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Creating a Rainbow Border Effect with CSS

In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the process of creating a captivating rainbow border effect using only CSS. This visually appealing touch can be added to various HTML elements such as headings, buttons, or even entire sections. Let's get started!

Prerequisites

To follow along with this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. If you're new to these technologies, we recommend checking out some introductory resources before diving in.

Step 1: Set Up Your HTML Structure

First, let's create a simple HTML structure for our element with the desired rainbow border effect. Below is an example of a <div> that will serve as our container. Replace this with your specific HTML element.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
  <title>Rainbow Border Effect</title>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="rainbow-border"></div>
</body>
</html>

Step 2: Define the CSS Variables

Next, we'll create custom CSS variables for our rainbow colors. This will make it easier to manipulate and update the color palette later on.

In your styles.css, define the following variables:

:root {
  --rainbow-red: hsl(350, 100%, 75%);
  --rainbow-orange: hsl(30, 100%, 85%);
  --rainbow-yellow: hsl(60, 100%, 85%);
  --rainbow-green: hsl(120, 100%, 85%);
  --rainbow-blue: hsl(240, 100%, 85%);
  --rainbow-indigo: hsl(300, 100%, 85%);
  --rainbow-violet: hsl(330, 100%, 85%);
}

Step 3: Create the Rainbow Border Effect

Now, we'll create the CSS rule for our <div> with the rainbow border effect. We'll use a combination of border-image, linear-gradient, and other CSS properties to achieve this visually stunning result.

.rainbow-border {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  border-width: 32px;
  border-style: solid;

  border-image: linear-gradient(to right, var(--rainbow-red), var(--rainbow-orange), var(--rainbow-yellow), var(--rainbow-green), var(--rainbow-blue), var(--rainbow-indigo), var(--rainbow-violet)) 32 32;
}

Step 4: Customize Your Rainbow Border Effect (Optional)

If you'd like to customize the size, color palette, or shape of your rainbow border effect, simply adjust the CSS variables and properties as needed. For example, change the width and height values for a larger or smaller container.

Conclusion

With just a few lines of CSS, you've created an eye-catching rainbow border effect that can be applied to various HTML elements! Feel free to share your creations with us on social media or in the comments below. Happy coding!

Published August, 2017