With CSS evolving rapidly, tools like variables, nesting, and an expanded range of pseudo-classes have made much of what Sass offered redundant. I’ve used Sass for the past 15 years and honestly loved it—it was essential for managing complex styles and keeping things organized. But with today’s CSS capabilities, I plan to avoid it in new projects. Native CSS now handles nearly everything Sass once provided, no preprocessor required.

In development, a solid rule of thumb is to eliminate any dependency you don’t truly need. Every extra tool brings potential complications, both now and down the line. By minimizing dependencies, especially when the core language has closed the gap in features, we make our code more maintainable and often more future-proof. Fewer dependencies also mean fewer updates, version conflicts, and less time lost to refactoring.

Looking back, I always sensed that someday I wouldn’t need Sass once CSS caught up. Now that it has, cutting Sass from my stack reinforces a core truth: simplicity isn’t easy, but it makes everything better. In development, as in life, the fewer unnecessary layers, the better things run. When we reduce dependencies, we open up space for flexibility, faster builds, and fewer compatibility issues, making our projects leaner and more resilient. Not to mention the processing and energy benefits. You’d be surprised how much energy the world could save if we all wrote efficient code—but that’s a topic for another day.

This shift toward native CSS is really about embracing efficiency. Mastering core tools and simplifying the stack can be challenging, but it’s the kind of challenge that brings clarity and focus, not just in code but in every aspect of what we build. Less truly is more—it keeps our projects adaptable, easy to work with, and ready for whatever comes next.