Using SVG as a background image

Question

How do I use this SVG as background-image in CSS?

I tried using it but then I got confused.
I know it is meant to be in a CSS format but how do I do that

<svg width="1318" height="800" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><defs><linearGradient x1="-45.25%" y1="-88.077%" x2="97.789%" y2="100%" id="a"><stop stop-color="#FF52C1" offset="0%"/><stop stop-color="#F952C5" offset="4.09%"/><stop stop-color="#9952FF" stop-opacity="0" offset="100%"/></linearGradient><linearGradient x1="-64.06%" y1="-121.906%" x2="97.789%" y2="100%" id="b"><stop stop-color="#FF52C1" offset="0%"/><stop stop-color="#F952C5" offset="4.09%"/><stop stop-color="#9952FF" stop-opacity="0" offset="100%"/></linearGradient><linearGradient x1="100%" y1="111.373%" x2="-24.893%" y2="-55.159%" id="c"><stop stop-color="#FF52C1" offset="0%"/><stop stop-color="#9952FF" offset="100%"/></linearGradient><linearGradient x1="21.681%" y1="5.006%" x2="145.861%" y2="145.591%" id="d"><stop stop-color="#FF52C1" offset="0%"/><stop stop-color="#9952FF" offset="100%"/></linearGradient><linearGradient x1="6.375%" y1="-15.195%" x2="91.754%" y2="105.701%" id="e"><stop stop-color="#FF52C1" offset="0%"/><stop stop-color="#9952FF" offset="100%"/></linearGradient></defs><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><path fill="url(#a)" transform="matrix(-1 0 0 1 834.817 0)" d="M0 0h409.224l425.593 376v156.83z"/><path fill="url(#b)" transform="rotate(180 528.65 584)" d="M0 367l641.153.138L1057.3 673.299V801z"/><circle stroke="url(#c)" stroke-width="17" cx="704" cy="563" r="49"/><rect fill="url(#d)" opacity=".558" transform="rotate(45 1107.87 708.87)" x="1088.87" y="689.87" width="38" height="38" rx="3"/><rect fill="url(#d)" opacity=".503" transform="rotate(45 1279.598 103.598)" x="1251.598" y="75.598" width="56" height="56" rx="3"/><rect fill="url(#d)" opacity=".558" transform="rotate(45 934.627 63.627)" x="918.627" y="47.627" width="32" height="32" rx="3"/><rect fill="url(#d)" opacity=".558" transform="rotate(45 703.627 186.627)" x="687.627" y="170.627" width="32" height="32" rx="3"/><rect fill="url(#d)" opacity=".387" transform="rotate(45 1237.02 606.02)" x="1228.521" y="597.521" width="17" height="17" rx="1"/><path d="M91.477 739.477v-16.5a5 5 0 0 1 10 0v16.5h16.5a5 5 0 0 1 0 10h-16.5v16.5a5 5 0 1 1-10 0v-16.5h-16.5a5 5 0 1 1 0-10h16.5z" fill="url(#e)" opacity=".211" transform="rotate(45 96.477 744.477)"/></g></svg>

Hi and Welcome to SO. Please take the [tour] first and then read [ask]. After that edit the question accordingly and provide more details and clarity. What was not working as expected? What have you tried (post the code of your attempt as [repro])? Also read the description of the tags. `web` specifically states not to be used and I fail to see the relevance for `development-enviroment` and `challange-response`. — tacoshy, Aug 14 '23 at 10:59
There is no CSS format. CSS is a read-only document to apply stylings, it does not care for any formats. YOu have 2 options, copy the SVG code to an image converter and save the image itself to link to it in CSS or read the duplicates. — tacoshy, Aug 14 '23 at 11:02
It _ought_ to work. I expect the problem is that you're not escaping your svg code properly. There are online tools that can do this for you (e.g., [here](https://yoksel.github.io/url-encoder/)). You probably also need to add a rule like `background-size: cover;` to your CSS to ensure that the whole SVG is visible. — r3mainer, Aug 14 '23 at 12:38

score -4 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 14 '23 at 11:06

Certainly! Using an SVG as a background image in HTML with CSS is quite straightforward. I'll guide you through the steps.

Include SVG Directly in CSS:

If you have the SVG code, you can embed it directly into your CSS using a data URL. For example:

.my-element {
    background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,<svg ... > ... </svg>");
}

You need to ensure that the SVG content (i.e., everything between <svg> ... </svg>) doesn’t contain any characters that might conflict with the CSS syntax. This includes characters like #, ", or ;. You can URL-encode these characters to avoid issues.

SVG File as Background:

If your SVG content is in a separate file, such as background.svg, you can reference it like you would any other image:

.my-element {
    background-image: url('path/to/your/background.svg');
}

Implement in HTML and CSS:

Here's a simple example. Let's assume you have the SVG saved in a file named background.svg:

HTML (index.html):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>SVG Background</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
    <div class="my-element">
        <!-- Your content here -->
    </div>
</body>
</html>

CSS (styles.css):

.my-element {
    width: 300px;  /* or whatever size you want */
    height: 300px;
    background-image: url('background.svg');
    background-repeat: no-repeat;  /* this prevents the image from repeating */
    background-size: cover;  /* this scales the image to cover the div */
}

Considerations:

Always remember that for the SVG to show up, the element (my-element in this case) should have a specified width and height or have enough content to give it dimension. Use background-size, background-position, etc., to adjust the positioning and sizing of your SVG background as needed. Now, when you open your index.html, you should see the SVG as a background for the .my-element div.

Please read the [SO AI-ban policy](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/421831/temporary-policy-generative-ai-e-g-chatgpt-is-banned?cb=1) that forbids the posting of mainly AI-generated answers. With the exception of the intro sentence, it is just AI-generated. AI-generated answers are not helpful and often incorrect. — tacoshy, Aug 14 '23 at 11:26

Using SVG as a background image

1 Answers1