VStack

VStack is a layout container in Apple's SwiftUI framework that arranges its child views in a vertical sequence. It is a fundamental tool for building user interfaces in SwiftUI, offering a simple, declarative way to stack views such as text, images, and controls along a vertical axis.

The initializer of VStack accepts alignment and spacing parameters. Alignment is a HorizontalAlignment value that controls how child views align horizontally within the vertical stack, with options typically including .leading, .center, and .trailing. Spacing is an optional value that defines the vertical gap between consecutive elements; if omitted, SwiftUI uses a default system spacing.

VStack adapts to its surrounding layout. It can size to fit its content or expand to fill available space when combined with other modifiers or containers. Developers often place Spacer views inside a VStack to push content toward the top, bottom, or center, creating flexible and responsive layouts. VStack can be used on its own or nested within other stacks, frames, padding, and scroll views to build more complex interfaces.

Common usage patterns include creating vertical lists of controls or text blocks, grouping form fields, and composing layouts that scroll by placing the stack inside a ScrollView. Related layout containers are HStack, which arranges views horizontally, and ZStack, which overlays views.

VStack was introduced as part of SwiftUI, first appearing in iOS 13/macOS Catalina, as a core primitive for vertical layout in Apple’s modern UI framework.