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The box-shadow property follows a fixed order defined in the CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 3 specification: offset-x, offset-y, blur-radius, spread-radius, then a color. Offset moves the shadow horizontally and vertically, blur softens its edge into a gradient, and spread grows or shrinks the shadow's shape before the blur is applied.
Adding the inset keyword switches the shadow from an outer drop shadow, which appears to lift an element off the page, to an inner shadow that sits inside the element's border, which reads as a pressed or recessed surface. Both use the exact same offset, blur, spread and color values; only the keyword changes which side of the edge the shadow renders on.
box-shadow accepts any valid CSS color, but rgba lets you control the shadow's opacity separately from its base color, which is how most real interfaces achieve a soft, semi-transparent shadow instead of a harsh solid block. A shadow with an alpha value between 0.1 and 0.3 tends to look more natural than a fully opaque one on most light backgrounds.
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