CSS frameworks are gaining a lot of popularity these days and to be honest, it’s hard to imagine a website without using them. As all development tools, CSS frameworks are in constant state of evolution and improvement and thus we highly recommend to keep an eye on the modern trends. To make it easier for you, we’ve come up with top-5 most popular CSS frameworks of 2017 that you may want to deploy (if you are not using them already).
Bootstrap
This framework is one of the GitHub stars and is considered the best responsive CSS framework. Designed for front-end development specifically, it helps to build web design concepts, mobile first projects, grid systems, typography, buttons and so on.
Bootstrap doesn’t have any extras but there are third-party plugins available and in addition to regular HTML elements Bootstrap also has other common UI elements. Its core principles are RWD and mobile first.
Bootstrap 3 version supports a variety of browsers (their latest versions) and since Bootstrap 2 the framework supports responsive web design. Bootstrap 4 version is currently in development.
See the Pen Bootstrap gallery by Dash Bouquet (@dashbouquetdevelopment) on CodePen.
Conclusion: Bootstrap is incredibly popular but it may not be better than other frameworks. However, the majority of people use it due to its popularity and thanks to that, there are a lot of resources available (such as tutorials, extra plugins, etc.) that make work with Bootstrap even easier.
Foundation
Foundation is an open-source project and another very strong player in the world of CSS frameworks. It is well-known for being incredibly smooth and responsive and can be used for many purposes: building websites, creating email templates, building mobile and web apps.
This framework is also very user-friendly as it offers training, support, and consultation. It has some unique components (Keystrokes, Joyride, Flex Video, etc.) and a number of add-ons. Its core principles, in addition to RWD and mobile first, also include semantic.
See the Pen Foundation example by Dash Bouquet (@dashbouquetdevelopment) on CodePen.
Conclusion: Foundation has claimed itself with perfect workflow and great support for developers. It is a very professional framework and with a lot of available tutorials, you will be able to learn Foundation in no time.
Bulma
This open source and free framework is great in terms of saving your time and energy and it’s gaining quite a lot of popularity recently since it’s very simple to learn and use.
Firstly, Bulma contains great UI components, like tabs, navigation bar, boxes, panel and much more because this framework is designed to provide you with clear and attractive UI. Secondly, Bulma is incredibly modular meaning you can import only those features that are needed and you can start your work. Finally, this framework has very readable classes, which again may be a huge advantage for some developers.
See the Pen Bulma-example by Dash Bouquet (@dashbouquetdevelopment) on CodePen.
Conclusion: Bulma is clear to understand and simple to use and at the same time it has all necessary features to help you create great and efficient products.
Ulkit
Not many people know (and use) this framework but it has the same functionality as other similar frameworks and should be definitely paid attention to.
This framework is lightweight and modular and is used for creating fast but powerful web interfaces. Ulkit is basically a collection of easily customized components and it has HTML Editor, Flex and other add-ons and unique components. Its core principles are RWD and mobile first and Ulkit is widely used in a lot of Wordpress themes.
See the Pen Ulkit example by Dash Bouquet (@dashbouquetdevelopment) on CodePen.
Conclusion: this framework enables you with the flexible mechanism for manual customization and can be really helpful depending on your requirements.
Semantic UI
As you can guess from the name, Semantic UI is aimed at making website building process more semantic. Its core feature is utilizing natural language principles thus making the code more readable and easier to understand.
Its core principles are tag ambivalence, semantic and responsive. This framework is treating words and classes as exchangeable components and stands out with intuitive JS and simple debugging.
What is also nice about Semantic UI is the fact that it offers well-organized documentation and a website with guides on how to get started. In short, it has over 3000 theming variables, over 50 UI components, and more than 5000 commits. Definitely worth a try.
See the Pen Semantic-Ui example by Dash Bouquet (@dashbouquetdevelopment) on CodePen.
Conclusion: good choice for those who want to create beautiful and responsive websites.
Wrapping It Up
That’s our top-5 CSS frameworks that we find interesting enough to use and try. Comment if you’ve already tried them or want to suggest something new and stay updated with DashBouquet news.
