CSS Flexbox Playground
Experiment with Flexbox properties visually. Adjust the controls, click items for per-item overrides, and copy the generated CSS or Tailwind code.
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Presets
Container Properties
Live Preview
Generated Code
.container {
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
justify-content: flex-start;
align-items: stretch;
flex-wrap: nowrap;
gap: 16px;
}Advertisement
How to Use the Flexbox Playground
The CSS Flexbox Playground provides a visual, interactive way to learn and experiment with Flexbox layout properties. Use the controls on the left to adjust container-level properties like flex-direction, justify-content, align-items, flex-wrap, and gap. The live preview area on the right updates instantly as you change values.
Click any item in the preview to select it and reveal per-item controls. You can customize flex-grow, flex-shrink, flex-basis, align-self, and order for each individual item. This lets you see how individual items behave within the flex container, making it easier to understand how properties interact.
Start with the preset buttons to load common layout patterns like centered content, navigation bars, equal columns, or wrapped grids. Each preset configures the container properties and item count to demonstrate a practical Flexbox pattern you can adapt for your own projects.
When you're happy with your layout, toggle between CSS and Tailwind output modes and copy the generated code with one click. The CSS output includes the exact properties for your container and any items with custom overrides. The Tailwind output generates the equivalent utility classes ready to paste into your HTML.
Flexbox is the foundation of modern CSS layouts. Whether you're building navigation menus, card grids, centering content, or creating responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes, understanding Flexbox is essential. This playground helps you build intuition for how each property works, so you can write Flexbox code from memory instead of searching for answers every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CSS Flexbox?
CSS Flexbox (Flexible Box Layout) is a one-dimensional layout model that distributes space along a single axis — either horizontally (row) or vertically (column). It makes it easy to align, distribute, and size items within a container, even when their sizes are unknown or dynamic. Flexbox is supported by all modern browsers.
What is the difference between justify-content and align-items?
justify-content controls how items are distributed along the main axis (horizontal in row direction, vertical in column direction). align-items controls how items are aligned along the cross axis (perpendicular to the main axis). For example, in a row layout, justify-content handles horizontal spacing while align-items handles vertical alignment.
When should I use flex-wrap?
Use flex-wrap: wrap when you want items to flow to the next line if they exceed the container width. This is essential for responsive layouts where items should stack on smaller screens. Without wrap (nowrap is the default), items will shrink to fit in a single line, which can cause overflow or squished content.
What does flex-grow do?
flex-grow determines how much an item should grow relative to other flex items when there is extra space in the container. A value of 0 means the item won't grow. A value of 1 means it takes its proportional share of available space. If one item has flex-grow: 2 and another has flex-grow: 1, the first item gets twice the extra space.
How do I center an element with Flexbox?
Set the container to display: flex, then use justify-content: center for horizontal centering and align-items: center for vertical centering. This is the simplest way to perfectly center any element both horizontally and vertically. You can try this using the 'Centered' preset in the playground above.
What is the difference between Flexbox and CSS Grid?
Flexbox is a one-dimensional layout system — it works along either a row or a column. CSS Grid is two-dimensional — it works along both rows and columns simultaneously. Use Flexbox for components like navigation bars, card rows, or centering. Use Grid for full page layouts or complex two-dimensional arrangements.