CSS Specificity: Layers vs BEM vs Utility Classes
June 26, 2025CSS Specificity: Cascade Layers vs BEM vs Utility Classes
This article compares three approaches to managing CSS specificity — BEM, utility‑first classes, and native @layer
support.
BEM: Explicit Specificity
BEM naming (block__element--modifier) helps keep specificity consistent:
.header__nav-item--active { color: blue; }
Utility Classes: Specificity by Avoidance
Utility classes rely on single-class selectors, avoiding specificity wars:
<button class="bg-red-300 hover:bg-red-500 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded">
A button
</button>
Cascade Layers: Specificity by Design
With @layer
, you define stacking order, regardless of selectors' complexity:
@layer components {
.nav-link.active { color: blue; }
}
This engine-level layering controls cascade order and specificity intelligently.
Why It Matters
- Without control: Inline > ID > class > element can lead to broken styles in large apps.
- Utility-first keeps everything simple at
0,1,0
specificity. - Layers allow author-defined priorities, easier overrides without
!important
.
Blog
Bypassing $fillable Safely with forceFill() in Laravel
Jul 02, 2025
Bypassing $fillable Safely with forceFill() in Laravel Ever used create() in Laravel and noticed some fields like role or status didn’t save? T...
Mastering Async Iteration in JavaScript with Array.fromAsync()
Jul 27, 2025
🔍 What Exactly is Array.fromAsync()? Array.fromAsync() is a static method introduced in ES2024 as part of JavaScript's growing support for asynchr...
Laravel 12.16.0 - New Features for Developers
Jun 03, 2025
Laravel 12.16.0 - New Features for Developers 1. New Validation Rule: in_array_keys You can now validate that an array contains at least one of the...
React History – A Professional Developer’s Perspective
Jul 26, 2025
1. Origins: Born Inside Facebook In 2011, Facebook engineers faced the increasing complexity of building interactive UIs at scale. They developed...
Guide to Scroll‑Driven Animations with CSS
Jun 26, 2025
Guide to Scroll‑Driven Animations with CSS CSS animations can now be linked to user scrolling without any JavaScript — just pure CSS. 1. Thr...
Load JavaScript on Demand to Boost Site Performance
Jul 24, 2025
🧠 What is Dynamic Import? Dynamic import allows you to load JavaScript modules at runtime—only when needed. This approach is fantastic for r...
