- name
- css-modules
- description
- CSS Modules with Lightning CSS and PostCSS for component-scoped styling.
Covers *.module.css patterns, TypeScript integration, Vite configuration, and composition.
Use when building complex animations, styling third-party components, or migrating legacy CSS.
# CSS Modules
## Overview
CSS Modules provide locally-scoped CSS by automatically generating unique class names at build time. This prevents style conflicts and enables true component encapsulation.
## When to Use CSS Modules
| Use Case | CSS Modules | Tailwind |
|----------|-------------|----------|
| Complex animations | Best | Good |
| Third-party component styling | Best | Harder |
| Legacy CSS migration | Best | Refactor needed |
| Rapid prototyping | Slower | Best |
| Design system utilities | Not ideal | Best |
| Component encapsulation | Best | N/A |
| Team with CSS expertise | Best | Either |
**Hybrid Approach**: Use both together - Tailwind for utilities, CSS Modules for complex components.
---
## Documentation Index
### Vite Integration
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| CSS Modules in Vite | https://vite.dev/guide/features#css-modules | Vite's built-in support |
| Lightning CSS | https://vite.dev/guide/features#lightning-css | Fast CSS transforms |
| PostCSS | https://vite.dev/guide/features#postcss | PostCSS configuration |
### Lightning CSS
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| Documentation | https://lightningcss.dev/docs.html | Official docs |
| CSS Modules | https://lightningcss.dev/css-modules.html | Module support |
| Transpilation | https://lightningcss.dev/transpilation.html | Browser targeting |
| Bundling | https://lightningcss.dev/bundling.html | CSS bundling |
### CSS Modules Spec
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| CSS Modules | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules | Specification |
| Composition | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules#composition | Composing classes |
| Scoping | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules#naming | Local vs global |
### TypeScript Integration
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| typed-css-modules | https://github.com/Quramy/typed-css-modules | Generate .d.ts files |
| vite-plugin-css-modules-dts | https://github.com/mrcjkb/vite-plugin-css-modules-dts | Vite plugin |
---
## CSS Modules Fundamentals
### File Naming Convention
```
src/
├── components/
│ ├── Button/
│ │ ├── Button.tsx
│ │ ├── Button.module.css # CSS Module
│ │ └── Button.test.tsx
│ └── Card/
│ ├── Card.tsx
│ ├── Card.module.css # CSS Module
│ └── index.ts
```
Files ending in `.module.css` are automatically processed as CSS Modules.
### Basic Usage
```css
/* Button.module.css */
.button {
padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
border-radius: 0.375rem;
font-weight: 500;
transition: background-color 150ms ease;
}
.primary {
background-color: hsl(221, 83%, 53%);
color: white;
}
.primary:hover {
background-color: hsl(224, 76%, 48%);
}
.secondary {
background-color: hsl(0, 0%, 96%);
color: hsl(0, 0%, 9%);
}
```
```tsx
// Button.tsx
import styles from './Button.module.css'
interface ButtonProps {
variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary'
children: React.ReactNode
}
export function Button({ variant = 'primary', children }: ButtonProps) {
return (
<button className={`${styles.button} ${styles[variant]}`}>
{children}
</button>
)
}
```
### Generated Class Names
```html
<!-- Input -->
<button class="${styles.button} ${styles.primary}">
<!-- Output (generated) -->
<button class="Button_button_x7d9f Button_primary_a3k2j">
```
### Local vs Global Scope
```css
/* Local by default */
.button {
/* Generates: Button_button_hash */
}
/* Explicit local */
:local(.button) {
/* Same as above */
}
/* Global (escape hatch) */
:global(.external-library-class) {
/* Kept as-is: .external-library-class */
}
/* Global within local */
.card :global(.markdown-body) {
/* Scoped parent, global child */
}
```
---
## Composition
### composes Keyword
Share styles between classes:
```css
/* base.module.css */
.flexCenter {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
}
.interactive {
cursor: pointer;
transition: all 150ms ease;
}
```
```css
/* Button.module.css */
.button {
composes: flexCenter from './base.module.css';
composes: interactive from './base.module.css';
padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
}
```
### Multiple Compositions
```css
.primaryButton {
composes: button;
