Display

Align items

Justify content

Flex direction

Flex wrap

Row gap

Column gap

Flex grow

Flex shrink

Flex basis

Align self

Order

CSS Flex Generator

Visual CSS Flexbox Generator - Description

This Visual CSS Flexbox Generator lets you create and understand flex layouts through a simple, interactive interface. On the flex canvas, you can add, reorder, and resize flex items while instantly seeing how Flexbox properties affect layout behavior. The generator produces clean, production-ready vanilla CSS that you can copy directly into your project. It’s perfect for beginners learning Flexbox and for experienced developers who want to prototype layouts visually.

How to use the generator

Follow these steps to build your own Flexbox layout using the visual editor. The generated CSS updates automatically as you make adjustments on the canvas.

Start by defining a container and set its display to flex or inline-flex.
Use align-items to control alignment along the cross axis.
Adjust justify-content to control how items align along the main axis (start, center, space-between, space-around, etc.).
Use the direction control to choose between row, row-reverse, column, or column-reverse.
Experiment with flex-wrap to allow items to wrap onto multiple lines or keep them in one line.
Add more items and select one by clicking to control individual flex item.
Reorder items by assigning order values to change their position.
Fine-tune item sizes using flex-grow, flex-shrink, and flex-basis sliders for each element.
Export the CSS or copy a ready-to-use HTML + CSS snippet directly from the interface.

CSS Flexbox - Brief Tutorial

CSS Flexbox (Flexible Box Layout) is a one-dimensional layout system designed to arrange items in rows or columns efficiently. It provides control over alignment, spacing, and item order, even when item sizes are unknown or dynamic. Flexbox makes it easy to create modern, responsive layouts without floats or complicated positioning.

1. Setting up a Flex Container

To start using Flexbox, set the container’s display to flex:

.container {
  display: flex;
}

Or:

.container {
  display: inline-flex;
}

All direct children of this container become flex items. You can then control their direction, wrapping, alignment, and spacing using various Flexbox properties.

2. Flex Direction

The flex-direction property defines the main axis of the container. It determines whether items are placed in a row or a column:

.container {
  flex-direction: row; /* default */
  /* other options: row-reverse | column | column-reverse */
}

row - items are placed left to right.
column - items are placed top to bottom.
row-reverse and column-reverse - reverse the item order.

3. Wrapping Flex Items

By default, flex items try to fit on one line. The flex-wrap property allows items to wrap onto multiple lines if necessary.

.container {
  flex-wrap: wrap;
}

Combine flex-direction and flex-wrap with the shorthand flex-flow:

.container {
  flex-flow: row wrap;
}

4. Justify Content

The justify-content property controls alignment along the main axis (horizontal if row, vertical if column):

.container {
  justify-content: space-between;
}

flex-start - items align at the start.
center - items align in the middle.
flex-end - items align at the end.
space-between - equal space between items.
space-around - equal space around each item.
space-evenly - equal space between and around all items.

5. Align Items

The align-items property defines how items align along the cross axis (perpendicular to the main axis):

.container {
  align-items: center;
}

stretch - items stretch to fill the container (default).
flex-start - align to the start of the cross axis.
flex-end - align to the end.
center - align at the center.
baseline - align by text baseline.

6. Align Content

When multiple lines of flex items exist (due to wrapping), align-content manages the spacing between those lines:

.container {
  align-content: space-around;
}

7. Gap Property

Modern browsers support gap for flex containers — no need for margins between items:

.container {
  display: flex;
  gap: 2rem; /* Also row-gap or column-gap for more control. */
}

8. Controlling Individual Flex Items

Each flex item can override container rules using its own properties:

.item {
  order: 2;        /* Change display order */
  flex-grow: 1;    /* Allow item to expand */
  flex-shrink: 1;  /* Allow item to shrink */
  flex-basis: 200px; /* Initial size before growing/shrinking */
}

You can use the shorthand flex to define all three properties at once:

.item {
  flex: 1 1 200px; /* grow shrink basis */
}

9. Align Self

Use align-self to adjust alignment for a single item (overriding align-items):

.item {
  align-self: flex-end;
}

10. Responsive Flexbox Layouts

Flexbox simplifies responsive design. Items automatically adjust to container size, and you can combine flex-wrap with percentages or media queries for full control.

@media (max-width: 800px) {
  .container {
    flex-direction: column;
  }
}

11. Nested Flex Containers

Each flex item can contain its own flex layout. This allows you to build complex, nested layouts with consistent alignment.

.header, .footer {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  align-items: center;
}

12. Shorthand Properties

flex-flow - shorthand for flex-direction and flex-wrap.
flex - shorthand for flex-grow, flex-shrink, and flex-basis.
place-items - shorthand for align-items and justify-items (in Grid, but useful to compare).

13. Browser Support

Flexbox is supported in all modern browsers, including mobile. Some legacy browsers may require vendor prefixes like -webkit-.

14. Best Practices

Use Flexbox for one-dimensional layouts - rows or columns, not both.
Use Grid for complex two-dimensional designs.
Combine gap instead of margins for cleaner spacing.
Use flex: 1 for equal-width flexible items.
Always test how items behave when the container resizes.

15. Summary

CSS Flexbox makes creating responsive, dynamic, and consistent layouts simple. It’s perfect for building navigation bars, content cards, toolbars, and flexible UI components. With the Visual Flexbox Generator, you can explore all Flexbox properties visually, understand how each affects layout behavior, and instantly generate optimized CSS for your projects.

Last update: 19. 10. 2025.