postcss-plugins-reference

name	postcss-plugins-reference
description	PostCSS plugins reference - essential plugins, configuration, and optimization strategies
searchable	true
tags	["postcss","build-tools","css-processing","autoprefixer","cssnano","purgecss"]

PostCSS Plugins Reference

Quick reference for essential PostCSS plugins, configuration patterns, and build optimization.

Essential Plugins

1. postcss-preset-env

Transform modern CSS to browser-compatible CSS.

require('postcss-preset-env')({
  stage: 2, // CSS features at stage 2+
  features: {
    'nesting-rules': true,
    'custom-properties': true,
    'custom-media-queries': true,
  },
  browsers: 'last 2 versions',
})

2. autoprefixer

Add vendor prefixes automatically.

require('autoprefixer')({
  grid: 'autoplace',
  flexbox: 'no-2009',
  overrideBrowserslist: ['> 1%', 'last 2 versions'],
})

3. cssnano

Minify and optimize CSS.

require('cssnano')({
  preset: ['advanced', {
    discardComments: { removeAll: true },
    reduceIdents: true,
    zindex: false,
  }],
})

4. postcss-import

Resolve @import statements.

require('postcss-import')({
  path: ['src/styles', 'node_modules'],
})

5. @fullhuman/postcss-purgecss

Remove unused CSS.

require('@fullhuman/postcss-purgecss')({
  content: ['./src/**/*.{html,ts,tsx,jsx}'],
  safelist: [/^mat-/, /^cdk-/],
})

Plugin Categories

Modern CSS Features

• postcss-preset-env - Future CSS features
• postcss-nesting - CSS nesting
• postcss-custom-properties - CSS variables fallback

Optimization

• cssnano - Minification
• postcss-purgecss - Remove unused CSS
• css-mqpacker - Combine media queries

Tools

• autoprefixer - Vendor prefixes
• postcss-import - Import resolution
• postcss-reporter - Error reporting

Production Config

module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    require('postcss-import')(),
    require('postcss-preset-env')({
      stage: 2,
      features: { 'nesting-rules': true },
    }),
    process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && require('@fullhuman/postcss-purgecss')({
      content: ['./src/**/*.{html,ts,tsx}'],
    }),
    process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && require('cssnano')({
      preset: 'advanced',
    }),
  ].filter(Boolean),
};

Framework Integration

Vite

// vite.config.js
import postcssPresetEnv from 'postcss-preset-env';

export default {
  css: {
    postcss: {
      plugins: [postcssPresetEnv({ stage: 2 })],
    },
  },
};

Webpack

{
  test: /\.css$/,
  use: ['style-loader', 'css-loader', 'postcss-loader'],
}

Angular

{
  "architect": {
    "build": {
      "options": {
        "postcssOptions": {
          "config": "./postcss.config.js"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

✅ DO:

• Use postcss-preset-env for future CSS
• Enable PurgeCSS in production
• Configure autoprefixer with browserslist
• Use cssnano for minification

❌ DON'T:

• Run heavy plugins in development
• Skip source maps
• Ignore plugin order
• Use conflicting plugins

Use this reference for quick PostCSS configuration lookups.