Why I love Bootstrap and why you should too
Bootstrap stands as one of the most popular open source front-end frameworks on the web. Since its official release in 2011, it has undergone several changes and is now one of the most stable and responsive frameworks.
Boostrap is your friend
Whether you're a designer or developer, you need to learn Bootstrap. Bootstrap is built from the ground up to be fully responsive to screen sizes, meaning your designs will look beautiful on any device and in any browser.
The Bootstrap Framework provides a solid foundation for any website, regardless of project size. It includes Normalize.css, which helps smooth out browser differences. Bootstrap also provides good typography. Even basic HTML form elements like checkboxes, radio buttons, options, etc. have been restored to give them a more modern look. I use Bootstrap because it saves me considerable effort.
Today's websites need to be modern, sleek and responsive to screen sizes. Bootstrap helps us achieve these goals. Here are the top five reasons why I love Bootstrap:
Reason 1: Powerful Grid System
Bootstrap has one of the most responsive and mobile-friendly grid systems. It's easy to use and is very flexible. It helps manage a simple website design from the smallest mobile device to high definition screens. Boostrap divides the screen into 12 columns, allowing you to decide how much screen real estate each element of your design should take.
Reason 2: Rapid development
Bootstrap comes complete with many reusable CSS and JavaScript components that can help achieve the necessary functionality on almost any kind of website. You then need HTML to plug them into your website design. This means that resources are saved on redundant CSS and JavaScript. And all of these components are responsive to screen sizes, too.
Related: 5 web development tips
Reason 3: Browser Compatibility
Bootstrap is compatible with all modern browsers and Internet Explorer version 8 and up. If Bootstrap's instructions are followed properly, you can create a website design that works in all these browsers. Plugins like HTML5Shiv and Respond.js come as part of Bootstrap's default template. These help port HTML5 elements to older non-HTML5 browsers.
Of course, if your employer wants to make a website compatible with IE7, then it might be time to think about changing jobs!
Cause 4: Adaptation!
Bootstrap offers many ways to customize your default design. You can override all Bootstrap CSS and default JavaScript. These options make it easy to create a new template using Bootstrap.
Reason 5: Open Source
Bootstrap is an open source project hosted on Github. It is released under the MIT license. This is one of the main reasons why I use Bootstrap. My clients don't have to deal with purchasing and licensing issues, and Bootstrap's license gives me the freedom to completely change and experiment with it.
Want to learn Bootstrap?
Boostrap is loved by web developers at all levels, as it allows them to build a functional and attractive website design with some basic foundations. A rookie developer with basic knowledge of HTML and some CSS can get started with Bootstrap.