What is Bootstrap Responsive & How to use it?

Creating responsive websites naturally entails fitting with every device and size screen. Bootstrap is a robust framework for implementing a responsive web design. 

Front end languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for this framework, as it holds the libraries for these languages.  You must import the bootstrap CSS and JS files to use the framework in your project.

In the following sections, let’s put into actions the concepts of Bootstrap for responsive website along with test scenarios, components, and live testing on the cloud. 

What is Bootstrap Responsive?

Bootstrap Responsive refers to the ability of web pages designed using the Bootstrap framework to adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices, ensuring an optimal user experience.

This is achieved through a fluid grid system, responsive classes, and CSS media queries, allowing elements to resize, stack, or change layout based on the viewport dimensions.

One of the key features of Bootstrap’s responsive design is its 12-column grid system, allowing developers to define how many columns an element should span at different breakpoints (e.g., small, medium, large devices).

This flexibility enables the creation of layouts that automatically adjust, ensuring a consistent look and feel across smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Bootstrap also includes responsive utility classes to show or hide elements based on screen size, optimizing content delivery for users.

Bootstrap Responsive for Responsive Web Design

Bootstrap Responsive enhances web design through its flexible grid system, based on a 12-column layout. This structure allows developers to craft complex layouts that seamlessly adapt to various screen sizes by specifying the number of columns elements should occupy at different breakpoints.

By utilizing classes like .col-sm-, .col-md-, and .col-lg-, developers can ensure optimal content display on small, medium, and large devices.

In addition to the grid system, Bootstrap offers a range of responsive utility classes that facilitate visibility and layout management. These classes enable developers to easily show or hide elements based on the viewport size, ensuring that essential information remains accessible without overwhelming users on smaller screens.

This targeted approach enhances the overall user experience by delivering content tailored to the device.

Moreover, Bootstrap leverages CSS media queries to dynamically adjust styles according to screen dimensions. This capability allows designers to fine-tune elements such as font sizes, spacing, and positioning, further enhancing usability.

By integrating these responsive design principles, Bootstrap streamlines the creation of visually appealing and functional websites that perform excellently across all devices.

Benefits of using Bootstrap Responsive

Some of the benefits of using Bootstrap Responsive is:

1. Efficient Design Process: The pre-built responsive grid system allows developers to create adaptable layouts that automatically adjust to various screen sizes, significantly reducing the time spent on custom CSS.
2. Comprehensive Component Library: Bootstrap provides a wide range of responsive components, such as navigation bars, modals, and forms, that integrate seamlessly, facilitating the development of complex features with minimal effort.
3. Enhanced Usability: With responsive utility classes, developers can easily show or hide elements based on the device, ensuring a clean and focused layout that improves user navigation and experience.
4. Consistent User Experience: Bootstrap ensures that components behave predictably across different platforms, resulting in a cohesive look and feel that enhances user satisfaction.
5. Customization Options: Bootstrap can be easily customized to fit specific project needs, allowing developers to modify styles, components, and grid layouts while retaining responsiveness.
6. Community Support and Documentation: As one of the most popular frameworks, Bootstrap boasts extensive documentation and a vibrant community, providing resources and support for developers of all skill levels.

Responsive Utility Classes in Bootstrap

Bootstrap’s responsive utility classes simplify the creation of adaptable web designs by allowing developers to easily hide or display content based on screen size. By defining specific breakpoints, developers can control the visibility of elements, ensuring an optimized user experience across devices.

Sizes defined by Responsive Utility Classes

Responsive utility classes are categorized into five screen sizes:

• xs: Extra small screens, less than 576px in width.
• sm: Small screens, 576px and up.
• md: Medium screens, 768px and up.
• lg: Large screens, 992px and up.
• xl: Extra large screens, 1200px and up.

List of Responsive Utility Classes in Bootstrap

Here’s a list of key responsive utility classes:

Test Scenarios for Bootstrap Responsive

• Test several viewport sizes to check the fitness of a content’s scalability.
• Test the display and alignment of content.
• Image visibility and resize.
• Responsive navigation with links, menus, buttons, and sidebars.
• Test the vertical and horizontal scrollbars (required in tables).

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How to use Bootstrap for a Responsive Website?

