CSS 'align-items' Property Explained

The CSS 'align-items' property is a key player in Flexbox and Grid layouts, providing a way to align child elements (items) within their container vertically. Think of it as the tool that determines how items line up along the cross-axis (typically up and down if your flex-direction is row-wise), especially when the items do not all have the same height.

CSS 'align-items' Property Examples

See the Pen CSS 'align-items' Property by Webzstore (@webzstore) on CodePen.

Items are aligned based on the baseline of their content, which is particularly noticeable when text sizes differ.

Browser Support For 'align-items' Property

52.0	10.1	57.0	16.0	44.0

CSS Syntax of the 'align-items' Property

align-items: stretch|flex-start|flex-end|center|baseline|initial|inherit;

Usage of the 'align-items' Property

You'd use 'align-items' to control the vertical alignment of items within a flex container (or grid items within a grid container along the block axis). This property is incredibly useful for ensuring consistent vertical spacing, alignment, and space distribution among items that may vary in size or to match a specific design requirement.

Property Values of the 'align-items' Property

• Stretch: The default value. Items are stretched to fit the container's height.
• Flex-start: Items are aligned to the start of the container.
• Flex-end: Items are aligned to the end of the container.
• Center: Items are centered within the container.
• Baseline: Items are aligned based on their baseline.
• Initial: Sets this property to its default value (stretch).
• Inherit: Inherits this property from its parent element.

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