Nikhil Dhiman · 25 Jul 2023 · 965 views

The Benefits of Using SCSS Over CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) have been a critical part of web plan for numerous years, empowering designers to control the design and format of web pages. However, as web pages develop more complexity and size, managing large CSS files can end up being challenging and lead to code duplication, maintainability issues, and diminished efficiency.

This is typically where SCSS comes to the rescue. SCSS, which stands for "Sassy CSS," is a prevalent expansion of CSS that provides a range of capable features to make strides tin the development process and make styling more maintainable and efficient.

In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of using SCSS over conventional CSS.

1. Nesting

One of the foremost advantages of using SCSS is the ability to nest selectors, which mirrors the HTML structure. This feature helps to organize styles more logically and intuitively, making the code simpler to understand and keep up.

Rather than composing separate CSS rules for each component, you'll be able to nest them inside their parent components, lessening repetition and upgrading code clarity.

// Conventional CSS
.holder {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
}
.holder h1 {
font-size: 24px;
}

// SCSS
.holder {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
h1 {
font-size: 24px;
}
}

// Conventional CSS
.holder {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
}
.holder h1 {
font-size: 24px;
}

// SCSS
.holder {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
h1 {
font-size: 24px;
}
}

2. Variables

SCSS permits you to define variables, which can store colors, text sizes, or any other value you wish to reuse all through your stylesheet.

This feature promotes consistency and makes it simple to upgrade different components all at once by modifying a single variable. As a result, SCSS promotes a more systematic and streamlined approach to styling.

// SCSS
$primary-color: #007bff;
$link-color: $primary-color;

.button {
background-color: $primary-color;
}
a {
color: $link-color;
}

// SCSS
$primary-color: #007bff;
$link-color: $primary-color;

.button {
background-color: $primary-color;
}
a {
color: $link-color;
}

3. Mixins

Mixins are reusable blocks of code that can be included in numerous selectors, comparative to functions in programming. They are unimaginably valuable for applying styles that are used habitually, decreasing code duplication, and advancing maintainability.

// SCSS
@mixin button-style {
background-color: #007bff;
color: #fff;
cushioning: 10px 20px;
border: none;
}
.button {
@incorporate button-style;
}

.submit-button {
@incorporate button-style;
font-size: 18px;
}

// SCSS
@mixin button-style {
background-color: #007bff;
color: #fff;
cushioning: 10px 20px;
border: none;
}
.button {
@incorporate button-style;
}

.submit-button {
@incorporate button-style;
font-size: 18px;
}

4. Partials and Import

SCSS supports the concept of partials, which are smaller SCSS files that contain sections of your styles. This approach permits you to break down your styles into manageable pieces, making it simpler to navigate and organize your codebase.

You'll be then able to utilize the @import directive to bring all these partials together into a single primary SCSS file.

// _variables.scss
$primary-color: #007bff;
$secondary-color: #6c757d;

// main.scss
@import 'variables';
@import 'buttons';
@import 'forms';

// _variables.scss
$primary-color: #007bff;
$secondary-color: #6c757d;

// main.scss
@import 'variables';
@import 'buttons';
@import 'forms';

5. Inheritance

SCSS bolsters the concept of inheritance, where one selector can acquire styles from another. This feature enables you to make a base set of styles and after that extend or adjust them for specific elements.

Inheritance diminishes the need to repeat styles and fosters a more modular and efficient coding approach.

// SCSS
.message {
border: 1px strong #ccc;
cushioning: 10px;
}

.success-message {
@extend .message;
color: green;
}
.error-message {
@extend .message;
color: red;
}

// SCSS
.message {
border: 1px strong #ccc;
cushioning: 10px;
}

.success-message {
@extend .message;
color: green;
}
.error-message {
@extend .message;
color: red;
}

6. Math Operations

SCSS introduces math operations, allowing you to perform calculations on numerical values. This capability can be helpful when specifying dynamic sizes, positioning, or other styles that depend on calculated values.

// SCSS
.container {
width: 100%;
max-width: 1200px;
}
.column {
width: 50% - 20px;
margin-right: 20px;
}

// SCSS
.container {
width: 100%;
max-width: 1200px;
}
.column {
width: 50% - 20px;
margin-right: 20px;
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, SCSS brings a range of effective features that significantly progress the advancement process over conventional CSS. Nesting, variables, mixins, partials, inheritance, and math operations all contribute to more organized, viable, and proficient stylesheets.

As web projects become more complex and demanding, adopting SCSS can help developers write cleaner, DRYer (Don’t repeat Yourself), and more maintainable code, eventually coming about in quicker development and less demanding upkeep.

So, give SCSS a try and enjoy a smoother and more productive web development experience!