A Guide to Using Font Awesome Offline
Tags: codenewbie, webdev, programming, beginners
Published: 2023-08-23 02:54:53

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# <u>Introduction:</u>
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Font Awesome is a popular icon library that allows web developers to easily incorporate scalable vector icons into their websites and applications. While using Font Awesome online is straightforward with its CDN (Content Delivery Network) option, there are situations where you might need to use Font Awesome offline. This can be due to security concerns, limited internet access, or simply a preference for self-hosted assets. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to use Font Awesome offline.

**_Why Use Font Awesome Offline?_**

There are a few reasons why you might want to use Font Awesome offline:

1. **Limited Internet Access:** If you're developing a project in an environment with restricted or unreliable internet access, having Font Awesome available offline ensures consistent icon rendering.

2. **Security and Privacy:** In some cases, you might want to enhance security and privacy by avoiding external resources like CDNs. Using Font Awesome offline reduces the need for external requests.

3. **Performance:** Fetching resources from a CDN can introduce latency. Having Font Awesome locally can improve load times and reduce dependencies on external servers.

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## Steps to Use Font Awesome Offline
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To use Font Awesome offline, you need to download the necessary files and set up your project accordingly. Here's a step-by-step guide:


_Step 1: Download Font Awesome_

The first step to using Font Awesome offline is to download the necessary Font Awesome files. You can do this by visiting the official Font Awesome website (https://fontawesome.com/), navigating to the "Get Started" section, and move downward to the footer by checking out for project selecting the "Download" option. Font Awesome provides a free version that includes a wide range of icons.

_Fig 1.1_

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/tg987zcofwm89sba87tp.png)

<figcaption> The path circled with red indicates where to click to download the Font Awesome </figcaption>.



_Step 2: Extract the Font Awesome Files_

Once you've downloaded the Font Awesome package, extract the contents to a folder on your computer. You will find various files and folders, but the most important ones are the "css" and "webfonts" folders.

_Fig 1.2_

_zip Folder_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/tsoiv3qmm5mvz50ab2xt.png)


_zip Extracted_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/xexmhvqx7fm557468q71.png)


_Files and Folder_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/62wkcopu84t5kkkyiua8.png)


_Step 3: Link the CSS File_

To use Font Awesome icons, you need to link the Font Awesome CSS file in the <head> section of your HTML document. Open the HTML file where you want to use Font Awesome and add the following line of code:

_Fig 1.3_

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/j7jm9rcvlumxr47cn1br.png)

_Html_
_Copy code_

"<link rel="stylesheet" href="path/to/font-awesome/css/all.min.css">"

Make sure to replace "path/to/font-awesome/css/all.min.css" with the actual path to the CSS file in your downloaded Font Awesome folder.


_Step 4: Add Icons to Your HTML_

Now that you've linked the Font Awesome CSS file, you can start using the icons in your HTML code. To insert an icon, use the <i> element with specific classes. For example, to add a heart icon, you can use the following code:


_Fig 1.4_

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kugcn91vvrojt8n9xmif.png)

_Html_
_Copy code_

<i class="fas fa-heart"></i>

You can find the class names for all Font Awesome icons on their official website.


_Step 5: Styling and Customization_

Font Awesome icons can be easily customized using CSS. You can change the size, color, and other properties of the icons to fit your design. Refer to the Font Awesome documentation for details on how to style icons.


_Fig 1.5_

_CSS Code_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0qa6vyl1kg2sdet036er.png)


Step 6: Testing Locally

Before deploying your website or application, make sure to test it locally to ensure that the Font Awesome icons are displaying correctly. Open your HTML file in a web browser and verify that the icons appear as expected.

_Fig 1.6_

_Code Output_

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ecsxvfr26euae7y3e78y.png)


Step 7: Deployment

When you are ready to deploy your website or application, be sure to upload the Font Awesome files along with your project files to your web server. Ensure that the file paths in your HTML code are correct for the production environment.

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# Conclusion:
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Using Font Awesome offline allows you to have more control over your web assets and can be beneficial in situations where an internet connection is limited or where security is a concern. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily incorporate Font Awesome icons into your web projects without relying on an online CDN.