CSS Flexbox Generator

Visual flexbox playground — configure container and item properties, preview layouts live, and copy the generated CSS.

Container Properties

flex-direction

justify-content

align-items

flex-wrap

gap

Live Preview

Item Properties

Click an item in the preview to select it, then adjust its properties below.

Selected Item:

flex-grow

flex-shrink

flex-basis

align-self

order

Generated CSS

Preset Layouts

Click a preset to load it into the playground.

Flexbox Cheat Sheet

What is a CSS Flexbox Generator?

A CSS flexbox generator is a visual tool that lets you experiment with all flexbox container and item properties without writing code by hand. You configure direction, alignment, wrapping, gaps, and per-item properties like flex-grow and order, then copy the generated CSS directly into your project. This tool serves as both a flexbox playground for learning and a layout generator for production use.

Understanding Flexbox Container Properties

The flex container is the parent element with display: flex. Its properties control how child items are laid out:

flex-direction: Sets the main axis — row (horizontal, default), column (vertical), or their reverse variants.
justify-content: Distributes items along the main axis — flex-start, center, space-between, space-around, or space-evenly.
align-items: Aligns items along the cross axis — stretch (default), flex-start, center, flex-end, or baseline.
flex-wrap: Controls whether items wrap to new lines — nowrap (default) keeps everything on one line, wrap allows wrapping.
gap: Sets the spacing between flex items without using margins.

Understanding Flexbox Item Properties

Individual flex items can override the container's alignment and control their own sizing behavior:

flex-grow: How much an item grows relative to siblings when extra space is available. Default is 0 (no growth).
flex-shrink: How much an item shrinks relative to siblings when space is tight. Default is 1.
flex-basis: The initial size before growing or shrinking. Can be a length (200px), percentage (25%), or auto.
align-self: Overrides align-items for a single item.
order: Changes the visual order without modifying the DOM. Default is 0.

Common Flexbox Layout Patterns

Flexbox excels at common UI patterns that were historically difficult with CSS. A holy grail layout uses a flex container with a fixed-width sidebar, flexible main content, and another sidebar. A sticky footer uses flex-grow: 1 on the main content to push the footer to the bottom. Centering is trivially achieved with justify-content: center and align-items: center. Navigation bars, card grids with wrapping, and equal-height columns are all natural flexbox use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CSS Flexbox?

CSS Flexbox (Flexible Box Layout) is a one-dimensional layout model that distributes space among items in a container and aligns them. It makes it easy to design responsive layouts without using floats or positioning hacks.

What is the difference between justify-content and align-items?

justify-content controls alignment along the main axis (horizontal by default), while align-items controls alignment along the cross axis (vertical by default). When flex-direction is column, these axes swap.

What does flex-wrap do?

flex-wrap controls whether flex items are forced onto a single line or can wrap onto multiple lines. By default (nowrap), all items stay on one line and may shrink. Setting wrap allows items to flow onto the next line when the container runs out of space.

How do flex-grow, flex-shrink, and flex-basis work?

flex-grow defines how much an item should grow relative to other items when extra space is available. flex-shrink defines how much an item should shrink when space is insufficient. flex-basis sets the initial size of an item before growing or shrinking. Together they form the shorthand: flex: grow shrink basis.

What is the order property in Flexbox?

The order property controls the visual order of flex items without changing the HTML source order. Items are laid out in ascending order values. All items default to order: 0.

When should I use Flexbox vs CSS Grid?

Flexbox is best for one-dimensional layouts — arranging items in a single row or column. CSS Grid is best for two-dimensional layouts — controlling both rows and columns simultaneously. Many layouts benefit from using both.

Is this flexbox generator free to use?

Yes, this CSS flexbox generator is completely free. It runs entirely in your browser with no sign-up required. All layout generation happens client-side — no data is sent to any server.

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