Head-to-Head: Emotion vs Primer CSS Analysis

@emotion/css

v11.11.2(6 months ago)

This package is actively maintained.Types definitions are bundled with the npm packageNumber of direct dependencies: 5Monthly npm downloads

@emotion/css is a popular CSS-in-JS library that allows developers to write styles in JavaScript code. It provides a simple and intuitive API for styling React components, giving you complete control over how your styles are defined and applied. Additionally, it supports a wide range of CSS features and allows you to use custom CSS properties and variables. With its powerful composition features, @emotion/css enables developers to easily create reusable style components that can be shared across multiple projects.

Alternatives: styled-components, css-modules, jss

Tags: css-in-jsreactlibraryperformancecustom-css-properties

@primer/css

v21.0.10(9 days ago)

This package is actively maintained.The package doesn't have any types definitionsNumber of direct dependencies: 2Monthly npm downloads

@primer/css is a utility-first CSS library that provides a set of pre-defined classes to help you style your HTML elements. It's created and maintained by GitHub's design system team and follows the Primer design system. @primer/css offers a robust set of styling options for typography, layout, color, and more.

Alternatives: Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Bulma

Tags: cssdesigngithubutility-firstlightweight

Fight!

Popularity

Both @emotion/css and @primer/css are popular CSS-in-JS solutions in the JavaScript community. However, @emotion/css has gained more popularity due to its flexible features and widespread adoption in frameworks like React.

Integration

@emotion/css is designed to work seamlessly with React and supports JSX syntax out of the box. It has better integration with other popular libraries and tools in the React ecosystem. On the other hand, @primer/css is primarily developed for GitHub's Primer design system and is optimized for use with GitHub projects.

Features and Functionality

Both packages offer similar functionality for styling components. @emotion/css provides a wide range of features like styling with CSS-in-JS, theming, keyframes, and global styles. @primer/css focuses more on providing a comprehensive set of utility classes and predefined styles, making it easier to style components in a consistent manner.

Performance

Regarding performance, @emotion/css and @primer/css both aim to be efficient. However, @emotion/css provides more granular control over CSS rendering and optimizations, including the ability to lazy evaluate styles and generate critical CSS. @primer/css focuses on delivering a minimal yet performant set of styles specifically tailored for GitHub's needs.

Community and Documentation

@emotion/css has a larger community and a more extensive ecosystem of plugins and tooling built around it due to its wider adoption. It has well-maintained documentation and numerous resources available. @primer/css, while being developed by GitHub, has a smaller but highly focused community. It has documentation tailored specifically for using it within the Primer design system.

Maintenance

Both packages are actively maintained by their respective communities. However, @emotion/css has a larger development team and community support, which leads to more frequent updates and bug fixes. @primer/css is maintained by the GitHub team, ensuring continuous support for their design system and related projects.