Category: 3. history

Bootstrap 5 was released in 2021 and pushed the framework even further into the modern era.

• Dependency on jQuery was removed, and components now run on vanilla JavaScript.
• The grid system was expanded with more breakpoints.
• Forms and customization options were improved.
• Internet Explorer support was completely dropped.
• The framework became lighter and faster.

Today, in 2025, Bootstrap remains one of the most widely used front-end frameworks in the world. While it faces competition from frameworks like Tailwind CSS, its simplicity and ready-made components still make it a go-to choice for millions of developers.

In 2018, Bootstrap 4 was released and marked a major upgrade in the framework’s history.

• It switched from Less to Sass, making customization easier.
• Flexbox was adopted for layouts, which improved responsiveness and alignment.
• New components like cards were introduced.
• Forms and utility classes became more flexible.
• Support for old browsers like Internet Explorer 8 and 9 was removed.

For many developers, Bootstrap 4 became a game-changer in creating powerful, modern web applications.

Bootstrap 2 was released in 2012. This version introduced the 12-column responsive grid system and added new components like dropdowns, button groups, and navigation bars. It made responsive design much easier for developers.

Bootstrap 3 came in 2013 with a complete redesign. It adopted a mobile-first approach and followed a cleaner, flat design trend. The grid system was improved to handle different screen sizes more effectively.

These two versions made Bootstrap the industry standard for building modern and consistent websites.

In 2010, Twitter engineers Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton faced a problem. Each team at Twitter was using different libraries and styles, which made the user interface look inconsistent.

To solve this, they built an internal toolkit that allowed all developers to follow a single design system. Initially, it was called Twitter Blueprint, but later it was renamed to Bootstrap.

On August 19, 2011, Bootstrap was released as an open-source project on GitHub. From that moment, it quickly became one of the most popular frameworks among developers worldwide.