CSS Grid is the most powerful layout system in CSS. It handles two-dimensional layouts (rows AND columns simultaneously) unlike Flexbox which is one-dimensional.
Grid Basics
CSS
.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr 200px; /* 3 columns */
grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto; /* 3 rows */
gap: 16px; /* Row and column gap */
}
/* Result:
┌────────┬──────────────┬────────┐
│ 200px │ 1fr │ 200px │ ← auto row
├────────┼──────────────┼────────┤
│ │ │ │ ← 1fr row (takes remaining)
├────────┼──────────────┼────────┤
│ │ │ │ ← auto row
└────────┴──────────────┴────────┘
*/Defining Columns and Rows
CSS
/* Fixed + flexible mix */
.grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr 2fr;
/* 200px fixed, then 1/3 and 2/3 of remaining space */
}
/* Repeat notation */
.grid {
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); /* 3 equal columns */
grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 150px); /* 4 fixed columns */
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr 2fr); /* Repeating pattern */
}
/* Auto-fill / auto-responsive */
.grid {
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr));
/* As many 250px+ columns as fit, each filling available space */
}
/* Explicit rows */
.grid {
grid-template-rows: 80px 1fr 60px; /* Header, content, footer */
}Placing Items
CSS
/* By line numbers */
.item {
grid-column: 1 / 3; /* Start at line 1, end at line 3 (span 2 cols) */
grid-row: 1 / 2;
}
/* Shorthand */
.item {
grid-column: span 2; /* Span 2 columns from current position */
grid-row: span 3; /* Span 3 rows */
}
/* Start/end (modern) */
.item {
grid-column-start: 1;
grid-column-end: 3;
}
/* Named areas (semantic layouts) */
.layout {
display: grid;
grid-template-areas:
"header header header"
"nav main aside"
"footer footer footer";
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr 200px;
grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
gap: 16px;
}
.header { grid-area: header; }
.nav { grid-area: nav; }
.main { grid-area: main; }
.aside { grid-area: aside; }
.footer { grid-area: footer; }Alignment in Grid
CSS
.container {
display: grid;
/* Align all items */
justify-items: center; /* Horizontal (main axis in grid) */
align-items: center; /* Vertical (cross axis in grid) */
/* Align the grid itself within container */
justify-content: center;
align-content: center;
}
/* Per-item alignment */
.item {
justify-self: end;
align-self: start;
}Practical Grid Layouts
CSS
/* Responsive card grid */
.card-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(300px, 1fr));
gap: 24px;
padding: 24px;
}
/* Dashboard layout */
.dashboard {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr;
grid-template-rows: 64px 1fr;
grid-template-areas:
"sidebar header"
"sidebar main";
min-height: 100vh;
}
/* Image gallery */
.gallery {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(200px, 1fr));
grid-auto-rows: 200px;
gap: 8px;
}
.gallery .featured {
grid-column: span 2;
grid-row: span 2;
}
/* Calendar grid */
.calendar {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(7, 1fr);
gap: 2px;
}Grid vs Flexbox
| Use Case | Flexbox | Grid |
|---|---|---|
| 1D layout (row OR column) | ✅ | ✅ |
| 2D layout (rows AND columns) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Aligning items in a nav | ✅ | |
| Centering a single item | ✅ | ✅ |
| Complex page layout | ✅ | |
| Card grid that wraps | ✅ | ✅ |
| Equal-width columns | ✅ | ✅ |
| Named layout areas | ✅ | |
| Overlapping items | ✅ |
Knowledge Check
4 questions — test your understanding
1
What does `grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr))` do?
2
What is `grid-template-areas` used for?
3
When should you use Grid over Flexbox?
4
What does `1fr` mean in grid columns?
Next: Responsive Design