Understanding Bootstrap and Making It Work for You

Published on:
February 19, 2024

Web developers today have a plethora of innovative frameworks and technologies at their disposal, which sets them apart and puts them ahead of their peers even only a few years ago. One such framework has significantly simplified web development and broadened development to encompass the mobile experience better.

It is the fastest-growing JS, HTML, and CSS framework for creating dynamic and engaging online applications. Bootstrap, a front-end framework, makes development faster and more simplified. But what exactly is Bootstrap, and why should you learn it?

This MarsDevs article provides a basic review of Bootstrap's pros and pitfalls. So, let’s get started!

Decoding Bootstrap

Decoding Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a vast library of reusable and adaptable code written in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. Because it is also a framework, all of the foundations for responsive web development are already in place, and all developers need to do is enter the code into the pre-defined grid structure.

The package includes various free utilities, allowing designers to create more common website interface components and more responsive ones, increasing the framework's versatility. It typically saves you from writing large strings of code, particularly CSS. It provides you more time and ability to concentrate on the design of the webpages. Also, Bootstrap is hosted by GitHub!

So, why has Bootstrap become so popular? Bootstrap is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, including reusable page components, styles, and interactions. It implies that constructing a website with Bootstrap is far faster than designing and using common UI components from scratch. 

And one thing that developers adore is saving time and making their code more manageable and reusable. But how is it any different from HTML & CSS?

Bootstrap is a collection of pre-written HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. So, instead of beginning from scratch like you would without a framework, you have a slew of features and functionality already written and optimized at your disposal.

It's a pre-packaged set of web development tools that you can quickly tweak to meet your needs. It saves you a lot of time and makes adhering to numerous web development and UI/UX design best practices much easier.

Bootstrap Features To Know About

Bootstrap Features To Know About

As the official site puts it, Bootstrap is a “Powerful, extensible, and feature-packed frontend toolkit.” But what makes it so?

Responsiveness:

The responsiveness of the bootstrap is stunning. As previously said, it can adapt the website/application UI to any screen size (Mobile, Tablet, Laptop, Desktop). As a result, developers no longer need to work on each class to make it device-compatible.

As fellow developer Tauri St. Claire explains, “Bootstrap allows me to put this together quickly in a responsive, mobile-first way, and with many accessibility features already implemented.”

Simple To Use: 

Several online tutorials, videos, and articles about learning Bootstrap and its practical applications in development projects exist. Because of its popularity and usage, you can cooperate with other developers on community initiatives.

As Harsh Sakhiya says, Bootstrap is “like having a ready-to-use toolkit to design and develop website templates swiftly. Say bid adieu to extended hours invested on repetitive actions!”

Community Support:

The global community support is tremendous, and it has steadily grown with communication through social gatherings, expos, events, and so forth. There are several free projects, themes, elements/snippets, and other resources accessible on the internet that developers may utilize without incurring any costs for the project.

Reduces Hustle:

Bootstrap eliminates the need for developers to work individually on each page. For example, in boostrap.css, a developer may utilize global CSS classes that can be used on all pages. Similarly, you may alter the global classes to accommodate bespoke modifications.

Opensource & Free:

Bootstrap is free and open-source, so you can use and adapt it for your project. The nicest benefit of being open source is that you may completely change the project's core as development demands.

Pre-built Components & Templates:

Bootstrap excels at many things, but the range of components, CSS custom properties, design templates, and built-in tools accessible for usage on your web pages is what developers love the most. Whether you want to build magazine-style blog layouts, engaging album showcases, or dynamic dashboards, Bootstrap's extensive collection of resources makes any design simple to implement.

Is Bootstrap Best for Your Next Project?

Bootstrap may be a hindrance if you want to learn how to build from the ground up. As a technology, Bootstrap makes it simpler for programmers never actually to understand the basics — instead, you deal with the system's layer of abstraction.

At the same time, that's similar to arguing that someone who codes in C++ would never be able to operate a machine in the manner that machine code or even C would allow. While theoretically correct, many programmers will never need to granularize a computer and its memory.

Bootstrap has a few drawbacks if you don't need to build a site from the ground up or are already an advanced/power user. Websites developed entirely with Bootstrap can sometimes look identical, as the framework's default styles are well-known, particularly in the web development community. However, in the end, it's a quick and easy method to build a completely functional website without coding every single piece.

