Difference Between Inline-Flex and Inline-Block in CSS

CSS inline-flex and inline-block are the values of CSS display property that are used to control how elements align and behave within their containers.

When working on a responsive layout, the developer often needs to control how elements align and behave within their containers. Sometimes, we need elements to behave like inline elements but with some block-level properties, while at other times, we need more control over the alignment and spacing of children elements. This brings us to the comparison of two important CSS properties inline-block and inline flex.

CSS inline-block and inline-flex Value of Display

  • CSS inline-block: It allows an element to flow along with other inline elements along with block-level characteristics such as width and height.
  • CSS inline-flex: It displays an element as an inline-level flex container.

Example

Here in this example, we will see the output of both on similar elements.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>inline-block vs inline-flex</title>
    <style>
        /* Setting margin and background Color on Containers*/
        .container {
            background-color: #f0f0f0;
            margin-bottom: 20px;
        }
        
        /* Styling Child Elements*/
        .child {
            width: 100px;
            height: 100px;
            margin: 5px;
            background-color: #99ff99;
            justify-content: center;
            align-items: center;
        }
        
        .inline-block {
            display: inline-block;
        }
        .inline-flex {
            display: inline-flex;
            
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h2>inline-block</h2>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="child inline-block">Box 1</div>
        <div class="child inline-block">Box 2</div>
        <div class="child inline-block">Box 3</div>
    </div>

    <h2>inline-flex</h2>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="child inline-flex">Box 1</div>
        <div class="child inline-flex">Box 2</div>
        <div class="child inline-flex">Box 3</div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Difference between inline-block and inline-flex

Feature Inline-block Inline-flex
Layout Behavior Inline-level; does not break the line but allows width and height adjustments Inline-level also acts as a flex container
Child Layout Children follow normal block or inline rules. Children follow flexbox rules(align, justify, distribute space)
Flexbox Support Not available Full flexbox support for aligning and distributing children.
Usage Scenario when a simple inline layout with a custom size is needed. When complex child layout management (flex) is required within an inline container.
Alignment Control Limited to margins and padding. full alignment control using flexbox properties like justify-content and align-items
Updated on: 2024-09-20T11:07:03+05:30

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