composes: primary from './colors.module.css';
composes: rounded from './shapes.module.css';
}
```
### Usage in React
```tsx
// Composed class automatically includes all composed classes
<button className={styles.primaryButton}>
{/* Renders: Button_primaryButton_x Button_button_y colors_primary_z shapes_rounded_w */}
</button>
```
---
## Vite Configuration
### Lightning CSS (Recommended)
Lightning CSS is 100x faster than PostCSS for transforms:
```bash
npm install lightningcss browserslist
```
```typescript
// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
import browserslistToTargets from 'lightningcss/browserslist'
import browserslist from 'browserslist'
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [react()],
css: {
transformer: 'lightningcss',
lightningcss: {
targets: browserslistToTargets(browserslist('>= 0.25%')),
cssModules: {
// Class name pattern
pattern: '[name]__[local]_[hash:5]',
// Or for production:
// pattern: '[hash:8]'
}
}
},
build: {
cssMinify: 'lightningcss'
}
})
```
### Class Name Patterns
| Pattern | Example Output |
|---------|----------------|
| `[name]__[local]_[hash:5]` | `Button__primary_a3k2j` |
| `[local]_[hash:8]` | `primary_a3k2j9x1` |
| `[hash:8]` | `a3k2j9x1` (production) |
### Lightning CSS Features (Included)
Lightning CSS automatically handles:
- Vendor prefixing (replaces autoprefixer)
- Modern syntax transpilation
- Nesting
- Custom media queries
- Color functions (oklch, lab, lch)
### PostCSS Configuration (When Needed)
For plugins Lightning CSS doesn't support:
```javascript
// postcss.config.js
export default {
plugins: {
'postcss-import': {},
'postcss-custom-media': {},
// Don't use: autoprefixer (Lightning CSS handles this)
// Don't use: postcss-nested (Lightning CSS handles this)
}
}
```
**Note**: Use Lightning CSS for transforms, PostCSS only for unsupported plugins.
---
## TypeScript Integration
### Type Declarations
Without types, TypeScript doesn't know the shape of CSS modules:
```typescript
// This would error without declarations
import styles from './Button.module.css'
styles.button // TS error: Property 'button' does not exist
```
### Option 1: Wildcard Declaration (Simple)
```typescript
// src/vite-env.d.ts or src/types/css-modules.d.ts
declare module '*.module.css' {
const classes: { [key: string]: string }
export default classes
}
```
**Pros**: No extra tooling
**Cons**: No autocomplete, no type safety
### Option 2: Generated Declarations (Recommended)
```bash
npm install -D vite-plugin-css-modules-dts
```
```typescript
// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
import cssModulesDts from 'vite-plugin-css-modules-dts'
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [
react(),
cssModulesDts({
// Generate .d.ts next to .module.css files
outputDir: '.',
})
]
})
```
Generated files:
```typescript
// Button.module.css.d.ts (auto-generated)
declare const styles: {
readonly button: string
readonly primary: string
readonly secondary: string
}
export default styles
```
**Pros**: Full autocomplete, type safety, catches typos
**Cons**: Generated files in source (add to .gitignore)
### Option 3: CLI Generation
```bash
npm install -D typed-css-modules
# Generate declarations
npx tcm src --pattern '**/*.module.css'
# Watch mode
npx tcm src --pattern '**/*.module.css' --watch
```
Add to `package.json`:
```json
{
"scripts": {
"css:types": "tcm src --pattern '**/*.module.css'",
"css:types:watch": "tcm src --pattern '**/*.module.css' --watch"
}
}
```
---
## Patterns
### Component-Scoped Styling
```css
/* Card.module.css */
.card {
border-radius: 0.5rem;
background: white;
box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
overflow: hidden;
}
.header {
padding: 1rem;
border-bottom: 1px solid hsl(0, 0%, 90%);
}
.content {
padding: 1.5rem;
}
.footer {
padding: 1rem;
background: hsl(0, 0%, 98%);
}
```
```tsx
// Card.tsx
import styles from './Card.module.css'
export function Card({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return <div className={styles.card}>{children}</div>
}
Card.Header = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
<header className={styles.header}>{children}</header>
)
Card.Content = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
<div className={styles.content}>{children}</div>
)
Card.Footer = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
<footer className={styles.footer}>{children}</footer>
)
```
### CSS Variables with Modules
```css
/* theme.css (global) */
:root {
--color-primary: hsl(221, 83%, 53%);
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