React does not enforce a single way to style components. Instead, it gives you flexibility to choose how styles are applied based on your project needs.

Styling in React is still based on CSS. The difference lies in how styles are organized and applied to components.

In this course, you will focus on two core styling approaches:

• Inline styles: styles are applied directly to elements using the style attribute and JavaScript objects;
• External CSS files: styles are written in traditional CSS files and applied using class names.

Styling with Libraries and Frameworks

In real-world projects, React applications are often styled using third-party libraries and frameworks. Some popular options include:

• CSS Modules;
• Styled Components;
• Emotion;
• Tailwind CSS;
• Material UI (MUI);
• Chakra UI.

These tools offer advanced features such as scoped styles, design systems, and utility-based styling.

Why We Don't Cover Them Here

While powerful, styling libraries add additional complexity and introduce new concepts beyond core React. In this course, the goal is to build a strong foundation, understand how React components work, avoid unnecessary distractions early on.