CSS Cheat Sheet: Essential Properties and Selectors for Web Developers
Tags: webdev, tutorial, css, career
Published: 2024-03-19 06:44:19

Here's a cheat sheet for CSS with some of the most commonly used properties and their descriptions:

```markdown
# CSS Cheat Sheet

## Selectors
- `*` - Universal selector (selects all elements)
- `element` - Type selector (selects all elements of the given type)
- `.class` - Class selector (selects all elements with the given class)
- `#id` - ID selector (selects the element with the given ID)
- `selector1, selector2` - Group selector (selects all elements matching either selector)
- `selector1 selector2` - Descendant selector (selects elements that are descendants of the first selector)
- `selector1 > selector2` - Child selector (selects elements that are direct children of the first selector)
- `selector1 + selector2` - Adjacent sibling selector (selects elements that are next siblings of the first selector)
- `selector1 ~ selector2` - General sibling selector (selects elements that are siblings of the first selector)

## Box Model
- `margin` - Clears an area around an element (outside the border)
- `padding` - Clears an area around the content (inside the border)
- `border` - Defines the border around an element
- `width` - Sets the width of an element
- `height` - Sets the height of an element

## Typography
- `font-family` - Specifies the font family for text
- `font-size` - Specifies the font size of text
- `font-weight` - Specifies the font weight of text
- `line-height` - Specifies the line height of text
- `text-align` - Specifies the horizontal alignment of text
- `text-decoration` - Adds decoration to text (e.g., underline, overline, line-through)
- `color` - Sets the color of text

## Backgrounds
- `background-color` - Sets the background color of an element
- `background-image` - Sets the background image of an element
- `background-repeat` - Specifies how a background image should be repeated
- `background-position` - Specifies the position of a background image
- `background-size` - Specifies the size of a background image

## Layout
- `display` - Specifies the display behavior of an element (block, inline, flex, grid, etc.)
- `position` - Specifies the positioning method of an element (static, relative, absolute, fixed, sticky)
- `float` - Specifies how an element should float (left or right)
- `clear` - Specifies which sides of an element should not allow floating elements
- `overflow` - Specifies how to handle content that overflows its container

## Flexbox
- `display: flex` - Creates a flex container
- `flex-direction` - Specifies the direction of the flex items
- `justify-content` - Aligns flex items along the main axis
- `align-items` - Aligns flex items along the cross axis
- `flex-wrap` - Specifies whether flex items should wrap or not
- `flex-grow` - Specifies how much a flex item should grow relative to the other items
- `flex-shrink` - Specifies how much a flex item should shrink relative to the other items
- `flex-basis` - Specifies the initial length of a flex item

## CSS Grid
- `display: grid` - Creates a grid container
- `grid-template-columns` - Defines the columns of the grid
- `grid-template-rows` - Defines the rows of the grid
- `grid-gap` - Specifies the gap between grid items
- `grid-column` - Specifies the column(s) where an item should start and end
- `grid-row` - Specifies the row(s) where an item should start and end
- `justify-items` - Aligns grid items along the inline (row) axis
- `align-items` - Aligns grid items along the block (column) axis

## Transitions and Animations
- `transition` - Applies a transition effect when changing CSS properties
- `transform` - Applies 2D or 3D transformations to an element
- `animation` - Applies an animation to an element
- `@keyframes` - Specifies the animation code

## Miscellaneous
- `cursor` - Specifies the mouse cursor to be displayed when hovering over an element
- `opacity` - Sets the transparency level of an element
- `z-index` - Specifies the stack order of an element
- `box-shadow` - Adds a shadow effect to an element
- `filter` - Applies graphical effects like blur, grayscale, or sepia
- `list-style` - Specifies the style of list items
- `outline` - Specifies the outline of an element
```

This cheat sheet covers the most common CSS properties and concepts, including selectors, the box model, typography, backgrounds, layout, flexbox, CSS grid, transitions and animations, and other miscellaneous properties. You can use this as a quick reference to refresh your memory or quickly look up the syntax and usage of specific CSS properties.

> Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all CSS properties and features, but it should provide a good starting point for most web development projects. As you continue to work with CSS, you can expand your knowledge and refer to more comprehensive resources or documentation when needed.