In modern HTML and CSS development, keeping two divs side by side is a fundamental layout requirement. Whether you're building a responsive website or a fixed-width layout, understanding different techniques ensures your design remains flexible and user-friendly. This guide covers five popular CSS techniques to achieve this, including absolute positioning, Flexbox, CSS Grid, float, and inline list.
Each method has its own use case, and knowing when to use which can improve your web development skills. Let's go through them one by one.
The absolute positioning method is useful when you need fixed elements positioned exactly where you want. However, it is not a flexible solution for responsive design.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Absolute Positioning Example</title>
<style>
.container {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
height: 200px;
}
.box {
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
background-color: lightblue;
position: absolute;
top: 50px;
}
.box1 {
left: 10px;
}
.box2 {
left: 220px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<div class="box box1">Box 1</div>
<div class="box box2">Box 2</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>Flexbox is the best method for modern responsive layouts. It is easy to use and highly flexible.
<style>
.flex-container {
display: flex;
gap: 20px;
}
.flex-box {
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
background-color: lightcoral;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
}
</style>
<div class="flex-container">
<div class="flex-box">Box 1</div>
<div class="flex-box">Box 2</div>
</div>This is the most preferred method for modern layouts.
CSS Grid is another powerful tool for structuring layouts. It allows precise control over grid-based layouts.
<style>
.grid-container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 200px;
gap: 20px;
}
.grid-box {
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
background-color: lightgreen;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
}
</style>
<div class="grid-container">
<div class="grid-box">Box 1</div>
<div class="grid-box">Box 2</div>
</div>This method is ideal for structured layouts.
Before Flexbox and Grid, float was widely used to position elements.
<style>
.float-container {
width: 100%;
}
.float-box {
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
background-color: orange;
float: left;
margin-right: 20px;
text-align: center;
line-height: 100px;
}
</style>
<div class="float-container">
<div class="float-box">Box 1</div>
<div class="float-box">Box 2</div>
</div>Although effective, float is outdated and replaced by Flexbox/Grid.
The inline-block method allows divs to behave like inline elements while retaining block-level styling.
<style>
.inline-container div {
display: inline-block;
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
background-color: pink;
text-align: center;
line-height: 100px;
margin-right: 20px;
}
</style>
<div class="inline-container">
<div>Box 1</div>
<div>Box 2</div>
</div>Each CSS technique has its pros and cons:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute Positioning | Precise control | Not flexible |
| Flexbox | Best for responsive layouts | Not ideal for grid structures |
| CSS Grid | Best for complex layouts | Overhead for simple designs |
| Float | Works in older browsers | Outdated approach |
| Inline-Block | Simple and effective | Alignment issues |
For modern HTML and CSS development, Flexbox and CSS Grid are highly recommended. Float and inline-block can be useful in legacy code but are less efficient than modern methods.
By mastering these techniques, you can design flexible and responsive tables efficiently.
In modern web design, CSS pseudo-classes play a vital role in enhancing the user experience by applying styles based on the position, interaction, or relationship of elements
PHP is one of the most widely used languages for web development, and MySQL is a powerful open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). Establishing a secure and
HTML5 introduced the element, making it simple to embed MP4 videos directly into web pages without relying on third-party plugins like Flash. This built-in support enhances
Double exposure portraits are a captivating artistic effect combining two images into one surreal composition. Using Adobe Photoshop’s layer blending modes and masking
Layer styles are the secret weapon of many professional designers, offering a quick and effective way to add depth, texture, and dimension to your artwork. Whether you’re
Photoshop is a powerful tool for photographers and graphic designers alike, offering a vast array of filters that can enhance your images dramatically. In this comprehensive
Transferring a WordPress website to a new domain can be challenging, especially if you want to maintain your SEO rankings. Whether you're rebranding or switching to a better
Making passport photos at home using Photoshop is a cost-effective and convenient solution. This step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the process of creating 8
Our online CSS beautifier & minifier is the professional choice for clean code. It offers customizable options for formatting, beautification, and minification. Enhance your CSS for optimal results now!
Our online HTML beautifier is the professional choice for cleaning up code. Compress & format HTML for improved structure and readability, with just a few clicks. Start beautifying today!
Design unique CSS gradients with our easy to use, professional generator. Choose colors and customize with advanced features. Lightweight for fast and optimized output!
Use our powerful sort words tool to arrange text by alphabetical order or character length. Many options available to format the output as desired. Clean up your lists now, quickly and easily!
Professional-grade text encoding and decoding is here with our advanced tool. Sophisticated features and capabilities for all your complex data transformation needs. Start now!
Our lightweight CSS filter generator lets you create CSS filters using hex values with multiple advanced options. Get the perfect look for your elements with this powerful & efficient tool!
Extract email IDs from messy text with a single click using our professional tool. Lightweight & efficient, streamlines the process for you, saving time. Try now for effortless email extraction!
Our online Lorem Ipsum generator provides the best solution for your demo content needs. It offers many options, allowing you to create perfect placeholder text with precision. Get started now!
Our Website Development Service offers custom, responsive design, ensuring seamless user experience across devices. From concept to launch, we create dynamic, SEO-friendly sites to elevate your online presence and drive engagement.
Revamp your online presence with our Website Redesign Service! We specialize in creating modern, user-friendly designs that boost engagement and conversion rates. Transform your site today for a sleek, professional look that stands out.
Transform your PSD designs into pixel-perfect, responsive HTML5 code with our professional PSD to HTML5 conversion service. Enjoy clean, SEO-friendly, and cross-browser compatible code tailored to bring your vision to life seamlessly.
Elevate your brand with our professional Logo Design Service. We create unique, memorable logos that capture your business's essence. Stand out in the market with a custom logo designed to leave a lasting impression.
Boost your site's search engine presence! We offer expert SEO solutions, including image and code enhancements, to achieve top positions on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Let us drive qualified traffic to your business today!
Boost your brand with our Social Media Marketing Service! We specialize in crafting engaging content, driving growth through targeted ads, and maximizing your online presence. Drive growth and connect with your audience effectively.
Experience our WordPress development services, offering tailored solutions for custom themes, plugins, and seamless integrations. Enhance your online presence with our responsive, secure, and success-optimized WordPress solutions.
Enhance your website's visual appeal: We sharpen icons/images, correct RAW files & repair damaged/distorted/overly bright photos. Expect natural-colored, high-resolution JPEGs, complete with photographic effects & upscaling.
In the dynamic world of web development, the visual appeal and user experience of a website are paramount. At the heart of this lies CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), the language that dictates how...
In today's digital landscape, a stunning and functional website is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Whether you're an aspiring web designer, a budding entrepreneur, or a seasoned professional looking to sharpen...
AI is fundamentally reshaping website development, automating tedious tasks, enabling hyper-personalization, and accelerating development cycles, which presents both immense opportunities for those who adapt and significant risks for developers who ignore this technological...
Choosing the right server infrastructure is one of the most critical decisions any business or individual with an online presence will make. Get it right, and you have a stable, performant foundation for...
In the fast-paced world of web development, efficiency and productivity are paramount. For PHP developers, the choice of a code editor can significantly impact their workflow, making the difference between a cumbersome coding...
Choosing between a career as a designer or a developer can feel like standing at a crossroads. Both roles are integral to creating digital products, yet they demand vastly different skill sets, mindsets,...
In the fast-paced digital world, your brand’s visual identity plays a pivotal role in grabbing attention, building trust, and driving engagement. Whether it's a social media post, website design, or ad creative, graphic...
In today’s digital world, having a strong online presence is critical for businesses and individuals alike. When it comes to building a website, one of the most important decisions you’ll face is choosing...
