The Learning Center

What is a Framework?

CSS frameworks are better described as front-end frameworks. These are collections of the computer languages HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that are used to code various applications, predominantly websites. Frameworks streamline development by creating layouts that can be modified quickly and easily. While all frameworks are different, they typically use html, css, and javascript to create and modify content within a grid system layout. By using a framework, developers do not have to create a website completely from scratch. Think of the website as a house and the framework as a foundation. It’s easier to build the house if the foundation is already in place.

5 CSS Frameworks to Lookout for in 2017

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is one of the most popular frameworks out there. It is often lauded as the best front-end development framework built with HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It uses a 12-column grid and offers useful interactive components such as tab, carousel, accordion, and responsive navigation, just to name a few. Because of its popularity, Bootstrap has a has a massive community with a lot of documentation providing users with a wide range of resources when developing.

Foundation

Foundation is another front-end framework used in building responsive, 12-column grid designs. It is very accessible, allowing complex websites to be developed with ease. It is not just for website development either. Foundation has an email version that can create responsive email templates, quickly and easily.

Skeleton

Skeleton is a simple framework that is known for its fast loading speeds across all devices. It was built with mobile devices in mind. At just 400 lines of code, it was made to load quickly with zero compiling or installing necessary. If you have a simple project and are looking for a streamlined framework without the utility of larger frameworks, then Skeleton might be the right framework for you.

HTML5 Boilerplate

HTML5 Boilerplate was introduced a couple years ago, but even today it remains one of the leading frameworks. Featuring elementary tools like HTML, JS, CSS, and pictures, this framework helps developers and designers get to work on their project in no time. It is commonly used as a root website directory in order to boost the development process.

Pure.css

Pure, in many ways, is similar to Skeleton in the sense that it is streamline and tiny. It was made with mobile devices in mind. Every line of CSS was carefully considered in order to get the total size of modules down to 3.8kb, after it’s minified and gzipped. Overall, this makes responsive web design easier when compared to some other frameworks.

Be sure to be on the lookout for these frameworks this year. They are growing in popularity, and as a result, the websites being developed with these frameworks continue to grow. New frameworks come out frequently, and it won’t be a surprise if this list is very different this time next year.