CSS Tutorials

Build a CSS carousel without JavaScript in 5 lines of CSS. This complete 2026 guide covers every scroll-snap property, mandatory vs proximity, the new scrollsnapchange event, scroll-padding for sticky headers, the 2026 CSS Carousel API (::scroll-marker and ::scroll-button), scroll-driven animations paired with snap, the 100dvh fix for mobile, drag-to-scroll for desktop, keyboard accessibility, and 'scroll snap not working' troubleshooting.

Most @font-face tutorials cover the basics and say 'add font-display: swap'. That's not wrong, but it's about 20% of what you need to know. This guide covers all 5 font-display values, variable font axes, font-synthesis: none, the Font Loading API, font-variant-numeric, modern system font stacks, the adjusted fallback pattern that eliminates layout shift, unicode-range, FOIT/FOUT/FOFT, preload's LCP trade-off, and whether you should still use local() in 2026.

You know div, .class, and #id. But CSS has dozens of selectors that replace JavaScript event listeners, eliminate helper classes, and handle UI state in pure CSS. This guide covers the underused ones actually worth learning — :has(), :focus-within, :user-valid, :nth-child(of selector), :where()'s zero-specificity trick, the :checked + ~ state machine, :target for routable UI, @scope, :defined, :dir(), and more.

You write a rule that should win. It doesn't. You add !important. Now something else breaks. Specificity fights are the most common source of CSS frustration — and most tutorials only teach half the picture. This guide covers the complete system, including :is(), :where(), @layer, CSS Nesting's hidden specificity trap, and how Tailwind, Vue scoped styles, and CSS Modules each handle specificity differently.

You can't write width: 100% - 32px in plain CSS — the browser doesn't know what 100% minus 32 pixels equals until layout time. calc() defers that calculation to the browser, solving it at render time when both values are known. No JavaScript needed.

You have a card grid where every thumbnail should be the same height. You set width:100% and height:200px on the images — and they all stretch and distort. The fix is two words: object-fit: cover. This guide covers all 5 values, the focal-point trick with object-position, and why object-fit sometimes silently does nothing.

Decorative arrows, tooltips, notification badges, quote marks, and animated underlines — without adding a single extra span or div to your HTML. This guide explains how ::before and ::after work, 8 real use cases, and the 5 reasons they silently stop showing.

You add position: sticky; top: 0 to a header and nothing happens. No error — it just silently refuses to stick. This guide explains how sticky really works, the three traps that break it, and the patterns for headers, sidebars, and table headers.

You set z-index: 9999 on a tooltip. It still hides behind a modal. Until you understand stacking contexts, you're just guessing. This guide explains exactly how z-index works, what traps it, and how to fix every layering bug you'll ever face.

Media queries respond to the viewport. Container queries respond to the parent element. This single difference unlocks truly reusable components that adapt to wherever they are placed — sidebars, grids, modals, anywhere.

The View Transitions API lets you animate between any two DOM states with a single JavaScript call and pure CSS. No animation library needed — the browser handles the cross-fade, morphing, and timing automatically.

Skeleton screens replace blank white flashes and spinning loaders with intelligent content placeholders. Here is how to build them with pure CSS — including shimmer animation, dark mode, and AI chat loading states.