You Don’t Need JavaScript | A Practical CSS eBook

A practical guide for building modern components with CSS

You Don’t Need JavaScript is a complete, 125-page book packed with modern CSS techniques, real-world examples, and step-by-step tutorials. Learn how to replace unnecessary JavaScript with lightweight CSS components that are faster, easier to maintain, and future-proof.

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What you will learn

Create a popover menu with pure CSS

Thanks to the Popover API, you can build an accessible drawer menu that works seamlessly across almost all devices. This technique can be extended to create a variety of interactive components.

Create accessible accordions easily in CSS

Using semantic HTML and modern CSS, you can build accordions that are fully accessible and work seamlessly across devices. Perfect for FAQs, content toggles, and more.

Create stunning scroll-driven animations 100% CSS

Discover how to use CSS and a sprinkle of modern APIs to animate elements on scroll, adding interactivity and depth to your pages while keeping performance in mind.

And a lot more...

Explore advanced components you never thought possible with pure CSS. Like dark mode toggles, comparison sliders, anchor navigation, and powerful effects using :has()...

COMPLETE TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 1 - Everyday Features

8 chapters

Conditionally Styling with :has() 5
Dark Mode in CSS 12
Smooth Scrolling to Sections 18
Native Modals with <dialog> 22
Accordions with Pure CSS 27
Pure-CSS Automatic Slider 32
Auto-Numbered Headings 39
Other Use-Case of Counter 43

PART 2 - Modern CSS Power Moves

5 chapters

Custom Border Animations48
View Transitions55
CSS Motion Path59
CSS Mask Effects68
CSS-Only Form Validation77

PART 3 - A Glimpse of the Future

6 chapters

Scroll-Driven Animations83
Native Popovers90
Customized Selects97
Anchor Positioning106
Native CSS Carousels112
And more to come...118

What makes this guide unique

Clear and direct approach

If you're a visual learner, this guide is for you. It focuses more on actionable advice and tips.

Real-life examples

All the examples in this guide are things that you face in your day to day work. Nothing is abstract.

Modern CSS techniques

Learn the latest CSS features and best practices that make JavaScript unnecessary for many UI interactions.

Faster and greener

Building with pure CSS means lighter pages, faster load times, and a smaller carbon footprint.

Loved by the community

Regular Fun Mode

Utsav Meena
CSS Content Creator

It’s an easy-to-follow guide with everything explained step by step. I also liked the extra pointers on accessibility, troubleshooting, and browser compatibility.
Hopefully, this will help people appreciate CSS a bit more.
Lionel Péramo
Fullstack Developer & Content Creator

Theo brilliantly shows how modern CSS can replace complex JavaScript without losing creativity or functionality. The examples are clear, practical, and inspiring. A refreshing reminder that the simplest tools often create the best results. A must-read for any developer.
Pierre Liegard
Front-end Developer

This book offers a welcome reminder of the latest CSS developments at a time when performance matters more than ever.
Cedric Molla
Web Developer

Such a great read! It’s practical, easy to follow, and packed with smart ideas I can actually use. It made me want to revisit old projects and try a lighter, CSS-first approach.
Virgile Gouala
Engineering Manager

You Don’t Need JavaScript introduced me to the “Rule of Least Power”, a principle that is both simple and profoundly enlightening. In a web world that’s always accelerating, this work promotes a more ecological, thoughtful, and handcrafted approach to development, reminding us that elegance and impact often arise from simplicity.
Paul Wright
Full Stack Web Developer

Read this book and you’ll be gleefully ripping out half your JS before you’ve even finished the second chapter. You Don’t Need JavaScript is a breath of fresh air packed with “wait… CSS can do that?!” moments. Theo has a knack for making complex ideas feel effortless, proving that elegant, interactive design doesn’t always need a mountain of JS. It’s the perfect reminder that simplicity, speed, and creativity often live right there in your stylesheet.
Thomas Palef
Author of Make 2D Games

I thought I knew CSS, but I was wrong... this book taught me new CSS properties at almost every page!

Melon Tusk
Former Framework Addict

This book made me uninstall half my JavaScript libraries. My therapist will hear about this.
Parry Lage
Proud jQuery Defender

Tried the CSS-only dropdown technique. It worked instantly. Honestly, it felt wrong.
Beff Jezos
JavaScript Maximalist

Was hoping for 300 pages of pure JS hacks. Got clean, maintainable CSS instead. 0/10.

About the author

Theo Soti

Webdesigner & Front-end Developer

For the last eight years, I’ve worked with teams to design and build fast, responsive interfaces using modern CSS.
Along the way, I started sharing what I learned online. That small habit grew into a community of:

16,000+ developers on LinkedIn
9 million impressions in a year
1,500 newsletter subscribers

You Don’t Need JavaScript collects my best CSS techniques and patterns for building fast, modern interfaces with less code and more joy.

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Complete bundle

^$69

125-page PDF with 27 practical examples
Lifetime access & Free updates
A library of 27 ready-to-use components
A cheat sheet with every property from the book

Get the bundle

Basic

^$39

125-page PDF with 27 practical examples
Lifetime access & Free updates
✗A library of 27 ready-to-use components
✗A cheat sheet with every property from the book

Get the ebook

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Frequently asked questions

Who is this book for?

If you're a web developer who wants to build interactive components without relying on JavaScript. If you care about performance, clean code, and saving time. Then this book is for you.
Do I need to be a CSS expert to follow along?

You don't need to be an expert, but a basic understanding of CSS is necessary. The ebook is packed with tips and techniques that even seasoned developers will find valuable. You'll learn step-by-step through clear, practical examples.
What exactly will I learn?

You'll learn how to create real-world UI components (like tabs, modals, dropdowns, etc.) using only CSS. Plus, you'll discover methods to speed up your pages, write maintainable code, and reduce bugs.
What format is the book available in?

The book comes as a PDF, so you can read it anywhere. It’s lightweight, easy to navigate, and beautifully formatted for any screen size.
Will the book be updated in the future?

Yes! Whenever I update You Don’t Need JavaScript with new examples or CSS features, you’ll get all future updates for free!
What if I don’t like the book?

No worries. If you buy the book and feel it’s not for you, you can ask for a full refund within 30 days. No hard feelings, no questions asked. I want you to feel completely confident about your purchase. Send me an email at hey@theosoti.com and I'll refund you right away.
Did you use JavaScript for creating this page?

Nope, I only used pure HTML & CSS! The only JavaScript in the page is the small tracking script.

You Don't Need JavaScript