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CSS How to Make a Website Styling Web Pages and Navigation Style the Portfolio

eric francis
eric francis
5,705 Points

Can you talk about padding vs margin?

You've used padding and margin. What are the differences between the two? When do you decide to use one over the other?

2 Answers

Peter Szerzo
Peter Szerzo
22,661 Points

Here is a simple way to start understanding the difference: if you apply a background color to an element that has both margins and padding, than the padding will get colored whereas the margin will not. I generally use margins to separate the elements of a webpage, and padding to add some 'breathing room' within an element - although this is not a hard and fast rule.

It is helpful to go over an explanation of the box model in css basics.