What is better - Using Bootstrap or Media queries?

[CyberAlchemist]

Hey everyone!

I have been researching this topic on the forum but I'm still a little confused... I'm building a simple website for a client. Now my client wants it to be fully responsive for mobile/handheld devices. So what should I do next? Making layouts for website using responsive frameworks like Bootstrap? What is better - using Bootstrap or media queries?

 

[HCFGrizzly]

Hey everyone!

I have been researching this topic on the forum but I'm still a little confused... I'm building a simple website for a client. Now my client wants it to be fully responsive for mobile/handheld devices. So what should I do next? Making layouts for website using responsive frameworks like Bootstrap? What is better - using Bootstrap or media queries?

There can be a big debate here. I will just tell you my personal preference.
I would prefer to use media queries. Bootstrap tends to be an overkill and because of the big files it has it will slow your website loading speed.
People would argue that you should use bootstrap because it will be less work, but if you want to do customizations you will end up doing more work than in the first place.

 

[RDO Servers]

I actually prefer Bootstrap.
The JavaScript & CSS files are light enough to not cause a problem (especially when you use a CDN) and it has a lot of really good and useful features included.

You can always overnight CSS rules at the page level if needed.

~David

 

[HCFGrizzly]

HCFGrizzly

It is these features that bloat the website. Sure, the features are nice, but what if you don`t need them?
I can make you the same website without Bootstrap and I guarantee you that the css+js files will be only 30% in size compared to your bootstrap. (and I`m talking about the minified versions)
I`m tired to see 10 classes strapped to a container because of bootstrap.

 

[tarunap]

Bootstrap always.. Speed in Developing, Easy in customizing, consistency, bundled with javascript plugins

 

[ron13315]

Use bootstrap CSS and delete the JS files. Thats how i use bootstrap. Even if you create responsive template from scratch, in the end it will end up like bootstrap.

 

[jeffhowell]

Boostrap, unless you have (or are) a really good frontend developer.

 

[hoangvu]

hoangvu

Have you used Boostrap before? what features of Boostrap do you like best?

For me, Boostrap is fast and easy to create simple website templates that standard in responsive design.

 

[jeffhowell]

jeffhowell

It definitely has some advantages - the grid, basic styles and other JS components... It helps when you want to build something fast, but it also pollutes your code if you include everything for your site that you don't really need...

 

[EpicGlobalWeb]

Bootstrap mainly uses 4 media queries - extra small, small, medium, and large. The hard work is done for you. On top of that, everyone who has ever used Twitter or any Bootstrap-developed site already has the Bootstrap library cached so load times aren't all that affected. When your site is intranet or really large or application specific are the only times when I consider not using it.

 

[HCFGrizzly]

Hey everyone!

I have been researching this topic on the forum but I'm still a little confused... I'm building a simple website for a client. Now my client wants it to be fully responsive for mobile/handheld devices. So what should I do next? Making layouts for website using responsive frameworks like Bootstrap? What is better - using Bootstrap or media queries?

OP, considering the answers, what option did you choose? It seems you aren`t very interested in your own thread.

 

[CyberAlchemist]

There can be a big debate here. I will just tell you my personal preference.
I would prefer to use media queries. Bootstrap tends to be an overkill and because of the big files it has it will slow your website loading speed.
People would argue that you should use bootstrap because it will be less work, but if you want to do customizations you will end up doing more work than in the first place.

I agree with this opinion but I think that using media queries with small pages and boostrap for large website projects.

Use bootstrap CSS and delete the JS files. Thats how i use bootstrap. Even if you create responsive template from scratch, in the end it will end up like bootstrap.

What do you mean for deleting the JS files?

OP, considering the answers, what option did you choose? It seems you aren't very interested in your own thread.

I like using both ways, but as said above, I would use media queries for small web projects or simple pages

 

[ron13315]

I meant i only use bootraps CSS not the JS. you can delete the js folder.

delete something like this from your source code.

<script src="js/jquery.js"></script>
<script src="js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>

 

[HCFGrizzly]

HCFGrizzly

From what I remember you are the one that ads those lines in your html page. So if you don` want js, just don`t link to it. No point in adding and then deleting it.

 

[ron13315]

ron13315

Oopsss Sorry. i only assume other using already made bootstrap template that they can say it can bloat their site. Thats why i recommend to delete the JS files because for me the bootstrap css is almost perfect.-

 

[rmmfree]

I would use a framework like Bootstrap. There are others that can suit your necessities, line Pure CSS, Materialize or one that we have created for our company: Shine CSS Framework.

 

[Mike001]

This is a subject that is open for tremendous debate. One thing I noticed reading through the responses is that many of the respondents talk about the speed of loading Bootstrap files, that should not really be an issue if your use the minified versions of the files and just load the components needed. A few years ago that was a concern not so much anymore with the speed at which the majority of the world connects to the internet.

My choice would be Bootstrap. As a professional web developer I have tried most of the Frameworks and the from scratch and I always end up returning to Bootstrap.

The support is great, of all the frameworks it is probably the easiest to learn and modify. You can do most anything with it and there just is a tremendous amount of training out there for the framework. The overhead is much lighter than most full featured frameworks and implementing on your webhost provider is just a matter of uploading a couple of additional files in CSS and JavaScript.

Overall an excellent framework for rapid site development.

Mike