libraries.
- Compiles to precise CSS information, however nonetheless has a runtime if you happen to do dynamic issues (a minimum of I believe so).
- Feels much like styled-components API-wise.
- Helps Critical CSS.
Styled JSX
- Babel plugin, so positively a build-process factor.
- Utilizing a
<fashion jsx>tag proper within the part on the stage of nesting you need to scope to is a intelligent API. - Lack of nesting isn’t nice — you need to repeat the selector title loads.
Goober
- Goober is notable as a result of it has an superior title and is a mere 1.25KB, which is like an order of magnitude smaller than anything.
- Pretty much the identical characteristic set of styled-components and Emotion.
Fascinating assets:
- Shopify’s research on which library they wished to modify to.
- Fb has something cooking (conference video), however hasn’t open-sourced something. It’s apparently referred to as “StyleX” — and there may be already a library referred to as “Style9” that makes an attempt to match the options, together with near-zero runtime, atomic CSS output, and the TypeScript expertise.
- Should you’re into authoring within the atomic fashion, lots of people assume that utilizing Tailwind (in all probability with just-in-time mode) is the way in which to go.
- Most likely a extra React-y model of Tailwind is Styled System, which offers types as a bunch of preconfigured props.
- Twin is alongside the traces of authoring with atomic types in a React-y means.
- I couldn’t get Compiled to work for me. I’m certain it was simply me, however I gave up. It appears to be like precisely just like the styled-components API to me, besides the output is atomic CSS courses, which does appear kinda cool.
- The location CSS in JS Playground reveals a bunch of examples, together with a couple of libraries not talked about right here, like Fela, Radium, and extra. My god, are there loads of this stuff.
- By “the TypeScript editor expertise,” I imply the library is written in TypeScript to benefit from considered one of TypeScript’s greatest options: assist autocompleting code in code editors. For instance, if you happen to’re utilizing VS Code as your code editor, and also you write a set of “shade” variants, then sort
<Button shade="in your JSX file, it is best to get a listing of your personal suitable variants within the contextual VS Code autocomplete menu to select from.
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