CSS container queries allow styling based on a container's size, not the viewport. 2. Define a container using container-type: inline-size. 3. Use @container rules in child elements to apply styles. 4. Benefits include component-level responsiveness, reusability, and better design system support. 5. Name containers with container-name to avoid conflicts. 6. Container queries support width, height, aspect-ratio, and logical operators. 7. Supported in all major browsers as of 2024, with media queries as fallbacks for older browsers. 8. They enhance responsive design without replacing media queries but complement them for context-aware components.
CSS container queries are a modern layout feature that allows you to style elements based on the size of their container, rather than the viewport or parent element. This is a big step forward from traditional media queries, which only respond to the screen size. With container queries, components can be truly independent and adapt their appearance based on the space they’re actually given—making them ideal for reusable UI components like cards, grids, or widgets.

How container queries work
To use container queries, you first need to define a container in your CSS. This is done by using the container-type
property (like inline-size
, block-size
, or size
) on a parent element. Once an element is a container, its children can use @container
rules to apply styles based on that container’s dimensions.
Here’s a basic example:

/* Step 1: Define a container */ .card-container { container-type: inline-size; }
/* Step 2: Use a container query in a child component */ @container (min-width: 400px) { .card { display: flex; } } @container (min-width: 600px) { .card { gap: 20px; } }
<div class="card-container"> <article class="card"> <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="image.jpg" class="lazy" alt="What are CSS container queries and how to use them?"> <div class="content"> <h3>Card Title</h3> <p>Description goes here.</p> </div> </article> </div>
In this example, the .card
layout changes when the .card-container
reaches certain widths—regardless of the overall screen size.
Key benefits of container queries
- Component-level responsiveness: Components adapt based on their own container, not the whole page.
- Reusability: The same component can behave differently in different layouts (e.g., in a sidebar vs. a main grid).
- Better design system support: Designers and developers can build modular UIs that scale gracefully in any context.
Practical tips for using container queries
Use
container-type: inline-size
for width-based queries (most common).You can name containers using
container-name
(or shorthandcontainer
) to avoid conflicts:.sidebar { container-name: sidebar; container-type: inline-size; } @container sidebar (min-width: 300px) { .widget { flex-direction: row; } }
Container queries support many of the same features as media queries, including
width
,height
,aspect-ratio
, and logical operators (and
,or
,not
).- Use media queries as fallbacks
- Avoid relying solely on container queries for critical layout
- Test layouts carefully across devices
Browser support and fallbacks
As of 2024, container queries are supported in all major modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari). However, for older browsers, you may need to:
You can check current support at caniuse.com.
Basically, container queries give you more control over responsive design at the component level—making it easier to build flexible, context-aware UIs without JavaScript. They’re not a replacement for media queries, but a powerful addition to your CSS toolkit.
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