Flexbox: Align Items

Flexbox is a powerful CSS layout technique that allows developers to create flexible and responsive layouts. One of the key features of Flexbox is the ability to align, distribute, and space elements. In this article, we will focus on the align-items property and how it can be used to align items along the cross-axis of a Flexbox container.

The align-items Property

The align-items property controls the alignment of items along the cross-axis of a Flexbox container. The cross-axis is the axis perpendicular to the main axis of the container. For example, in a horizontal Flexbox container, the cross-axis is vertical.

Here's the syntax for using align-items:

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: value;
}

There are several values that can be used with align-items:

• flex-start: aligns items at the start of the cross-axis.
• center: aligns items at the center of the cross-axis.
• flex-end: aligns items at the end of the cross-axis.
• stretch: stretches items to fill the cross-axis.
• baseline: aligns items with their baselines.

Let's see how these values work in practice.

Example Usage

flex-start

The flex-start value aligns items at the start of the cross-axis.

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: flex-start;
}

center

The center value aligns items at the center of the cross-axis.

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
}

flex-end

The flex-end value aligns items at the end of the cross-axis.

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: flex-end;
}

stretch

The stretch value stretches items to fill the cross-axis.

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: stretch;
}

baseline

The baseline value aligns items with their baselines.

.container {
  display: flex;
  align-items: baseline;
}

Conclusion

The align-items property is a powerful tool for aligning items in Flexbox layouts. By understanding the available values and how they work, developers can create flexible and responsive designs that look great on any device.