Our 50 Favorite CSS Frameworks, Libraries & Tools from 2018

With all of the changes and rapid advancements CSS has gone through over the last few years, we should not be surprised at the vast volume of open-source resources and tools that are continually being released.

These time-saving CSS libraries, frameworks, and tools have been built to make our lives that little bit easier and also offer a learning window into those CSS areas we may not fully understand.

In this collection you will find 50 of our favorite CSS libraries, frameworks, resources and tools that have all been released this year (2018). No doubt, you’ll find something interesting!

CSS Quick Jump: CSS Layout Frameworks, Flexbox Frameworks, CSS Libraries, CSS Image Effects, CSS Utilities, Web-Based CSS Tools, CSS Learning Resources.

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CSS Layout Frameworks

Atomic Bulldog Grid – A CSS Grid layout, with partial fallback to Flexbox.
CSS Resources Free Atomic Bulldog Grid

Flat Remix CSS Library – A set of predesigned elements that make for faster development.
CSS Resources Free Flat Remix CSS Library

FICTOAN – An intuitive SCSS framework that also moonlights as a UI kit.
CSS Resources Free FICTOAN

Mustard UI – Billed as a CSS framework that “actually looks good”.
CSS Resources Free Mustard UI

Material – This framework combines Bootstrap 4 with Google’s Material Design.
CSS Resources Free Material

Smart CSS Grid – A minimal and responsive CSS Grid system.
CSS Resources Free Smart CSS Grid

Biomatic UI – A flexible atomic-focused CSS framework.
CSS Resources Free Biomatic UI

Tailwind CSS – A utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.
CSS Resources Free Tailwind CSS

PaperCSS – The less formal CSS framework.
CSS Resources Free PaperCSS

For more CSS layout frameworks, take a look at this collection.

CSS Flexbox Frameworks

Frow CSS – An open source HTML & CSS framework using Flexbox.
CSS Resources Free Frow CSS

Katana.scss – A CSS Flexbox-based layout system.
CSS Resources Free Katana.scss

Flexible Grid – A framework that will help you implement CSS Flexbox.
CSS Resources Free Flexible Grid

For more flexbox resources, take a look at this article.

CSS Libraries

WickedCSS animations – A library of pure CSS animations.
CSS Resources Free WickedCSS animations

Epic Spinners – A collection of CSS-only spinning icons with VueJS integration.
CSS Resources Free Epic Spinners

Boilerform – An HTML and CSS boilerplate to take the pain away from working with forms.
CSS Resources Free Boilerform

Micron.js – A micro-interaction library built on CSS and JS.
CSS Resources Free Micron.js

AnimTrap – A CSS & JavaScript framework for animations.
CSS Resources Free AnimTrap

Pure HTML5 and CSS3 SVG Loaders – An attractive collection of loading images you can download for free.
CSS Resources Free 16 Free Pure HTML5 and CSS3 SVG Loaders

Handy CSS Ultilities

basicScroll – A tool that allows you to change CSS variables depending on the scroll position.
CSS Resources Free basicScroll

Unused CSS – A tool that scans your website for any unused CSS selectors.
CSS Resources Free Unused CSS

Purgecss – A tool that removes unused CSS from your site.
CSS Resources Free Purgecss

CSS Gridish – Build a Sketch file and CSS Grid code from your project’s specs.
CSS Resources Free CSS Gridish

OptiCSS – A template-aware CSS optimizer.
CSS Resources Free OptiCSS

Mort – A tool for detecting “dead” CSS.
CSS Resources Free Mort

Web-Based CSS Tools & Generators

FlexBox Parent Attribute Visualizer – An interactive way to see the effect of various CSS Flexbox settings.
CSS Resources Free FlexBox Parent Attribute Visualizer

Keyframes.app – A web app and Chrome extension for creating CSS animations.
CSS Resources Free Keyframes.app

Visually Build Responsive Layouts with CSS Grid – A tool to help you build a responsive CSS grid.
CSS Resources Free Visually Build Responsive Layouts with CSS Grid

CSS Alignment Cheatsheet – A nicely-illustrated guide to aligning all the things.
CSS Resources Free CSS Alignment Cheatsheet

Clippy – An online tool you can use to create a CSS clip-path.
CSS Resources Free Clippy

GradPad – An online to for creating CSS color gradients.
CSS Resources Free GradPad

Trianglify.io – Generate custom low poly patterns in PNG or SVG format.
CSS Resources Free Trianglify.io

cssgr.id – An interactive CSS Grid generator.
CSS Resources Free cssgr.id

Layoutit! – An interactive CSS Grid building tool.
CSS Resources Free Layoutit!

Gradientify – A collection of top gradients with copy and paste CSS code.
CSS Resources Free Gradientify

Check out this article for a huge collection of free web-based CSS tools and generators.

CSS Image Effects

Instagram.css – A complete set of Instagram filters in pure CSS.
CSS Resources Free Instagram.css

Pure CSS Halftone Effect – How to create a mesmerizing effect with CSS.
CSS Resources Free Pure CSS Halftone Effect

CSS Glitch Effect – Mary Lou shares an experimental glitch effect powered by CSS animations and the clip-path property.
CSS Resources Free CSS Glitch Effect

Direction Aware Hover Effects – Nifty CSS/JS hover effects based on the direction a user is coming from.
CSS Resources Free Direction Aware Hover Effects

For more CSS-based image effects, take a look at this library collection.

CSS Learning Resources

Learn CSS Grid for free – A set of 14 interactive screencasts to take you from beginner to advanced.
CSS Resources Free Learn CSS Grid for free

CSS Cheat Sheet – A well put together reference of CSS properties.
CSS Resources Free CSS Cheat Sheet

Front-End Design Checklist – An exhaustive list of elements to help you ensure quality in design.
CSS Resources Free Front-End Design Checklist

Grid to Flex – CSS Flexbox fallbacks for projects using CSS Grid.
CSS Resources Free Grid to Flex

Component Based Design System With Tachyons – Introduction to a functional CSS framework / design system.
CSS Resources Free Component Based Design System With Tachyons

30 Seconds of CSS – A curated collection of useful CSS snippets you can understand in 30 seconds or less.
CSS Resources Free 30 Seconds of CSS

How CSS works: Understanding the cascade – Learn one of the true fundamentals of CSS for more efficient code.
CSS Resources Free How CSS works: Understanding the cascade

Manageable Utility Systems with CSS Variables – A look at the difference between Sass variables and new CSS variables.
CSS Resources Free Manageable Utility Systems with CSS Variables

Cool CSS Creations

Piano Keyboard – Thanks to this CSS/JS site, you can play piano on your keyboard or mouse.
CSS Resources Free Piano Keyboard

Pure CSS Francine – A HTML/CSS rendering of an 18th-century oil painting.
CSS Resources Free Pure CSS Francine

Air Bomb – A fun game written with pure CSS (no JS required).
CSS Resources Free Air Bomb

More CSS Resources

You might also like to take a look at our previous CSS collections: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 or 2013.

And if you’re looking for even more CSS frameworks, tools, snippets or templates, you should browse our extensive and continually updated CSS archives.

The post Our 50 Favorite CSS Frameworks, Libraries & Tools from 2018 appeared first on Speckyboy Web Design Magazine.