@linaria/core is a zero-runtime CSS-in-JS library that offers a seamless way to style your components using JavaScript. It allows you to write CSS directly in your JavaScript files, eliminating the need for a build step or runtime CSS processing. Linaria provides excellent performance by extracting styles at build time and generating minimal CSS output.
@primer/css is a collection of CSS utility classes and components developed by GitHub's design system Primer. It provides a set of customizable and reusable styles for building modern and responsive web interfaces. The package includes utility classes for spacing, typography, colors, layout, and more, allowing developers to quickly style their applications without writing custom CSS from scratch.
Both @linaria/core and @primer/css are popular npm packages, but they serve different purposes and cater to different audiences. @primer/css is the CSS framework developed by GitHub, which has gained popularity within the GitHub community. @linaria/core, on the other hand, is a styling library based on CSS-in-JS approach and has gained popularity among developers who prefer this approach.
Styling Approach
@linaria/core is a CSS-in-JS library that allows you to write your styles directly in JavaScript using template literals. It offers features like zero-runtime, automatic code-splitting, and CSS extraction. @primer/css, on the other hand, is a traditional CSS framework with pre-defined utility classes and component styles.
Integration
Both packages can be integrated into React applications, but they offer different ways of doing so. @linaria/core integrates seamlessly with React components using custom decorators or hook APIs. @primer/css, on the other hand, can be used alongside React components by applying pre-defined CSS classes or customizing the styles directly.
Customization
@linaria/core allows for more granular control and customization of styles since it leverages the JavaScript ecosystem. You can define dynamic styles, use variables, conditionals, and mixins. @primer/css, being a CSS framework, provides a set of pre-defined styles and utility classes. While it offers some customization options, it is not as flexible as @linaria/core.
Developer Experience
@linaria/core offers a modern developer experience with features like automatic code-splitting, dead code elimination, and CSS extraction. It also provides a better developer tooling and documentation compared to @primer/css. However, if you are already familiar with CSS frameworks like @primer/css, it might be easier to get started with it.
Community and Support
@primer/css benefits from being developed and maintained by GitHub, which has a large and active community. It has good support and frequent updates. @linaria/core also has a growing community and is actively maintained, but it might not have the same level of community support as @primer/css.
