Understanding the CSS-in-React Landscape

The CSS-in-React Landscape

React is quickly becoming a go-to framework for building web applications. CSS is an essential part of styling a React application, but the process can be confusing for those who aren’t familiar with the various options.

In this article, we’ll discuss the different ways to use CSS in React and explore the pros and cons of each approach. By the end, you should have a better understanding of which approach best fits your project.

Inline Styles

Inline styles are the simplest way to style elements in React applications. To create an inline style, you simply pass an object containing the CSS properties into the element’s style prop.

Since React encourages a component-based approach, inline styles are great for keeping styles defined close to the component they’re being used in. Furthermore, the use of JavaScript objects to define styles allows developers to easily access and manipulate styles from within their components, as well as keep track of the changes.

However, if you need to reuse styles, inline styles can become tedious. You would have to copy and paste the same style object every time you need to use it. Additionally, if you want to use the cascade, you would have to define all the cascading styles explicitly. If you’re looking for more robust styling options, then inline styles might not be the right approach.

CSS Modules

CSS Modules are becoming increasingly popular in the React community. They allow developers to write modular CSS without worrying about collisions with classes from other components. Each CSS Module has its own module-specific scope, so you don’t have to worry about naming conflicts.

CSS Modules also allow you to import your styles directly into your components. This eliminates the need to copy and paste the same style object multiple times. Additionally, since the styles are imported as JavaScript objects, you can use JavaScript to modify and manipulate styles within your components.

However, CSS Modules require quite a bit of configuration. You must set up a build system that supports them, as well as some kind of preprocessor such as Sass or Less. This can lead to a lot of overhead for larger projects.

Styled Components

Styled Components are a relatively new approach that has been gaining traction lately. Instead of writing separate CSS files, Styled Components allow developers to write styles directly in their components. You create a styled component by passing your style object into a styled function.

Styled Components have many advantages compared to other approaches. Since the styles are written in JavaScript, you can take advantage of features like variables and functions to DRY up your code. Furthermore, since the styles are tied directly to the component, you don’t have to worry about naming collisions. Finally, since styles are defined in the same file as the component, there’s no need for extra configuration or build systems.

However, if you’re working on a large codebase with many developers, Styled Components might not be the best choice. Since the styles are defined directly in the component, they can be difficult to manage if multiple developers are making changes.

Conclusion

CSS is an important part of any React application, but there are many different approaches to styling. Inline styles offer the most basic approach, but they’re not suitable for larger projects. CSS Modules allow developers to write modular CSS, but they come with a lot of overhead. And finally, Styled Components are a great solution for smaller projects, but they may not be suitable for larger teams.

Each approach comes with its own benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your project. With the variety of tools available, there’s sure to be one that helps you create the style you’re looking for.