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Posted on by Courtney Meznarich

The Magic of CSS Houdini

Hat tricks, and card tricks, and magical CSS, oh my! Our latest Lunch Meet, a team-led learning series, was full of surprises from Lead UX Designer/Developer Anthony Harris. The topic was CSS Houdini, a somewhat magical, albeit somewhat unavailable, project that could revolutionize web development as we know it. Here’s what we know.

Anthony Harris up close houdini presentation

Houdini is a new collection of browser APIs that allows you to gain more access to your browser’s CSS engine. The API’s are accessible through JavaScript, making them web developer friendly.

The good news? Overall, CSS Houdini would improve browser support and increase performance. The not-so-good news (yet), is that for Houdini to work, all browsers would need to implement Houdini’s APIs, including Style, Layout, Paint, and Composite. Currently, Google Chrome is farthest along in this process.  If that happens, Harris said CSS Houdini could become the way we write CSS in the future.

“At SoCreate we strive to be on the bleeding edge of technology,” Harris said. “If there is any new tech that could help us be smarter or more efficient in any way, we’re all about it.”

Currently, we use JavaScript libraries to extend the possibilities of HTML and CSS. But JavaScript libraries run on the application level, not the browser. Houdini allows developers to tap into the browser’s rendering engine.  

Something you’ll never hear at SoCreate? "That's the way we've always done it." We are constantly striving to keep our act fresh. Could CSS Houdini could be the next trick up our sleeve?

Time will tell,

Courtney Meznarich, Director of Community Outreach
Courtney Meznarich Director of Community Outreach
@courtonthecoast

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