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Discord uses CSS custom properties (variables) extensively, making it easy to theme without targeting specific classes.

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Discord CSS variables

Discord provides hundreds of CSS variables for theming. Here are the most commonly used ones:

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Background colors

:root {
  /* Primary backgrounds */
  --background-primary: #36393f;
  --background-secondary: #2f3136;
  --background-tertiary: #202225;
  
  /* Secondary backgrounds */
  --background-base-low: #1e1f22;
  --background-base-lower: #0c0d0e;
  --background-base-lowest: #000000;
  
  /* Accent backgrounds */
  --background-secondary-alt: #292b2f;
  --background-accent: #4f545c;
}

​
Text colors

:root {
  /* Text */
  --text-default: #dcddde;
  --text-muted: #96989d;
  --text-strong: #ffffff;
  --text-link: #00b0f4;
  --text-brand: #5865f2;
  
  /* Feedback text */
  --text-feedback-warning: #faa81a;
  --text-feedback-positive: #23a55a;
  --text-danger: #f23f43;
}

​
Brand colors

:root {
  /* Discord brand */
  --brand-experiment: #5865f2;
  --brand-experiment-560: #505cdc;
  --brand-experiment-600: #4752c4;
  
  /* Status colors */
  --status-danger: #f23f43;
  --status-warning: #faa61a;
  --status-positive: #23a55a;
}

​
Interactive elements

:root {
  /* Buttons and controls */
  --control-secondary-background-default: #4e5058;
  --control-secondary-background-hover: #5c5e66;
  --control-secondary-background-active: #6a6d75;
  
  --interactive-text-default: #b5bac1;
  --interactive-text-hover: #dcddde;
  --interactive-background-hover: #3c3f45;
  --interactive-background-active: #35383e;
}

​
Spacing and layout

:root {
  /* Border radius */
  --radius-xs: 2px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 12px;
  --radius-xl: 16px;
  
  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-low: 0 1px 0 rgba(4,4,5,0.2);
  --shadow-high: 0 8px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.24);
  --elevation-low: 0 1px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
}

​
Discord class structure

Discord uses webpack-generated class names that include a hash. Always use attribute selectors:

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Messages

/* Message container */
[class*="message_"] {
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.02);
  border-radius: 8px;
  padding: 4px 16px;
  margin: 2px 0;
}

/* Message content */
[class*="messageContent_"] {
  color: var(--text-default);
}

/* Message author */
[class*="username_"] {
  color: var(--text-strong);
  font-weight: 600;
}

/* Mentioned message */
[class*="mentioned_"] {
  background-color: rgba(250, 166, 26, 0.1);
  border-left: 2px solid var(--status-warning);
}

​
Channels and servers

/* Channel list */
[class*="sidebar_"] {
  background-color: var(--background-secondary);
}

/* Channel item */
[class*="channel_"] {
  border-radius: 4px;
  padding: 6px;
  margin: 2px 8px;
}

/* Active channel */
[class*="channel_"][class*="modeSelected_"] {
  background-color: var(--background-accent);
}

/* Server list */
[class*="guilds_"] {
  background-color: var(--background-tertiary);
}

/* Server icon */
[class*="guild_"] {
  border-radius: 50%;
  transition: border-radius 0.2s;
}

[class*="guild_"]:hover {
  border-radius: 15px;
}

​
Modals and popups

/* Modal backdrop */
[class*="backdrop_"] {
  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85);
  backdrop-filter: blur(5px);
}

/* Modal container */
[class*="modal_"] {
  background-color: var(--background-primary);
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-high);
}

/* Modal header */
[class*="header_"] {
  background-color: var(--background-secondary);
  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--background-accent);
}

​
User interface elements

/* Scrollbars */
::-webkit-scrollbar {
  width: 12px;
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
  background: var(--background-secondary);
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
  background: var(--background-accent);
  border-radius: 6px;
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover {
  background: #5c5e66;
}

/* Buttons */
[class*="button_"] {
  background-color: var(--brand-experiment);
  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
  transition: all 0.17s ease;
}

[class*="button_"]:hover {
  background-color: var(--brand-experiment-560);
}

​
BetterDiscord-specific elements

BetterDiscord adds its own elements that you can style: 
/* BetterDiscord settings */
#bd-settings-sidebar {
  background-color: var(--background-secondary);
}

/* BetterDiscord badges */
.bd-chat-badge {
  vertical-align: bottom;
  line-height: 1.375rem;
  height: 1.25rem;
}

.bd-member-badge {
  height: 15px;
  margin-left: 4px;
}

/* Custom CSS editor */
#bd-editor-panel {
  background: var(--background-base-lower);
}

#bd-editor-controls {
  background: var(--background-secondary-alt);
  color: var(--text-default);
}

/* Toasts */
.bd-toast {
  background-color: hsl(218, calc(var(--saturation-factor, 1) * 14%), 15%);
  border-radius: var(--radius-xl);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-high);
  color: var(--text-default);
}

.bd-toast.toast-success {
  background-color: hsl(168, calc(var(--saturation-factor, 1) * 24%), 12%);
  color: hsl(145, calc(var(--saturation-factor, 1) * 54%), 49%);
}

.bd-toast.toast-error {
  background-color: hsl(337, calc(var(--saturation-factor, 1) * 21%), 12%);
  color: hsl(0, calc(var(--saturation-factor, 1) * 54%), 60%);
}

​
Theme-specific selectors

Discord has light and dark theme classes: 
/* Dark theme only */
.theme-dark {
  --background-primary: #1a1a1a;
}

/* Light theme only */
.theme-light {
  --background-primary: #f5f5f5;
}

/* Both themes */
.theme-dark,
.theme-light {
  --custom-variable: #ff0000;
}

​
Advanced techniques

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Using HSL for dynamic colors

Discord uses HSL with saturation factors: 
:root {
  --saturation-factor: 1;
  --custom-hsl: 220, 50%, 50%;
}

.element {
  background-color: hsl(
    var(--custom-hsl),
    calc(var(--saturation-factor) * 0.8)
  );
}

​
Backdrop filters

Create glassmorphism effects: 
[class*="container_"] {
  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
  backdrop-filter: blur(10px);
  -webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(10px);
}

​
Transitions and animations

/* Smooth transitions */
[class*="channel_"] {
  transition: background-color 0.2s ease, transform 0.2s ease;
}

[class*="channel_"]:hover {
  transform: translateX(4px);
}

/* Keyframe animations */
@keyframes slideIn {
  from {
    transform: translateY(-20px);
    opacity: 0;
  }
  to {
    transform: translateY(0);
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

[class*="message_"] {
  animation: slideIn 0.3s ease;
}

​
Custom fonts

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;600&display=swap');

:root {
  --font-primary: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
}

body {
  font-family: var(--font-primary);
}

​
Common patterns

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Rounded corners everywhere

[class*="container_"],
[class*="wrapper_"],
[class*="content_"] {
  border-radius: 12px;
}

​
Accent color system

:root {
  --accent: #ff6b6b;
  --accent-hover: #ff5252;
  --accent-active: #ff3838;
}

[class*="modeSelected_"],
[class*="selected_"],
.bd-selected {
  background-color: var(--accent) !important;
}

​
Minimalist borders

[class*="divider_"],
[class*="separator_"] {
  border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);
}

​
Next steps

Best practices

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