Sarah Dayan

No, Utility Classes Aren't the Same As Inline Styles

Screenshot of “No, Utility Classes Aren't the Same As Inline Styles”

People who follow me should now know that I'm not a big fan of "utility alone" CSS (yet?), but I do use some utility classes in my own code and understand how some can be very useful.

And I know that utility classes are really different than inline styles, but I never read such a detailed and efficient explanation.

Inline styles don’t have a strategy. They’re escape hatches, useful when you need to assign dynamic styles, build demos, or make something work quickly. They’re inherently limitless because they need to be—they’re your last resort when you need to break the rules. And as such, they stick out like a sore thumb, an eyesore that constantly reminds you to clean up your mess whenever you peek at the code.


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