Difference Between Bootstrap 4 and Bootstrap 5
Bootstrap is a popular open-source framework for building responsive and mobile-first websites. It provides a set of CSS and JavaScript-based design templates for typography, forms, buttons, navigation, and other interface components. The latest version of Bootstrap is Bootstrap 5, which was released in May 2021 and is the successor to Bootstrap 4.
Bootstrap 4 was released in January 2018 and introduced several new features and improvements, such as improved support for flexbox, an updated grid system, new utility classes, and enhanced styling for forms and navigation components. Bootstrap 5, on the other hand, has made several significant changes and improvements over Bootstrap 4, including the removal of jQuery as a dependency, improved support for CSS custom properties, new form controls, improved grid system, and updated icon library.
One of the biggest changes in Bootstrap 5 is the removal of support for Internet Explorer 10 and 11. This means that Bootstrap 5 is now focused on modern browsers and does not support older browsers, including Internet Explorer. Overall, Bootstrap 5 is a more modern and lighter framework compared to Bootstrap 4, with improved performance, updated components, and new features to help developers build better and more scalable web applications.
What is Bootstrap 4?
Bootstrap 4 is a popular front-end development framework that is used to create responsive and mobile-friendly websites. It is an open-source framework developed by Twitter and is built on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Bootstrap 4 provides a set of pre-designed components such as forms, buttons, and navigation menus that can be easily added to a website, making it quicker and easier for developers to create a professional-looking and functional website. Additionally, it also includes a powerful grid system that allows for easy creation of responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes, and a wide range of utility classes that can be used to adjust the layout and styling of a website.
Advantages:
- Responsive design: Bootstrap 4's grid system allows for easy creation of responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes.
- Browser compatibility: Bootstrap 4 is compatible with all modern browsers, including Internet Explorer 10+.
- Pre-designed components: Bootstrap 4 comes with a wide range of pre-designed components such as forms, buttons, and navigation menus that can be easily added to a website.
- Customizable: Bootstrap 4's CSS and JavaScript can be easily customized to match the look and feel of any website.
- Large community: Bootstrap has a large and active community that regularly creates and shares new resources, such as templates and plugins.
- Accessibility: Bootstrap 4 has been developed with accessibility in mind, which means it follows the standards of accessibility and can be used by people with disabilities.
Disadvantage:
- Limited flexibility: Using a pre-designed framework like Bootstrap 4 may limit the design options available for a website.
- Heavy file size: Bootstrap 4's CSS and JavaScript files can add significant bloat to a website, which can slow down page load times.
- Lack of support for older browsers: While Bootstrap 4 is compatible with most modern browsers, it may not support older browsers, which could lead to issues with cross-compatibility.
- Limited control over design: Using pre-designed components can limit the level of control a developer has over the final design of a website.
What is Bootstrap 5?
Bootstrap 5 is the upcoming version of Bootstrap 4, which is a popular front-end development framework. Bootstrap 5 is built on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript like its predecessor but it comes with some new features and improvements.
One of the main changes in Bootstrap 5 is that it will no longer rely on jQuery, instead it will use Vanilla JavaScript, this will make the framework more lightweight and faster.
Bootstrap 5 also introduces new features such as improved forms, updated grid system, new utility classes, and more. It also allows for customization of the design and layout of components in a more granular way. Also, it will have added support for CSS custom properties which allows for more flexibility in theme creation.
Additionally, Bootstrap 5 also includes enhancements to accessibility, and improved performance and documentation. The goal of the Bootstrap 5 is to make it more accessible, faster and more customizable.
Advantage:
- Improved consistency in design: Bootstrap 5 has made significant changes to the default styling of various elements, resulting in a more consistent and polished design.
- Increased customization options: Bootstrap 5 includes new classes and variables that make it easier to customize the look and feel of your website.
- Improved performance: Bootstrap 5 has been optimized for speed and performance, making it faster and more efficient than previous versions.
- Better accessibility: Bootstrap 5 includes improved accessibility features, such as better semantic markup and improved focus management, making it easier to create accessible websites and applications.
- Dropped support of Internet Explorer: Bootstrap 5 dropped support of Internet Explorer, which means that developers have more flexibility in using modern web technologies and do not have to worry about compatibility issues with older browsers.
Disadvantage:
- Styles are verbose and may result in large amounts of unnecessary HTML output.
- JavaScript is dependent on jQuery, which is one of the most used libraries, leaving the majority of plugins useless.
Bootstrap 4 vs. Bootstrap 5
| Bootstrap 4 |
Bootstrap 5 |
| It has 5 tier (xs, sm, md, lg, xl). |
It has 6 tier (xs, sm, md, lg, xl, xxl). |
| It has limited colors. |
Extra colors added with the looks, A card improved color palette. there are various shades available to choose. |
| It has jquery and all related plugins. |
Jquery is removed and switched to vanilla JS with some working plugins. |
| Bootstrap 4 supports both IE 10 and 11. |
Bootstrap 5 doesn’t support IE 10 and 11. |
| Radio buttons, checkboxes have different look in different OS and browsers. The form uses whatever default browsers provide. |
The look of form elements will not change, on different OS or browser. The forms can be customized and form controls can be added, they would not depend on browser. |
| We cannot modify utilities in bootstrap 4. |
Bootstrap 5 gave freedom to modify and also create our own utility. |
| We use .glutter with fontsize in px. |
We use .g* with fontsize in rem. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bootstrap 4 and Bootstrap 5 are both popular front-end frameworks widely used to create responsive and mobile-ready websites and applications. However, there are some significant differences between the two versions:
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Bootstrap 5 is the latest version of the framework and offers several advantages over Bootstrap 4, including improved consistency in design, increased customization options, improved performance, better accessibility, and dropped support of Internet Explorer.
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Bootstrap 5 also has some potential disadvantages, such as an increased file size, lack of support for older browsers, limited creativity, a learning curve, and dependence on the framework.
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Bootstrap 4, on the other hand, is a more mature and stable version of the framework and has been widely adopted by developers. It is still supported by the community and will continue to receive updates, but it lacks some of the features and improvements offered by Bootstrap 5.
Ultimately, the choice between Bootstrap 4 and Bootstrap 5 will depend on the specific requirements of your project and your own personal preferences. Both versions have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to evaluate them carefully before making a decision.
We hope you like this article. We have begun with a quick overview of bootstrap 4 vs. bootstrap 5. We also compared the benefits, drawbacks, and features of bootstrap 4 vs. bootstrap 5. We have now compared bootstrap 4 vs. bootstrap 5. Please let us know in the comment section if you have any trouble keeping up. Happy studying!
Related Questions
1.Is Bootstrap 4 still supported?
Yes, Bootstrap 4 is still supported by the community and will continue to receive updates.
2. Is Bootstrap 5 more accessible than Bootstrap 4?
Bootstrap 5 includes improved accessibility features, such as better semantic markup and improved focus management, making it easier to create accessible websites and applications than Bootstrap 4.
3. Can I customize the look and feel of my website more easily with Bootstrap 5?
Yes, Bootstrap 5 includes new classes and variables that make it easier to customize the look and feel of your website.
4. Does Bootstrap 5 have a learning curve?
While Bootstrap 5 is relatively easy to use, it does have a learning curve for those who are not familiar with it.
