Definition
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a style sheet language used to define the presentation and design features of a website. It controls how HTML elements are displayed on screen, on paper, or in other media, including aspects such as layout, colors, fonts, and overall visual aesthetics.
What is it?
CSS allows developers to separate content from design by applying rules that dictate the appearance of various elements within an HTML document. This separation not only streamlines web development but also makes it easier to maintain and update a website’s look and feel. With CSS, a single stylesheet can control the presentation across multiple pages, ensuring consistency throughout a site. The term “cascading” refers to the way styles are applied based on a hierarchy of rules—where multiple style definitions can combine or override one another according to their specificity and order. Although CSS is not a programming language in the traditional sense, its rule-based structure is powerful for creating dynamic, responsive designs that adapt to different devices and screen sizes.
How is it used?
Web developers write CSS rules either inline within HTML, embedded in the page’s header, or stored in external stylesheets. These rules dictate how elements such as text, images, and navigation menus should appear. Modern CSS techniques include responsive design, animations, and grid or flexbox layouts, which allow for creative and user-friendly designs. Regular maintenance of CSS files ensures that websites remain visually consistent and load efficiently, contributing to an enhanced user experience and better SEO performance.
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