Twitter Bootstrap 3 Sticky Footer

html

responsive-design

best-practices

web-development

byAnton Shumikhin·Jan 17, 2025

In creating a sticky footer with Bootstrap 3, structure your HTML markup with a body standing full-height, and the footer positioned absolutely. For the body, set min-height: 100%, wrap the content with padding-bottom equal to the footer's height, and style the footer to stick at the bottom.

HTML Structure Example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html style="height: 100%;">
<head>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="path/to/bootstrap.css">
    <style>
        html, body { height: 100%; }
        body { margin-bottom: 50px; } /* Height of the footer; 
                                         "Why is it 50px?" you ask, "Because it's half-100px, 
                                          and everything is better in halves. Like pizza." */
        footer { 
            height: 50px;
            position: absolute;
            bottom: 0;
            width: 100%;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="content"><!-- Main content here --></div>
    <footer><!-- Sticky footer content here; 
                Recommended content: "copyright stuff and lawyer talk" --></footer>
</body>
</html>

Replace the 50px with the height of your footer. This helps to keep the footer affixed at the bottom while keeping the content from overlapping.

Understanding the functionality of a sticky footer requires recognizing the relationship between content size and viewport dimensions. Regardless of content length, the footer should always maintain its position at the bottom.

Cleaning up your markup

Keep your sticky footer implementation minimalistic by concentrating on fundamental HTML elements to avoid any unnecessary additional CSS. The key to a clean sticky footer is to preserve the reader's focus while ensuring the footer is unobtrusive.

Seamlessness is key

Utilize Bootstrap's in-built classes, such as .navbar-fixed-bottom, to create a consistent and responsive sticky footer without the need for extra CSS styling. However, be cautious to steer clear of overlaps with other fixed or absolute elements.

Customization with an eye for responsiveness

When crafting the footer's layout, ensure to adjust the padding of the final content element to prevent it from overlapping the footer. This introduces a smooth transition between the content and footer irrespective of device sizes.

Guarding against common issues

Ensure the body has a margin-bottom set to the exact height of the footer to avoid conflicting margin heights. Inevitable version updates to Bootstrap may impact default behaviours so always stay abreast of the updated documentation.

Uniformity and balance are paramount

Include the essential components like a push div just before wrapping your container to ensure perfect alignment of your footer with the end of your content. Consider the push div as the counterweight that preserves everything in balance.

Responsiveness with visuals

Visual elements such as thumbnails or hyperlinks in your footer should adapt aptly to various screen displays. Responsive utility classes provided by Bootstrap 3 can be particularly valuable for this flight.

Smoothing it together

Once the sticky footer is in place, it's time to give it a personality. Ensure it carries your copyright details, appropriate social media links, and any other custom content that supplements your website.

Accounting for dynamic content

When dealing with changeable content on your site, it's essential to test the impact of content addition or removal on the footer's position. Always account for the minimum and maximum content sizes.

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