---
id: css-position-static-and-relative
title: "CSS Position Static and Relative"
category: "Frontend"
status: "draft"
verification_status: "conceptual"
canonical_id: ""
aliases: ["position property", "position static", "position relative", "CSS positioning", "document flow"]
duplicate_of: ""
source_trust_level: "B"
confidence_score: 0.89
created_at: 2026-06-23
updated_at: 2026-06-23
review_reason: ""
merge_history: []
tags: ["css", "web", "frontend", "w3schools", "position", "layout", "static", "relative"]
raw_sources: ["https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_position.asp"]
applied_in: []
github_commit: ""
---

# [[CSS Position]]

## 🎯 한 줄 통찰 (One-line insight)
The `position` property controls element placement: `static` follows normal flow, while `relative` offsets an element from its normal position via `top`/`right`/`bottom`/`left`. [S1]

## 🧠 핵심 개념 (Core concepts)
- **Positioning overrides flow** — CSS positioning is about controlling the placement of elements within a web page; you can override the normal document flow. [S1]
- **`position` defines type** — the `position` property specifies the positioning type for an element. [S1]
- **Offset properties** — elements are positioned to their final location with the `top`, `bottom`, `left`, and `right` properties. [S1]
- **`static` is default** — all HTML elements are positioned static by default and are not affected by the `top`, `bottom`, `left`, and `right` properties. [S1]
- **`relative` offsets from normal** — an element with `position: relative;` is positioned relative to its normal position in the document flow. [S1]

## 🧩 추출된 패턴 (Extracted patterns)
- **Static = leave it alone** — `position: static;` keeps an element in the normal flow, ignoring offset properties. [S1]
- **Relative = nudge, keep the gap** — setting `top`/`right`/`bottom`/`left` on a relative element adjusts it away from its normal position, and other content is NOT adjusted to fill the gap left behind. [S1]

## 📖 세부 내용 (Details)
**CSS Positioning**
CSS positioning is about controlling the placement of elements within a web page. With CSS positioning, you can override the normal document flow. [S1]

**The CSS `position` Property**
The `position` property specifies the positioning type for an element. Elements are then positioned to their final location with the `top`, `bottom`, `left`, and `right` properties. [S1]

**Position values** [S1]

| Value | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `static` | This is default. Element is positioned according to the normal document flow |
| `relative` | Element is positioned relative to its normal position in the document flow |
| `fixed` | Element is positioned relative to the viewport |
| `absolute` | Element is positioned relative to the nearest positioned ancestor |
| `sticky` | Element toggles between a relative and fixed position, depending on the scroll position |

**CSS `position: static`**
All HTML elements are positioned static by default. Static positioned elements are not affected by the `top`, `bottom`, `left`, and `right` properties. An element with `position: static;` is always positioned according to the normal flow of the page: [S1]
```css
div.static {
  position: static;
  border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}
```

**CSS `position: relative`**
An element with `position: relative;` is positioned relative to its normal position in the document flow. Setting the `top`, `right`, `bottom`, and `left` properties will cause the element to be adjusted away from its normal position. Other content will not be adjusted to fit into any gap left by the element: [S1]
```css
div.relative {
  position: relative;
  left: 30px;
  border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}
```

## ⚖️ 비교 및 선택 기준 (Comparison & decision criteria)
- **`static`** — default; positioned according to the normal document flow and unaffected by offset properties. Choose when no special positioning is needed. [S1]
- **`relative`** — positioned relative to its normal position; offsets move it but leave its original gap, and other content is not adjusted to fill it. Choose to nudge an element while preserving surrounding layout. [S1]
- **`fixed`** — positioned relative to the viewport. [S1]
- **`absolute`** — positioned relative to the nearest positioned ancestor. [S1]
- **`sticky`** — toggles between relative and fixed depending on scroll position. [S1]

## 🛠️ 적용 사례 (Applied in summary)
The page's own examples are the applied cases: a `div.static` left in normal flow and a `div.relative` offset by `left: 30px;`, both with a `#73AD21` border. No external project/commit applications found in the source.

## 💻 코드 패턴 (Code patterns)
Static positioning (language: CSS):
```css
div.static {
  position: static;
  border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}
```
Relative positioning with offset (language: CSS):
```css
div.relative {
  position: relative;
  left: 30px;
  border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}
```

## ⚖️ 모순 및 업데이트 (Contradictions & updates)
No contradictions found in the source.

## ✅ 검증 상태 및 신뢰도
- **상태:** draft
- **검증 단계:** conceptual (실제 적용 사례 발견 시 applied/validated로 승격 가능)
- **출처 신뢰도:** B (W3Schools — widely used educational reference, not a primary standards body)
- **신뢰 점수:** 0.89
- **중복 검사 결과:** 신규 생성 (New discovery)

## 🔗 지식 그래프 (Knowledge Graph)
- **상위/루트:** [[CSS Tutorial]]
- **관련 개념:** [[CSS Display]], [[CSS Max Width]], [[CSS Visibility Hide]]
- **참조 맥락:** Referenced whenever placing elements outside or relative to the normal document flow.

## 📚 출처 (Sources)
- [S1] W3Schools — CSS Position Static and Relative — https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_position.asp

## 📝 변경 이력 (Change history)
- 2026-06-23: Initial draft synthesized from the W3Schools "CSS Position Static and Relative" page (Astra wiki-curation, P-Reinforce v3.1 format).