CSS Academy · Lesson

Justify-Content and Align-Items

Distribute items along the main axis and cross axis using justify-content and align-items.

Lesson 2 of 413 steps

Justify-Content and Align-Items is a free CSS Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the CSS Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The CSS Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

Two Key Alignment Properties

The two most used flex alignment properties are:

justify-content — aligns items along the main axis
align-items — aligns items along the cross axis

justify-content: flex-start

flex-start (default) packs items toward the start of the main axis. In row direction, items align to the left.

<nav class="nav">
    <a href="#">Home</a>
    <a href="#">About</a>
    <a href="#">Contact</a>
  </nav>

justify-content: center

Centers items along the main axis. The classic horizontal centering technique with flexbox.

<div class="hero">
    <button>Get Started</button>
  </div>

justify-content: flex-end

Packs items toward the end of the main axis (right side in row direction).

<div class="header">
    <button>Sign In</button>
    <button>Sign Up</button>
  </div>

justify-content: space-between

Distributes items with equal space between them. First item is at start, last item is at end — no space at edges.

<nav class="nav">
    <div class="logo">Logo</div>
    <div class="links">
      <a href="#">Home</a>
      <a href="#">About</a>
    </div>
  </nav>

justify-content: space-around

Places equal space around each item. Edge items get half the space of inner gaps. Visually, the edges have half as much padding as between items.

justify-content: space-evenly

All gaps (including edges) are equal. Unlike space-around, edge padding equals inter-item gaps.

<div class="toolbar">
    <button>Bold</button>
    <button>Italic</button>
    <button>Underline</button>
  </div>

align-items: stretch (Default)

stretch (default) makes all flex items on the cross axis fill the container's cross size. Items in a row container all become the same height.

<div class="row">
    <div>Short</div>
    <div>Taller content<br>spanning<br>multiple lines</div>
    <div>Mid</div>
  </div>

align-items: center

Centers items on the cross axis. In a row container, this vertically centers items. The classic vertical centering solution.

<div class="card">
    <span>👤</span>
    <span>Jane Doe</span>
  </div>

align-items: flex-start and flex-end

flex-start aligns items to the cross-start edge (top in row). flex-end aligns to the cross-end edge (bottom in row).

<nav class="nav">
    <div>Short</div>
    <div>Taller<br>nav<br>item</div>
  </nav>

align-items: baseline

Aligns items so their text baselines align. Useful when items have different font sizes but should look visually aligned.

<nav class="breadcrumb">
    <span style="font-size:12px">Home</span>
    <span style="font-size:24px">Products</span>
    <span style="font-size:16px">Item</span>
  </nav>

Quick Check

Which combination perfectly centers a flex item both horizontally and vertically within its container?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

justify-content distributes items along the main axis with values like flex-start, center, space-between. align-items positions items on the cross axis with stretch, center, flex-start. Together they control both axes of alignment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “Justify-Content and Align-Items” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Justify-Content and Align-Items” is free to read here on the web. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the CSS Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO. The CSS Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “Justify-Content and Align-Items”?

Distribute items along the main axis and cross axis using justify-content and align-items. You practise CSS Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start CSS Academy?

No prior experience is required. CSS Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 2 of 4.

How long does the “Justify-Content and Align-Items” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this CSS Academy lesson?

Yes. Every CSS Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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