To know how Bootstrap responsive websites are used, you need to know about the major components of the Bootstrap website. So, let’s start it!

1. Navigation bar

The primary element of a navigation bar is the navbar class. Here is the basic structure of a navigation bar.

<nav class="navbar fixed-top navbar-expand-md navbar-light bg-light">
<div class="container">

<!-- more navigation code here -->

</div>
</nav>

 The Containers hold the contents within a navigation bar. The basic element of a container is a .container class.

 Here is a code for the responsive navigation bar– 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Bootstrap Static Navbar</title>
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div class="m-4">
<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
<div class="container-fluid">
<a href="#" class="navbar-brand">Brand</a>
<button type="button" class="navbar-toggler" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#navbarCollapse">
<span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
</button>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarCollapse">
<div class="navbar-nav">
<a href="#" class="nav-item nav-link active">Home</a>
<a href="#" class="nav-item nav-link">Profile</a>
<a href="#" class="nav-item nav-link">Messages</a>
<a href="#" class="nav-item nav-link disabled" tabindex="-1">Reports</a>

</div>
<div class="navbar-nav ms-auto">
<a href="#" class="nav-item nav-link">Login</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
</div>
</body>
</html>

2. Content area

The content area is the mandatory part of a website. You have to ensure that the content (including all the texts, paragraphs, images, tables, audio-visual area, etc. all published elements) is clearly visible and the user must has a positive impression after visiting your site. That indicates a positive user experience and high content reach, which helps to grow your ultimate business strategy.

• The col-md-* class creates the columns layout for content. 
• The bootstrap grid has a total number of 12 columns. 
• Also, there is mb-4 class which creates a margin at the end of every column.

Here is a basic bootstrap structure for the content area–

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<body>

<h1 style="font-size:10vw;">Responsive Text</h1>

<p style="font-size:5vw;">Resize the browser window to see how the text size scales.</p>

<p style="font-size:5vw;">Use the "vw" unit when sizing the text. 10vw will set the size to 10% of the viewport width.</p>

<p>Viewport is the browser window size. 1vw = 1% of viewport width. If the viewport is 50cm wide, 1vw is 0.5cm.</p>

</body>
</html>

3. Sidebar

Sidebars are the important parts of a site. The main function of a sidebar is to help in navigation. It’s a strong navigating element.

• So, use <nav> element for permitting responsive navigation to your website.
• You need a .sidebar class to create a responsive sidebar.
• Use .sidebar-nav class to avail overall navigation on a web page. Furthermore, this class supports dropdowns.

Code for the basic sidebar

<!-- Basic Sidebar -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg fixed-top navbar-dark bg-dark pmd-navbar pmd-z-depth">

<!-- Sidebar Toggle Button-->
<a href="javascript:void(0);" data-target="basicSidebar" data-placement="left" data-position="slidepush" is-open="true" is-open-width="1000" class="btn btn-sm pmd-btn-fab pmd-btn-flat pmd-ripple-effect pmd-sidebar-toggle"><i class="material-icons md-light">menu</i></a>
<a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Brand</a>

<!-- Navbar Right icon --> 
<div class="pmd-navbar-right-icon ml-auto">
<a href="javascript:void(0);" class="btn btn-sm pmd-btn-fab pmd-btn-flat pmd-ripple-effect"><i class="material-icons pmd-sm md-light">search</i></a>
</div>

</nav>
<section id="pmd-main">
<!-- Left sidebar -->
<aside id="basicSidebar" class="pmd-sidebar bg-light pmd-z-depth" role="navigation">
<ul class="nav flex-column pmd-sidebar-nav">
<li class="nav-item pmd-user-info">
<a data-toggle="collapse" href="#collapseExample" class="nav-link btn-user media align-items-center">
<img class="mr-3" src=" " width="40" height="40" alt="avatar">
<div class="media-body">
User
</div>
<i class="material-icons md-light ml-2 pmd-sm">more_vert</i>
</a>
<ul class="collapse" id="collapseExample" data-parent="#basicSidebar">
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">delete</i>
<span class="media-body">View Profile</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">delete</i>
<span class="media-body">Settings</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">delete</i>
<span class="media-body">Logout</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>

<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#inbox">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">inbox</i>
<span class="media-body">Inbox</span>
</a>
</li>

