In this chapter, you will learn when you should create your own build of Bootstrap, how to do it using the custom tool on the Bootstrap website, and how to minimize the size of your build by removing the components that you do not need. In the previous chapter, you learned about custom themes, but now it is time to leave those themes behind and step up the game by customizing Bootstrap using more advanced methods.
When you use Bootstrap to build a professional web application, it is important that you create your own custom build. Some argue that CSS frameworks should not be used in business applications, but modern frameworks such as Bootstrap provide very good building blocks to build your own styles from the ground up. The following are some advantages of using Bootstrap that you should consider while deciding whether to use Bootstrap or write the equivalent code yourself:
- Community driven: Bootstrap is one of the most popular projects on GitHub and has been forked more than 20,000 times. A lot of developers all over the world have contributed to Bootstrap over the years to make it what it is today.
- Fully customizable: Bootstrap is built with customization in mind. You can choose exactly what you need, so if you only want to use the grid or some of the components, you can leave out everything else. If you later decide that you need something more in Bootstrap, you can include it.
- Widely used: It is relatively easier to find developers who are familiar with Bootstrap than teach new developers how your proprietary CSS framework works, which could be a bit more challenging.
- 100 percent unit tested: Every great project includes unit tests for its code and so does Bootstrap. It is easy to contribute to Bootstrap because you can easily test your changes by running tests to see whether you have broken something. Unit tests also ensure the stability of the project, at least to some extent.
- No need to reinvent the wheel: It is not easy to write your own CSS framework with responsive capabilities. Fortunately, Bootstrap comes with a state-of-the-art responsive grid and is both easy to customize and extend. In most cases, you are better off with Bootstrap than your own framework.