CSS in JS
| CSS-in-JS Library | Style Definition | Composition | Server-Side Rendering (SSR) | Community & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| styled-components | template literals | ✅ (Composition via props) | ✅ (via ReactDOMServer) | ★★★★☆ |
| emotion | template literals + string interpolation | ✅ (Composition via props + interpolation) | ✅ (via emotion-server) | ★★★★☆ |
| JSS | JavaScript objects | ✅ (Composition via props + classes) | ✅ (via JSS's server renderer) | ★★★★☆ |
| goober | template literals + string interpolation | ✅ (Composition via props + interpolation) | ✅ (via goober's server renderer) | ★★★☆☆ |
| twind | utility classes + preflight styles | ✅ (Composition via utility classes) | ✅ (via twind's server renderer) | ★★★☆☆ |
| vanilla-extract | TypeScript + CSS variables | ✅ (Composition via props and CSS variables) | ✅ (via vanilla-extract's server renderer) | ★★★★☆ |
All package above have
- Theming: Support
ThemeProvider - Hot Module Replacement (HMR)
Key
- Style Definition: The way styles are defined in the CSS-in-JS library.
- Composition: How components can be composed to create more complex styles.
- Theming: Support for theming and dynamic styling.
- Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Support for server-side rendering, which is crucial for SEO and initial load performance.
- Hot Module Replacement (HMR): Support for hot module replacement, which allows you to update modules in your application without a full reload.
- Community & Support: The size and activity of the community, as well as the availability of documentation and support.
Brief comparison of the libraries
Based on some additional factors
| Library | TypeScript Support | CSS Modules Support | CSS-in-JS API | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| styled-components | ✅ (via styled-components/macro) | ✅ | ✅ (template literals) | Easy |
| emotion | ✅ (via @emotion/styled and @emotion/react) | ✅ | ✅ (template literals and string interpolation) | Easy to Moderate |
| JSS | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (JavaScript objects) | Moderate |
| goober | ✅ (via @emotion/react and @emotion/styled) | ✅ | ✅ (template literals and string interpolation) | Easy |
| twind | ✅ (via twind/preset-auto) | ✅ | ✅ (utility classes) | Easy |
| vanilla-extract | ✅ (built-in) | ✅ | ✅ (TypeScript and CSS variables) | Moderate to Hard |
Additional Notes
- styled-components and emotion are the most popular CSS-in-JS libraries, with a large community and extensive documentation.
- JSS is a more traditional CSS-in-JS library that uses JavaScript objects to define styles. It has a larger learning curve but offers more flexibility and power.
- goober is a performant and lightweight alternative to emotion, with a similar API and feature set.
- twind is a utility-first CSS-in-JS library that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It's a good choice if you prefer a more functional and composable approach to styling.
- vanilla-extract is a newer CSS-in-JS library that focuses on type safety and performance. It's a good choice if you prefer a more functional and type-safe approach to styling, and if you're using TypeScript.