Pure CSS Dropdown
A copy-paste css-only interactions component in pure HTML & CSS. Zero dependencies, framework-agnostic, MIT-licensed.
CSS-Only InteractionsHTMLCSSany framework
Copy into your project
HTML
<!-- Pure CSS Dropdown — opens on :focus-within, zero JS -->
<div class="nuda-css-dropdown">
<button class="nuda-css-dropdown__trigger" type="button">
Menu <span class="nuda-css-dropdown__caret">▾</span>
</button>
<ul class="nuda-css-dropdown__menu">
<li><a class="nuda-css-dropdown__link" href="#">Profile</a></li>
<li><a class="nuda-css-dropdown__link" href="#">Settings</a></li>
<li><a class="nuda-css-dropdown__link" href="#">Sign out</a></li>
</ul>
</div>CSS
/* Pure CSS Dropdown
:focus-within keeps the menu open while the trigger OR a
menu item is focused (click + keyboard friendly). No JS.
Customize: --nuda-css-dd-accent */
.nuda-css-dropdown {
--nuda-css-dd-accent: #e4ff54;
position: relative;
display: inline-block;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown__trigger {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 6px;
min-height: 44px;
padding: 0.6rem 1rem;
font-size: 0.9rem;
font-weight: 600;
color: #fff;
background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
border-radius: 8px;
cursor: pointer;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown__trigger:focus-visible {
outline: 2px solid var(--nuda-css-dd-accent);
outline-offset: 2px;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown__caret { transition: transform 0.25s ease; }
.nuda-css-dropdown__menu {
position: absolute;
top: calc(100% + 6px);
left: 0;
min-width: 180px;
padding: 4px;
margin: 0;
list-style: none;
background: #111114;
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
border-radius: 10px;
box-shadow: 0 12px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(-6px);
pointer-events: none;
transition: opacity 0.2s ease, transform 0.2s ease;
z-index: 20;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown__link {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
min-height: 44px;
padding: 0.5rem 0.75rem;
font-size: 0.85rem;
color: #bbb;
border-radius: 7px;
text-decoration: none;
cursor: pointer;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown__link:hover,
.nuda-css-dropdown__link:focus-visible {
background: rgba(228, 255, 84, 0.1);
color: var(--nuda-css-dd-accent);
outline: none;
}
/* Open while anything inside has focus */
.nuda-css-dropdown:focus-within .nuda-css-dropdown__menu {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
pointer-events: auto;
}
.nuda-css-dropdown:focus-within .nuda-css-dropdown__caret {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.nuda-css-dropdown__menu,
.nuda-css-dropdown__caret { transition: none; }
}How to use Pure CSS Dropdown
Paste the HTML where you need it and the CSS into a global stylesheet (or a <style> tag). Every class is prefixed nuda- so it never collides with Tailwind or your own styles. Tweak the CSS custom properties to match your design system.
Works in React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, Laravel Blade, Django, Rails — or a single .html file. No npm install, no build step.