Sass vs. SCSS: Choosing the Right CSS Preprocessor
Melanie Ngome
22 hours ago

Using a CSS preprocessor like Sass can greatly improve your workflow and the quality of your projects as a front-end developer.
The Sass syntax offers features like variables, nesting, mixins, and imports, while SCSS has the same features and benefits but uses a traditional CSS syntax.
SCSS is more widely adopted due to its readability and compatibility with existing CSS, but the choice ultimately depends on personal preference and project needs.
As a front-end developer, your choice of tools can significantly impact your workflow and the quality of your projects. When it comes to creating maintainable CSS for your projects, selecting a CSS preprocessor plays an important role.

Sass and SCSS stand out as popular options in this context. However, determining which one best suits your projects requires a thorough understanding of their differences, features, and benefits.

Understanding CSS Preprocessors

CSS preprocessors are tools that extend the capabilities of regular CSS. They do so by converting files with a new syntax, offering additional features, into regular CSS. Preprocessors take the basic CSS language and enhance it to make your style sheets more readable and maintainable.

While CSS preprocessors may seem similar to frameworks and libraries, they act more independently of your codebase, focussing on the compilation of CSS files. The features they support include variables, nesting, and mixins.

Some CSS preprocessors you can use are:

Stylus for its minimalistic and flexible syntax.
LESS for a straightforward and CSS-like experience.
Sass and SCSS for robust features and ease of use.
PostCSS for a highly customizable approach.
Sass: Features and Benefits
Sass, also known as indented syntax or original Sass, is one of two syntax variants available in the CSS preprocessor also named Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets). It uses indentation for code structuring rather than the braces and semicolons that CSS uses. Some of its features are:

Variables: Sass allows you to use variables to store and reuse values, promoting consistency in design elements and simplifying global changes.
Nesting: It organizes CSS rules hierarchically, improving code organization. Sass nesting, in contrast to native CSS nesting using selectors, provides a more intuitive and understandable approach.
Mixins: Sass supports mixins, which are reusable code blocks that encourage code reusability and help maintain a cleaner codebase.
Functions: You can create and use functions in Sass for various calculations within style sheets.
Imports: It allows you to split styles into modules that you can import whenever you need to.
Sass streamlines CSS development with cleaner, organized code. It promotes design consistency, reusability, and efficiency. Responsive design and cross-browser compatibility become more manageable.

SCSS: Features and Benefits

SCSS, which stands for Sassy CSS, is the second syntax within the Sass preprocessor. It is a superset of CSS. Unlike the original Sass syntax, which relies on indentation and omits curly braces and semicolons, SCSS adopts a conventional CSS syntax. This makes it accessible to developers already comfortable with CSS.

It is similar to the original Sass syntax when it comes to features and benefits, as they fall under the same preprocessor umbrella.

Sass and SCSS: What’s the Difference?
Here are some of the ways Sass and SCSS differ:

Sass

SCSS

Readability

Some find it concise, but it can be less readable, especially for those familiar with CSS

More readable, especially for CSS-savvy developers

Adoption

Declining adoption in favor of SCSS

Dominant choice in recent years

File Extensions

Ends with .sass

Ends with .scss

Compatibility

May require extra conversion for existing CSS files

Directly compatible with CSS

Documentation

Provides documentation in the form of SassDoc

Provides inline documentation within the code

While Sass's indentation-based syntax can be appealing for some, SCSS's CSS-like syntax is more widely adopted due to its readability and compatibility with existing CSS.

Syntax Comparison
Sass syntax uses indentation, and avoids the use of semi-colons:

$primary-color: #3498db
body
background-color: $primary-color
.nav
ul
list-style: none
li
display: inline-block

Meanwhile, the SCSS syntax looks a lot more like regular CSS:

$primary-color: #3498db;
body {
background-color: $primary-color;
.nav {
ul {
list-style: none;
li {
display: inline-block;
}
}
}
}

While the core logic and functions remain the same, the syntax differences are largely down to personal preference. You may find one or the other more comfortable. You may also be working in a team, or project, that standardizes on one over the other.

Uses for Sass and SCSS

You can use Sass and SCSS in various ways within your projects. Some common uses include:

Modular style sheets: Both Sass and SCSS allow you to break down styles into modular files, making it easier to manage and maintain your codebase, especially in large web projects.
Consistency across projects: Using variables in both Sass and SCSS promotes design consistency, which is valuable when working on multiple projects.
Responsive design: The functions and mathematical operations in Sass and SCSS simplify responsive design implementation, ensuring your styles adapt efficiently to different screen sizes and devices.
Code reusability: Mixins, a feature common to both syntaxes, facilitate code reusability, reducing redundancy and saving development time.
Nested styling: The nesting feature is useful for organizing styles hierarchically, reflecting the HTML structure, and enhancing code readability.
Cross-browser compatibility: Sass and SCSS both support automatic handling of vendor prefixes and other cross-browser compatibility concerns, ensuring a consistent user experience.
Ultimately, Sass and SCSS are handy tools you should have if you're aiming for better code organization, maintainability, and design consistency.

Which Sass Syntax Will You Use?
It helps to understand the differences between Sass and SCSS. Both of these syntaxes offer powerful features to improve your CSS workflow.

It's essential to grasp how they differ and choose the one that aligns with your preferences and project needs. But remember that the best choice ultimately depends on what makes you more productive and comfortable.