CSS align-self Property

Posted in CSS Tutorial

Updated on Aug 20, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 11 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

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Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The align-self property in CSS is used to override the default alignment of a flex item along the cross axis within its flex container.

This property allows individual flex items to be aligned differently than the rest of the items within the same flex container. It provides more control over the positioning of items in a flex container, making it easier to achieve specific layouts.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the align-self property is simple and can be applied to any flex item. It accepts the following values:

Syntax

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item {
  align-self: value;
}

Here, value can be one of the predefined keywords that dictate the alignment behavior.

🎛️ Default Value

The default value of the align-self property is auto, which means that the flex item will inherit the alignment value from its container’s align-items property.

🏠 Property Values

Value	Description
auto	Inherits the alignment from the align-items property of the flex container.
flex-start	Aligns the flex item to the start of the cross axis.
flex-end	Aligns the flex item to the end of the cross axis.
center	Aligns the flex item to the center of the cross axis.
baseline	Aligns the flex item along the baseline of the cross axis.
stretch	Stretches the flex item to fill the container along the cross axis (default value if align-items is set to stretch).

📄 Example

In this example, we will align a single flex item differently from the rest of the items within a flex container.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>CSS align-self Example</title>
  <style>
    .container {
      display: flex;
      height: 200px;
      background-color: lightgray;
    }
    .item {
      background-color: coral;
      width: 50px;
      height: 50px;
      margin: 10px;
    }
    .item.special {
      align-self: flex-end;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Align-Self Property Example</h1>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="item"></div>
    <div class="item special"></div>
    <div class="item"></div>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

In this example, the special class is used to override the default alignment and align the item to the end of the cross axis.

🖥️ Browser Compatibility

The align-self property is widely supported across all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. However, always ensure to test your layout across different browsers to confirm consistent behavior.

🎉 Conclusion

The align-self property provides flexibility in aligning individual flex items within a flex container.

By using align-self, you can override the container’s default alignment for specific items, allowing for more precise control over the layout. Experiment with different values to achieve the desired alignment and enhance your flexbox-based designs.