How do you create a layout with CSS Grid?

Question

Accepted Answer

**CSS Grid** is a two-dimensional layout system — it controls **rows and columns simultaneously**, unlike Flexbox's single line. You define a grid on the container and place items into it.

```css
.grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr 1fr; /* 3 columns: fixed, then two flexible */
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;     /* 3 rows */
  gap: 1rem;                              /* gutters between cells */
}
```

## The fr unit and repeat()

```css
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);   /* 3 equal columns */
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr;          /* 2nd column is twice the 1st */
```

`fr` ("fraction") distributes available space — `1fr 2fr` splits it 1:2. `repeat(3, 1fr)` is shorthand for three equal tracks.

## Responsive grid with NO media queries

```css
.cards {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr));
  gap: 1rem;
}
```

This one line creates a fully responsive card grid: each column is at least `250px`; the browser fits **as many as possible** per row and wraps the rest — automatically going from 4 columns on desktop to 1 on mobile. `auto-fit` + `minmax` is one of Grid's most loved patterns.

## Placing items across cells

```css
.hero {
  grid-column: 1 / 3;  /* span from column line 1 to 3 (two columns) */
  grid-row: 1 / 2;
}
.featured { grid-column: span 2; } /* span 2 columns from its position */
```

Items can span multiple rows/columns, enabling magazine-style layouts that are awkward with Flexbox.

## Grid vs Flexbox

- **Grid** — 2D layout (rows *and* columns): page layouts, card grids, dashboards.
- **Flexbox** — 1D layout (a single row or column): navbars, button groups, centering.

They compose well — a grid cell can itself be a flex container.

## Why it matters

Grid is the most powerful CSS layout tool — it handles full-page layouts and responsive card grids cleanly, often replacing nested-div hacks.

The `auto-fit`/`minmax` responsive pattern alone removes the need for many media queries.