Bootstrap Alternatives to Know

Bootstrap Alternatives to Know

The most popular HTML5/JavaScript/CSS framework is Bootstrap. Few systems provide as complete a solution as Bootstrap. However, there are several alternatives to Bootstrap for those who wish to try something new.

  • Foundation - Foundation is a responsive front-end framework with a grid and components.
  • Materialize - Materialize is an HTML/CSS/JavaScript UI component library.
  • Bulma - Bulma is a Flexbox-based open-source CSS framework.
  • Skeleton - Skeleton is a boilerplate approach for designing responsive CSS.
  • Pure CSS - A collection of responsive CSS components for site design.

These are the tech to look into if you need a CSS/JavaScript framework, but Bootstrap isn't cutting it.

Bootstrap Versions - What’s the latest?

Bootstrap Versions - What’s the latest?

Bootstrap 5.3.0 was launched in May 2023 and was jam-packed with new features!

Dark Mode

One of the significant modifications is support for dark mode, which caters to the rising demand for websites with a darker color scheme.

Better Color Flexibility

Bootstrap 5 is considerably more adaptable to color in your design. You may select from various color modes, allowing you to design your unique themes or experiment with different color schemes to fit your taste. It has also included a new set of Sass variables, CSS variables, and utilities to make it easier for developers to define colors, background colors, and border colors in their projects.

A Greater Variety of Grids

Bootstrap 4 includes five grid system levels: xs, sm, md, lg, and xl, whereas Bootstrap 5 adds an extra xxl level. So, whether someone is browsing your website on a tiny mobile phone or a massive desktop display, Bootstrap's grid system adapts everything to match the screen size beautifully.

Removed JQuery

In Bootstrap 5, jQuery has been replaced with vanilla JavaScript, and several useful plug-ins have been included. It’s mostly because most current web browsers offer the functionality of jQuery. Therefore, the Bootstrap team determined that requiring it for Bootstrap use was unnecessary. They also noticed a chance to incorporate more current plugins like Popper.

More Control Over Link Styles

They also included several new link-style classes. You can now quickly adjust link color opacity, underline offset, underline color, and underline opacity.

SVG Bootstrap Icons

The framework did not contain its own SVG icons with Bootstrap 4. Instead, developers have generally depended on third-party libraries like Font Awesome to integrate icons into their Bootstrap applications. Bootstrap 5 has its own set of SVG icons built expressly to complement and fit with the Bootstrap layout and components.

Some Examples of Bootstrap in Action 

Prominent corporations extensively utilize Bootstrap worldwide because of its adaptability, ease of use, and large feature set. Bootstrap is used by over 42,000 enterprises, according to Stackshare, a tech stack intelligence platform and community.

One is Udemy, a visually beautiful, responsive, and user-friendly online learning platform that caters to the demands of millions of learners and instructors worldwide.

Some Examples of Bootstrap in Action 

Another startup that purportedly employs Bootstrap for web development is Duolingo, a prominent language learning program. Duolingo uses Bootstrap to design a layout that adapts to multiple screen sizes and devices.

Duolingo uses Bootstrap

Reuters, Mastercard, LinkedIn, Lyft, Snapchat, and UpWork also use Bootstrap.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, Bootstrap is a free front-end framework popular among today's developers, particularly those in the web design industry. It's simple to use and saves developers a lot of time from manually writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code.

The Bootstrap framework is adaptable and powerful enough to meet practically any requirement for front-end website development. Its finest feature is the design templates, which ensure that web pages perform properly on all screen widths.

Despite a minor learning curve, it offers a wealth of content to get you started. The Bootstrap manual website and IT-focused forums like Stack Overflow are two of the greatest learning tools. Want to start web development with Bootstrap? At MarsDevs, we can help you develop the best Bootstrap website. So, why not check us out?

Contact us today, and we will help you level up your Bootstrap web development!

FAQ

  1. What is Bootstrap & why is it used?

Bootstrap is a free front-end framework designed to make web development faster and easier. Other optional JavaScript plugins contain HTML and CSS-based design templates for forms, typography, buttons, navigation, tables, modals, picture carousels, and many other components.

  1. What is the benefit of Bootstrap?

Bootstrap offers a wide range of customization options, including the ability to change its components' colors, typeface, spacing, and other visual characteristics. You may change the basic CSS framework classes Bootstrap gives or apply your styles to obtain your website's desired look and feel.

  1. Who invented Bootstrap?

Bootstrap, formerly known as Twitter Blueprint, was created on Twitter by Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton as a framework to foster uniformity across internal tools.


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