Latest CSS Features 2020-2025

Sabuj Kundu 4th Feb 2026

A Complete Guide to Modern CSS Features Every Developer Should Know

CSS has evolved dramatically in recent years. The features introduced from 2020 to 2025 have changed how we build websites. Let’s explore the most important updates that make your CSS code cleaner, faster, and more powerful.

1. Container Queries (2023)

Container queries are one of the biggest CSS features in recent years. Unlike media queries that check the viewport size, container queries let you style elements based on their parent container’s size.

How to Use Container Queries

/* Define a container */
.card-container {
  container-type: inline-size;
  container-name: card;
}

/* Query the container */
@container card (min-width: 400px) {
  .card {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr;
  }
}

/* Without container name */
@container (min-width: 600px) {
  .card-title {
    font-size: 2rem;
  }
}

2. The :has() Selector (2022)

The :has() selector is often called the “parent selector” because it lets you style a parent element based on its children. This was impossible in CSS before.

Practical Examples

/* Style a form that has an error */
form:has(.error) {
  border: 2px solid red;
}

/* Style a card that contains an image */
.card:has(img) {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
}

/* Style a list item that has a checked checkbox */
li:has(input[type="checkbox"]:checked) {
  text-decoration: line-through;
  opacity: 0.5;
}

/* Previous sibling selector */
h2:has(+ p) {
  margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}

3. CSS Nesting (2023)

Native CSS nesting is now available without preprocessors like Sass. You can write cleaner, more organized CSS by nesting selectors inside parent rules.

/* Old way */
.card { }
.card .title { }
.card .title:hover { }

/* New way with nesting */
.card {
  background: white;
  padding: 1rem;
  
  .title {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    color: navy;
    
    &:hover {
      color: blue;
    }
  }
  
  &.featured {
    border: 2px solid gold;
  }
}

4. Cascade Layers (2022)

Cascade layers give you control over the CSS cascade. You can organize your styles into layers and control which layer takes priority, making it easier to manage large codebases.

/* Define layers */
@layer reset, base, components, utilities;

/* Add styles to layers */
@layer reset {
  * {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
  }
}

@layer base {
  body {
    font-family: system-ui;
  }
}

@layer components {
  .button {
    padding: 10px 20px;
  }
}

/* Unlayered styles have highest priority */
.button {
  background: red; /* This wins over layered styles */
}

5. Subgrid (2023)

Subgrid lets nested grid items align with their parent grid tracks. This solves one of the biggest challenges with CSS Grid.

.parent-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  gap: 20px;
}

.nested-grid {
  display: grid;
  /* Inherit parent's column tracks */
  grid-template-columns: subgrid;
  /* Or inherit row tracks */
  grid-template-rows: subgrid;
  
  /* Items now align with parent grid */
}

6. New Color Functions (2023-2024)

CSS now supports wider color spaces and new color functions for better color manipulation.

color-mix() Function

/* Mix two colors */
.element {
  /* 50% blue, 50% red */
  background: color-mix(in srgb, blue, red);
  
  /* 70% blue, 30% red */
  background: color-mix(in srgb, blue 70%, red);
  
  /* Mix with transparency */
  background: color-mix(in srgb, blue, transparent 50%);
}

Relative Colors

:root {
  --primary: #3b82f6;
}

.element {
  /* Make primary color lighter */
  background: rgb(from var(--primary) r g b / 0.5);
  
  /* Adjust individual channels */
  color: hsl(from var(--primary) h s calc(l + 20%));
}

7. View Transitions API (2023)

Create smooth page transitions without JavaScript frameworks. The View Transitions API makes single-page app transitions easy.

/* Define transition for specific elements */
::view-transition-old(header),
::view-transition-new(header) {
  animation-duration: 0.5s;
}

.header {
  view-transition-name: header;
}

/* Customize the transition */
::view-transition-old(main) {
  animation: slide-out 0.3s ease-out;
}

::view-transition-new(main) {
  animation: slide-in 0.3s ease-in;
}

JavaScript to trigger transition:

// Simple transition
document.startViewTransition(() => {
  // Update DOM here
  document.body.innerHTML = newContent;
});

8. Scroll-Driven Animations (2023)

Create animations that respond to scroll position without JavaScript. This opens up amazing possibilities for parallax effects and scroll-triggered animations.

/* Animate on scroll */
.reveal {
  animation: fade-in linear;
  animation-timeline: view();
  animation-range: entry 0% cover 50%;
}

@keyframes fade-in {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateY(100px);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
}

/* Progress bar based on scroll */
.progress-bar {
  position: fixed;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
  height: 5px;
  background: blue;
  transform-origin: left;
  animation: grow-progress linear;
  animation-timeline: scroll(root);
}

@keyframes grow-progress {
  from { transform: scaleX(0); }
  to { transform: scaleX(1); }
}

9. :is() and :where() Selectors (2021)

These pseudo-classes help you write shorter, cleaner selector lists. The difference is in specificity.

