How do you make CSS work faster and better?

CSS is a powerful tool for styling web pages, but it can also be a source of frustration and inefficiency if you don't use it wisely. In this article, you'll learn some tips and tricks to make your CSS work faster and better, without sacrificing quality or functionality.

1 Use CSS preprocessors

One way to speed up your CSS workflow is to use a preprocessor, such as Sass, Less, or Stylus. A preprocessor is a tool that extends the syntax and features of CSS, allowing you to write more concise, modular, and reusable code. For example, you can use variables, mixins, functions, nesting, inheritance, and more. A preprocessor then compiles your code into plain CSS that browsers can understand.

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Omar Guanoluisa Arciniega

Full Stack developer | JavaScript & TypeScript | ReactJS | NextJS | React Native | NodeJS | NestJS
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When I was working with css, I don't try to use preprocessors because I use StyledComponents. However, I think that this technology is very useful.

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2 Use CSS frameworks

Another way to improve your CSS performance is to use a framework, such as Bootstrap, Tailwind, or Bulma. A framework is a collection of ready-made components, classes, and utilities that you can use to build your web pages faster and easier. For example, you can use a grid system, responsive design, typography, icons, forms, buttons, and more. A framework also helps you maintain consistency and compatibility across your project.

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Omar Guanoluisa Arciniega

Full Stack developer | JavaScript & TypeScript | ReactJS | NextJS | React Native | NodeJS | NestJS
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In my experience, the frameworks are useful to create very fast MVP, but you need more experience to modify the base components since this components have its own styles.

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3 Use CSS minification

A simple but effective technique to optimize your CSS is to use minification. Minification is the process of removing unnecessary characters, such as spaces, comments, and line breaks, from your code. This reduces the file size and improves the loading speed of your web pages. You can use online tools, such as CSS Minifier or Clean CSS, to minify your code manually, or use a build tool, such as Gulp or Webpack, to automate the process.

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Omar Guanoluisa Arciniega

Full Stack developer | JavaScript & TypeScript | ReactJS | NextJS | React Native | NodeJS | NestJS
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this technique is good, in that moment I know that the frameworks do this process in background, now I use more framework or libraries to develop apps

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4 Use CSS compression

Another technique to reduce the file size and bandwidth of your CSS is to use compression. Compression is the process of encoding your code in a more efficient way, using algorithms such as gzip or brotli. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred between the server and the browser. You can enable compression on your server, such as Apache or Nginx, or use a CDN, such as Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront, to deliver compressed files.

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5 Use CSS selectors wisely

One of the most important aspects of writing efficient CSS is to use selectors wisely. Selectors are the part of your code that specify which elements to apply the styles to. You should avoid using too many or too specific selectors, as they can increase the complexity and specificity of your code, making it harder to maintain and override. You should also avoid using universal, descendant, or child selectors, as they can slow down the rendering process. Instead, use class, id, or attribute selectors, and keep them as short and simple as possible.

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6 Use CSS best practices

To make your CSS work faster and better, there are some best practices that should be followed in order to write clean, consistent, and maintainable code. These include using a consistent naming convention, such as BEM or SMACSS, to organize your code and avoid conflicts. Additionally, a consistent formatting style, such as indentation, spacing, and comments is recommended to make your code readable and easy to debug. Moreover, a modular approach like OOCSS or ITCSS should be used to structure your code and avoid repetition. Furthermore, a style guide like Stylelint or CSSLint can enforce rules and standards for code quality. Lastly, a code editor like VS Code or Atom can be used to write your code faster and better with features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and linting.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Paulie Hendrickson

Senior Software Engineer
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One thing I’ve found helpful is working with your design team to create a Design System that builds a common vernacular that works for both development and design. Good design requires that values are repeated; whether those values be colors, spacing, elevations, fonts, or whatever else. All designers do this naturally. Working with the design team you can begin to name these values so the teams have a common language. In Figma the designer can create what’s are called Design Tokens to refer to these values. Figma Design Tokens can be exported as JSON and synced with Git directly from Figma and the JSON can be used to set CSS Variables. Then work with design to start pairing these values to create repeated groupings like color schemes.

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How do you make CSS work faster and better?

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1 Use CSS preprocessors

2 Use CSS frameworks

3 Use CSS minification

4 Use CSS compression

5 Use CSS selectors wisely

6 Use CSS best practices

7 Here’s what else to consider

Front-end Development

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