Style tables so they stay readable with zebra rows, sensible alignment and responsive patterns that do not sacrifice clarity.
Good readability starts with spacing and structure, not decoration.
Use `border-collapse` to remove awkward double borders and keep the grid visually cleaner.
Give cells enough padding and align text consistently. If the table mixes text and numbers, the alignment itself becomes part of the UX.
These small touches make dense data easier to scan.
Alternating row backgrounds help the eye track information across the table, especially when several columns sit close together.
A hover state adds feedback during exploration and is particularly useful in dashboards or admin interfaces.
This is often the safest solution for wide tables.
Wrap the table in a container with `overflow-x: auto` so the browser can preserve the column structure without squeezing cells into unreadable fragments.
A `min-width` on the table helps protect the layout and signals that scrolling is expected on smaller screens.
Useful when the table has few columns and the mobile layout needs extra clarity.
The stacked pattern turns each row into a small card and uses `data-label` plus `::before` to expose the meaning of each value.
It works best on simple tables. If there are too many columns, horizontal scroll is usually cleaner and less verbose.