/* Old way */
header a:hover,
footer a:hover,
aside a:hover {
  color: red;
}

/* New way with :is() */
:is(header, footer, aside) a:hover {
  color: red;
}

/* :where() has zero specificity */
:where(header, footer, aside) a:hover {
  color: red;
}

/* Complex selectors made simple */
:is(section, article, aside) :is(h1, h2, h3) {
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
}

10. aspect-ratio Property (2021)

Set element aspect ratios without padding hacks. This makes responsive design much easier.

/* Perfect square */
.square {
  aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
}

/* 16:9 video ratio */
.video-container {
  aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
}

/* 4:3 ratio */
.photo {
  aspect-ratio: 4 / 3;
  object-fit: cover;
}

/* Works with width or height */
.box {
  width: 100%;
  aspect-ratio: 2 / 1;
  /* Height automatically calculated */
}

11. gap Property for Flexbox (2021)

The gap property now works with flexbox, not just grid. No more margin hacks for spacing flex items.

/* Old way with margins */
.flex-container > * {
  margin-right: 1rem;
}
.flex-container > *:last-child {
  margin-right: 0;
}

/* New way with gap */
.flex-container {
  display: flex;
  gap: 1rem; /* Space between all items */
}

/* Different row and column gaps */
.flex-container {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  row-gap: 2rem;
  column-gap: 1rem;
}

12. clamp(), min(), and max() Functions (2020)

These math functions create responsive designs without media queries. They’re perfect for fluid typography and spacing.

/* Responsive font size */
h1 {
  /* min: 1.5rem, preferred: 5vw, max: 3rem */
  font-size: clamp(1.5rem, 5vw, 3rem);
}

/* Responsive padding */
.container {
  padding: clamp(1rem, 5%, 3rem);
}

/* Flexible width */
.sidebar {
  /* At least 200px, but not more than 25% */
  width: min(25%, 200px);
}

/* Maximum width constraint */
.content {
  /* Up to 1200px or 90% of viewport */
  max-width: min(1200px, 90vw);
}

13. Logical Properties (2020-2021)

Logical properties make your CSS work better with different writing modes and languages. They adapt to text direction automatically.

/* Physical properties (old) */
.box {
  margin-left: 1rem;
  padding-right: 2rem;
  border-top: 1px solid black;
}

/* Logical properties (new) */
.box {
  margin-inline-start: 1rem;  /* Left in LTR, right in RTL */
  padding-inline-end: 2rem;   /* Right in LTR, left in RTL */
  border-block-start: 1px solid black; /* Top */
}

/* More examples */
.element {
  padding-inline: 1rem 2rem;  /* left and right */
  padding-block: 0.5rem 1rem; /* top and bottom */
  inset-inline-start: 0;      /* left */
  inset-block-end: 0;         /* bottom */
}

14. @supports and Feature Queries (Enhanced)

Feature queries let you apply CSS only when a browser supports specific features. This is perfect for progressive enhancement.

/* Check for container query support */
@supports (container-type: inline-size) {
  .card-container {
    container-type: inline-size;
  }
}

/* Check for :has() support */
@supports selector(:has(*)) {
  form:has(.error) {
    border-color: red;
  }
}

/* Multiple conditions */
@supports (display: grid) and (gap: 1rem) {
  .layout {
    display: grid;
    gap: 1rem;
  }
}

15. accent-color Property (2021)

Customize the accent color of form controls with one line of CSS. No more custom checkbox styling.

/* Apply to all form controls */
form {
  accent-color: #3b82f6;
}

/* Individual controls */
input[type="checkbox"] {
  accent-color: green;
}

input[type="radio"] {
  accent-color: purple;
}

input[type="range"] {
  accent-color: orange;
}

Best Practices for Using Modern CSS

1. Check browser support: Always verify feature support on caniuse.com before using in production.
2. Use progressive enhancement: Start with basic CSS, then add modern features with @supports.
3. Combine features wisely: Container queries + :has() + nesting = powerful component styling.
4. Think in containers: Container queries are better than media queries for component-based design.
5. Use logical properties: They make your site work better for international audiences.
6. Leverage cascade layers: Organize your CSS from the start to avoid specificity wars.

Conclusion

CSS has grown tremendously from 2020 to 2025. Features like container queries, :has(), and native nesting give us tools that were impossible before. Scroll-driven animations and view transitions bring native support for effects that once required heavy JavaScript.

The best part? These features work together. You can combine container queries with :has() for truly responsive components. Use cascade layers with nesting for organized, maintainable stylesheets. Add scroll-driven animations for engaging user experiences.

Start using these features today. Check browser support for your target audience, use @supports for progressive enhancement, and build the modern web with modern CSS.

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