<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link active" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">star</i>
<span class="media-body">Stared</span>
</a>
</li>

<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">send</i>
<span class="media-body">Sent Email</span>
</a>
</li>

<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">
<i class="material-icons pmd-list-icon pmd-sm">drafts</i>
<span class="media-body">Drafts</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</aside>
<div class="pmd-sidebar-overlay"></div>
<!-- Start Content -->
<div class="pmd-content custom-pmd-content" id="content">
<h2 class="headline">Sidebar Constructor</h2>
<p>This structure shows a permanent app bar with a floating action button. The app bar absorbs elements from the tablet and mobile bottom bars.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0;">An optional bottom bar can be added for additional functionality or action overflow. A side nav overlays all other structural elements. A right nav menu can be accessed temporarily or pinned for permanent display.<br><br></p>
</div>
</section>

4. Footer

It’s an extra navigation process. It makes your website more attractive and gives the feeling of completeness. Footers hold company info, copyrights, and other links.

Here, is a basic script for the footer-

footer>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-4 footer-column">
<ul class="nav flex-column">
<li class="nav-item">
<span class="footer-title">Product</span>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">Product 1</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">Product 2</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">Plans & Prices</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">Frequently asked questions</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4 footer-column">
<ul class="nav flex-column">
<li class="nav-item">
<span class="footer-title">Company</span>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">About us</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">Job postings</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#">News and articles</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4 footer-column">
<ul class="nav flex-column">
<li class="nav-item">
<span class="footer-title">Contact & Support</span>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<span class="nav-link"><i class="fas fa-phone"></i>+47 45 80 80 80</span>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#"><i class="fas fa-comments"></i>Live chat</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#"><i class="fas fa-envelope"></i>Contact us</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="#"><i class="fas fa-star"></i>Give feedback</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

<div class="text-center"><i class="fas fa-ellipsis-h"></i></div>

<div class="row text-center">
<div class="col-md-4 box">
<span class="copyright quick-links">Copyright &copy; Your Website <script>document.write(new Date().getFullYear())</script>
</span>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4 box">
<ul class="list-inline social-buttons">
<li class="list-inline-item">
<a href="#">
<i class="fab fa-twitter"></i>
</a>
</li>
<li class="list-inline-item">
<a href="#">
<i class="fab fa-facebook-f"></i>
</a>
</li>
<li class="list-inline-item">
<a href="#">
<i class="fab fa-linkedin-in"></i>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4 box">
<ul class="list-inline quick-links">
<li class="list-inline-item">
<a href="#">Privacy Policy</a>
</li>
<li class="list-inline-item">
<a href="#">Terms of Use</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>

Making Bootstrap Mobile Responsive Websites

Bootstrap is the most suitable framework for designing mobile responsive websites. That’s why it’s also called Mobile First. Let’s discuss the infrastructure of the visibility of web content on mobile (or how we can see the content on our mobile screen?).

• First, you need a page layout to make prominent visibility of your web content on your gadget. 
• Bootstrap has a Grid System for this purpose. It has a large number of preset classes to create layout designs. 
• These classes create a mobile-first responsive page layout that contains a set of Rows and Columns to host your content. 
• The in-built classes for rows and columns are .row and .col-xs-4, respectively where rows create a group of columns.
• Columns hold your content. Content should be placed within columns. Columns are inherited from rows.

Media Query for creating Breakpoints in the Grid System

* Extra small devices (phones, less than 768px) */
/* No media query since this is the default in Bootstrap */

/* Small devices (tablets, 768px and up) */
@media (min-width: @screen-sm-min) { ... }

/* Medium devices (desktops, 992px and up) */
@media (min-width: @screen-md-min) { ... }

/* Large devices (large desktops, 1200px and up) */
@media (min-width: @screen-lg-min) { ... }

This media query is to include maximum width in small devices-

@media (max-width: @screen-xs-max) { ... }
@media (min-width: @screen-sm-min) and (max-width: @screen-sm-max) { ... }
@media (min-width: @screen-md-min) and (max-width: @screen-md-max) { ... }
@media (min-width: @screen-lg-min) { ... }

You can create a basic grid system by using a set of .col-md-* classes on mobiles and tablets also. Try this one for extra small and medium device grid classes-

