CSS Container Queries vs Media Queries
Container queries let components respond to their container's size instead of the viewport. Learn when to use each approach for responsive design.
Key Takeaways
- Media queries respond to the browser viewport width.
- Container queries respond to the nearest containment context — the parent element's width.
- Container queries are supported in all modern browsers (Chrome 105+, Firefox 110+, Safari 16+).
- Media queries**: Page-level layout, navigation breakpoints, font scaling.
- Container queries require a containment context on the parent element.
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Media Queries: Viewport-Based
Media queries respond to the browser viewport width. They work well for page-level layout changes but fail for reusable components that appear in containers of different widths on the same page.
Container Queries: Component-Based
Container queries respond to the nearest containment context — the parent element's width. A card component can show a horizontal layout in a wide sidebar and a vertical layout in a narrow sidebar, all on the same viewport.
Browser Support
Container queries are supported in all modern browsers (Chrome 105+, Firefox 110+, Safari 16+). For older browsers, media queries remain the reliable fallback.
When to Use Each
- Media queries: Page-level layout, navigation breakpoints, font scaling.
- Container queries: Reusable components, card layouts, widget sizing.
Implementation
Container queries require a containment context on the parent element. Use container-type: inline-size to create a size container, then query it with @container (min-width: 400px) { ... } inside child rules.
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