What is the difference between margin and padding in CSS?
Theme: CSS Role: Front End Developer Function: Technology
Interview Question for Front-End Developer: See sample answers, motivations & red flags for this common interview question. About Front-End Developer: Creates the user interface and user experience of websites and applications. This role falls within the Technology function of a firm. See other interview questions & further information for this role here
Sample Answer
Example response for question delving into CSS with the key points that need to be covered in an effective response. Customize this to your own experience with concrete examples and evidence
- Definition: Margin is the space outside the border of an element, while padding is the space inside the border of an element
- Purpose: Margin is used to create space between elements, while padding is used to create space within an element
- Positioning: Margin affects the positioning of an element relative to its parent or neighboring elements, while padding does not affect the positioning
- Inheritance: Margin values are not inherited by child elements, while padding values are inherited by child elements
- Collapsing: Vertical margins of adjacent elements collapse, resulting in a single margin, while padding does not collapse
- Background & Border: Margin does not include the background or border of an element, while padding includes the background and border
- Negative Values: Negative margin values can be used to overlap elements or pull them closer together, while negative padding values are not allowed
- Units: Margin and padding can be specified using various units such as pixels, percentages, ems, or rems
- Shorthand: Both margin and padding have shorthand properties that allow specifying values for all sides or individual sides
- Order of Application: Margin is applied outside the border, while padding is applied inside the border of an element
Underlying Motivations
What the Interviewer is trying to find out about you and your experiences through this question
- Technical knowledge: Assessing the candidate's understanding of fundamental CSS concepts
- Problem-solving skills: Evaluating the candidate's ability to differentiate and apply appropriate CSS properties
- Attention to detail: Checking if the candidate pays attention to small but important differences in CSS properties
Potential Minefields
How to avoid some common minefields when answering this question in order to not raise any red flags
- Confusing margin & padding: Mixing up the definitions or functionalities of margin and padding
- Lack of understanding of box model: Not being able to explain how margin and padding relate to the box model
- Inability to provide examples: Failing to give clear examples or use cases for when to use margin or padding
- Limited knowledge of CSS properties: Showing a lack of familiarity with other CSS properties that interact with margin and padding, such as border or width
- Inconsistent or incorrect usage: Using margin and padding interchangeably or incorrectly in code examples or explanations