The Howdy Glossary

A CSS preprocessor is a scripting language that enhances CSS by providing features like variables, nesting rules, and mixins to improve maintainability, reduce code repetition, and ensure more readable syntax in web page styling. Preprocessors compile the enhanced code into standard CSS files that browsers can interpret for rendering webpages. Developers created tools like Sass, LESS, and Stylus to address the limitations of standard CSS and streamline styling processes. Sass was developed by Hampton Catlin and Natalie Weizenbaum, LESS by Alexis Sellier, and Stylus by TJ Holowaychuk.

Preprocessors extend standard CSS capabilities with variables for storing values across stylesheets, nesting rules for better organization, mixins for reusable styles, mathematical operations, functions, loops, and conditional statements to handle complex styling efficiently. These advanced features help developers write concise and flexible stylesheets that enhance development processes and improve web design quality. Among the main competitors—Sass (Syntactically Awesome StyleSheets), LESS (Leaner Style Sheets), Stylus—each offers similar functionalities but has unique syntax attracting developers based on their preferences. Other notable preprocessors include PostCSS and SCSS (Sassy CSS), offering alternatives to traditional CSS development.

The primary differences among Sass, LESS, and Stylus lie in their syntax and community support. Sass is renowned for its robust feature set including powerful functions; SCSS syntax closely resembles standard CSS easing adoption for beginners; LESS boasts simpler syntax supporting JavaScript operations; while Stylus offers minimalistic flexibility without semicolons or braces. The choice often depends on personal preference or project requirements but Sass stands out due to extensive features like nested syntax improving readability or mixin libraries facilitating reusable styles coupled with its large active community providing comprehensive documentation making it a go-to option for many developers seeking robust preprocessing solutions.