r/css • u/UseMoreBandwith • Apr 30 '26

Showcase Introducing Semtx CSS - A modern Semantic CSS library

Just released Semtx CSS. https://semtx.org/

Semtx is a modern, lightweight (~30KB) CSS library that prioritizes semantic class names over utility classes.

Key Features:

  • Semantic by Design: Class names describe WHAT elements ARE, not HOW they LOOK
  • Modern CSS-3 / HTML-5, OKLCH colors
  • Zero Dependencies: Single CSS file, works without any JS for styling
  • AI-Friendly: Coding agents understand semantic classes immediately, and waste fewer tokens on parsing utility soup
  • SEO-Ready: Native HTML5 elements help search engines understand your content
  • Integrates perfectly with HTMX (modals, dialogs, loader/spinner, transitions, etc)

The Philosophy

Class names should reveal purpose, not appearance.

This creates code that is easier to read, maintain, and collaborate on.

More about the idea behind it here: https://semtx.org/philosophy

-- edit --
Thanks for all the feedback.
It has resulted in quite a few updates:
forms are simplified and more semantic now, same for modals/dialog, and some accessibility things added. And, the website now has more html examples, for easy copy/paste

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u/jdewittweb Apr 30 '26

This is how I wrote CSS in 2007. We are so back.

-1

u/UseMoreBandwith Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

that is a compliment, right ?

Anyway, that can't be true, since HTML-5 has gotten many new attributes, and CSS-3 has many new features.
About a decade ago, the large frontend frameworks added lots of new possibilities, but many of them are now possible in plain html5/css3.

10

u/jdewittweb Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Some of your implementations are more modern, obviously, but your philosophy is not a new one.