A framework is a preplanned set of concepts, modules, and components that make the task of developing web sites and web applications easier. It provides generic functionality that allows web designers and programmersto easily build their projects and solutions with minimal coding and without worrying about the low-level details. When it comes to web design, Bootstrap, Foundation, and Materialize are probably frameworks web designers think at first, given their massive range of components and attributes.
Components of a CSS Framework
There are some basic components of CSS framework (e.g., girds, Typography elements, Cross-browser compatibility, Helper classes for positioning elements, Navigational elements, Utility classes, Media elements, Source code written in preprocessors, etc.)
Advantages of Using a CSS Framework
Cross-browser compatibility
Easy-to-build prototypes
Reusability
Well documentation
Expandability
Clean coding
Popular frameworks
There are several frameworks to choose based on requirements.
Bootstrap
:
Bootstrap is the most popular mobile-first framework in web design; it’s used extensively by developers. It consists of components, modules, JavaScript functions, and media queries that help developers build immersive web sites
Foundation:
Foundation was the earliest responsive framework. It is as massive and advanced as Bootstrap for building web products and services . Foundation comes with cool features such as Flex Grid and Motion UI . The latest version is quicker, is lighter in size compared to its earlier versions, and is a solid front-end framework for designing beautiful web sites, e-mails, and apps that look good on any device.
Materialize:
Materialize is a modern front-end framework based on Google’s Material Design philosophy. It helps developers build and design immersive web sites.
Skeleton:
Skeleton is a simple, responsive boilerplate and is extremely lightweight. If you don’t need a large framework, especially if you are embarking on a small project, it could be a choice of framework.
Material Design Lite:
Google released its own front-end framework called Material Design Lite (MDL) that is based on its Material Design philosophy MDL is a lightweight framework with few dependencies and is focused on simple web sites such as blogs and landing pages.
Milligram
Milligram is a minimalistic framework. It comes with a mobile-first philosophy and supports the modern browser versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE, and Opera.
UIkit:
UIkit is a light and modular front-end framework for developing faster and powerful web interfaces. It has a massive
collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript components and modules that can be extended with themes.
Choosing the right framework is very important and depends on the needs and requirement of projects. Some frameworks are bloated, meaning they have too many built-in styles/components, which might not be required for a small project.
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