CSS to Stylus Converter Online — Free Tool

Convert CSS to Stylus — colon-and-indent syntax, no braces, no semicolons. Compile with the stylus CLI or stylus-loader for Vue.js and Node.js projects. 100% in your browser.

Input CSS

Stylus Output

What is a CSS to Stylus Converter?

A CSS to Stylus converter rewrites CSS into Stylus — the most permissive of the three indented preprocessor flavours. Stylus drops braces and semicolons entirely and even makes colons between property and value optional. The converter produces a compile-ready .styl file that the official stylus CLI accepts without flags.

Stylus is the default CSS preprocessor in much of the Vue.js and Express.js ecosystem — it pairs with Pug templates and the stylus-loader webpack plugin. The OpenFormatter converter runs entirely in your browser; no upload, no rate limit, no account.

How to convert CSS to Stylus — 4 steps

Paste your CSS. Drop a stylesheet into the Input panel, or click Load Sample to try a navigation example.
Click Convert. Braces are stripped, semicolons are removed, and 2-space indentation is generated for the .styl syntax.
Review the Stylus. The output keeps colons (the most readable Stylus form). Drop them later if you prefer the terser style.
Compile. Save as .styl and run stylus -p input.styl to print the compiled CSS, or wire it into webpack via stylus-loader.

Sample CSS in, Stylus out

Input — CSS

.nav {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 12px 24px;
  background: #1a1a1a;
}
.nav a {
  color: #fff;
  margin-right: 16px;
  text-decoration: none;
}
.nav a:hover {
  color: #66ccff;
}

Output — Stylus

.nav
  display: flex
  align-items: center
  padding: 12px 24px
  background: #1a1a1a

.nav a
  color: #fff
  margin-right: 16px
  text-decoration: none

.nav a:hover
  color: #66ccff

Minimal Syntax

Braces, semicolons, and even colons are optional in Stylus. The converter outputs the most-readable colon-and-indent form.

Stylus CLI Compatible

The .styl output compiles with the official stylus CLI and stylus-loader for webpack and Vite. No flags required.

Client-Side Only

Conversion runs in JavaScript inside your browser. Class names and design tokens never leave your machine.

Common use cases

check_circleMigrating a CSS theme into a Vue.js project that uses stylus-loader
check_circleConverting CSS components for an Express + Pug + Stylus stack
check_circleProducing .styl partials for a NuxtJS project standardised on Stylus
check_circleRefactoring legacy CSS into the most concise preprocessor format
check_circleTranslating documentation CSS examples into your Stylus codebase
check_circleBootstrapping a Stylus module from an existing component CSS file
check_circleQuickly testing whether a Stylus codebase suits your team
check_circleProducing terser stylesheets for projects where keystroke count matters

Stylus vs SASS vs SCSS — the syntax tradeoffs

All three preprocessors compile to the same CSS but read very differently. SCSS keeps braces and semicolons — most familiar for CSS developers. SASS drops braces but keeps colons. Stylus drops everything optional — including colons and the dollar sign on variables — making it the most concise but the least visually structured. Stylus shines in Vue and Express ecosystems where Pug-style indentation is already the norm; SCSS dominates in React, Angular, and most design-system codebases. For most projects today, SCSS is the default; choose Stylus only when an existing codebase or team preference points that way.

Need to go further?

Compile, format, or convert between every CSS preprocessor — all browser-side.

CSS to SCSS CSS to SASS CSS Beautifier

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Stylus different from SCSS and SASS?

Stylus makes braces, semicolons, and even colons optional. You can write color #fff or color: #fff; — both parse identically. Indentation defines structure. SCSS keeps braces; SASS drops braces but keeps colons. Stylus is the most permissive of the three and the most concise to write.

Does Stylus require colons between property and value?

No. The Stylus parser accepts both color #fff and color: #fff. The converter outputs the colon-and-indent form, which is the most common style and the one most compatible with editor syntax highlighters. Drop colons later if you prefer the terser style.

How do I compile Stylus to CSS?

Install the stylus CLI globally with npm install -g stylus, then run stylus input.styl -o output.css. In webpack and Vite projects, install stylus-loader (or vite-plugin-stylus) and import .styl files directly from JavaScript. The Stylus CLI accepts both the indented and the brace-style syntax.

Where is Stylus actually used?

Stylus is most common in Vue.js single-file components (via vue-style-loader), Node.js Express apps using Pug templates, and older Express middleware stacks. The Vue ecosystem in particular has historic alignment with Stylus, though many newer Vue projects use SCSS today. Pick Stylus if your team values terseness or you are integrating with an existing Stylus codebase.

Are Stylus variables and mixins generated automatically?

No. The converter handles syntax translation only — it does not infer which colours or sizes deserve to be variables. After conversion, declare Stylus variables at the top with $primary = #66ccff (or just primary = #66ccff — the dollar sign is also optional in Stylus) and reference them across the file.

Is the converted .styl file compile-compatible with the Stylus CLI?

Yes. The output uses standard indented Stylus syntax that the official stylus CLI accepts without flags. Run stylus -p input.styl to print the compiled CSS, or stylus input.styl to write a .css file alongside the source.

Does the converter handle pseudo-classes and @media queries?

Yes. Pseudo-classes like :hover and ::before stay attached to their selector. @media (min-width: 768px) blocks are translated to indented form, with declarations indented beneath. Stylus also supports @media inline within nested selectors — a manual refactor after conversion can take advantage of that.

Is my CSS sent to a server?

No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser as JavaScript. Stylesheets containing internal class names or proprietary design tokens never leave your machine. Verify in DevTools — clicking Run makes zero network requests.