In the initial example provided...
.outer {
display: flex;
}
.inner {
margin: auto;
}
Here, the use of auto
margin only centers the specific flex item within the container.
Now, moving on to the second example...
.outer {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
}
This method centralizes all items at the container level. All elements will be centered using this code block.
It is important to note that if both techniques are employed simultaneously, margin: auto
should take precedence.
8.1. Aligning with auto
margins
Prior to alignment via justify-content
and align-self
, any
positive free space is distributed to auto margins in that dimension
If free space is distributed to auto margins, the alignment properties
will have no effect in that dimension because the margins will have
stolen all the free space left over after flexing.
One crucial distinction for practical purposes lies in handling cases where a flex item exceeds the container size. In such situations, the container-level approach may cause parts of the item to become inaccessible as they vanish off-screen and resist scrolling attempts.
To effectively address this issue, it is recommended to utilize margin: auto
to ensure proper centering functionality.
For further insights, consider checking out these resources:
- Can't scroll to top of flex item that is overflowing container
- Center a flex item vertically and horizontally (view Box #56)
Issues specific to IE browsers:
- Flex auto margin not working in IE10/11
- Flexbox auto margins don't work with justify-content: center in IE