<!-- Stack the columns on mobile by making one full-width and the other half-width -->
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12 col-md-8">.col-xs-12 .col-md-8</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-md-4">.col-xs-6 .col-md-4</div>
</div>
<!-- Columns start at 50% wide on mobile and bump up to 33.3% wide on desktop --> <div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6 col-md-4">.col-xs-6 .col-md-4</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-md-4">.col-xs-6 .col-md-4</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-md-4">.col-xs-6 .col-md-4</div>
</div>
<!-- Columns are always 50% wide, on mobile and desktop -->
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6">.col-xs-6</div> 
<div class="col-xs-6">.col-xs-6</div>
</div>

If you want a better dynamic and powerful implementation of the above code then try it-

<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-8">.col-xs-12 .col-sm-6 .col-md-8</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-md-4">.col-xs-6 .col-md-4</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-4">.col-xs-6 .col-sm-4</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-4">.col-xs-6 .col-sm-4</div>
<!-- Optional: clear the XS cols if their content doesn't match in height -->
<div class="clearfix visible-xs-block">
</div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-4">.col-xs-6 .col-sm-4</div>
</div>

Best Practices for using Bootstrap Responsive

Here are some best practices to consider when incorporating Bootstrap into your web development projects:

1. Utilize the Grid System: Master Bootstrap’s 12-column grid to create fluid, adaptable layouts. Ensure balanced content across columns for visual consistency.
2. Implement Mobile-First Design: Design for smaller screens first and progressively enhance for larger devices. This approach improves performance and aligns with user behavior.
3. Leverage Responsive Utility Classes: Use responsive utility classes to manage element visibility based on screen size, ensuring users see relevant content without clutter.
4. Optimize Images and Media: Employ the img-fluid class for responsive images and utilize srcset for different resolutions to enhance loading times and visual quality.
5. Customize and Extend Bootstrap: Tailor Bootstrap components to fit your branding by modifying SASS variables and adding custom styles, while maintaining responsiveness.
6. Test Across Multiple Devices: Conduct thorough testing on various devices and screen sizes using browser tools and real devices to ensure a seamless user experience.

Bootstrap Responsive for all Devices

There are some attributes and their measurements for bootstrap responsive sites for all devices. The attributes are grid behavior, container width, class prefix, column width, etc.

Class prefix:

• .col-xs- : Extra small devices Phones (<768px)
• .col-sm-: Small devices Tablets (≥768px)
• .col-md-: Medium devices Desktops (≥992px)
• .col-lg-: Large devices Desktops (≥1200px)

Test the Responsiveness of a Website on Real Devices

You can test your responsive websites (hosted locally or publically) on real mobile devices using the BrowserStack Responsive Tool. In essence, this tool aids in the user’s testing of responsive web design and every website should ideally be tested using a responsive tester tool.

It checks whether a website is being shown correctly across a variety of platforms, including desktop and mobile.

To guarantee that a website offers the best user experience across the widest range of devices, responsive checker tools are crucial.

This means considering a wide range of screen sizes, device setups, and other elements that have grown to be quite important due to device fragmentation.

Steps to perform Responsive Test using BrowserStack Responsive

Step 1: The first step is to launch the BrowserStack Responsive Checker Tool and type the URL of the website under test.

Step 2: To check responsiveness, click Check.
Step 3: The user can check how the site appears on a certain device after choosing it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Bootstrap Responsive is a powerful framework feature that enables developers to create fluid and adaptable web designs that perform seamlessly across various devices. By utilizing its flexible grid system, responsive utility classes, and CSS media queries, developers can ensure that content is optimally displayed for users, enhancing accessibility and engagement. Whether you are a seasoned developer or just starting out, Bootstrap Responsive provides the tools needed to build effective, responsive web applications with ease.

BrowserStack Live for Responsive Web Testing. 

• Live allows you to test a website on different devices with different screen sizes on different Android and iOS mobiles.
• Live supports testing on Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Nexus etc., Android devices and iPhones, and iPads from iOS 7 to iOS 16.
• It allows debugging your mobile websites with the Chrome Dev tool.
• You can test your website’s performance on different network conditions with the help of Live.

Test Website Responsiveness