TailwindCSS is a fantastic utility-first CSS framework that helps you design stunning layouts with minimal custom CSS. You've probably come across Tailwind, but have you tried it? In this article, I'll share what makes Tailwind different from other component libraries and discuss why you should start using it.

Before Tailwind CSS

There are component libraries, like Bootstrap and Material UI that offer a variety of predefined elements. One of the most recognizable examples is likely the PrimaryButton, SecondaryButton, etc. 

These libraries simplify the creation of elements from the ground up with CSS. Many also excel at allowing users to customize components, ensuring that users are not limited to the designer's choices.

However, customizing this component is a complex and time-consuming process. The overriding might not even work correctly for some use cases which causes problems for developers. When using these libraries, you must adhere to their UI guidelines, which can be inconvenient for projects that require significant changes across many pages.

How does Tailwind CSS help?

Tailwind emphasizes using utility classes such as borders, colors, and backgrounds. Rather than dictating the appearance of your components, it allows you to customize their look using the various courses it offers. 

Tailwind offers a wide array of predefined color palettes. You can easily apply any desired color scheme to your website without writing custom CSS. If needed, you can always override these default colors with your own.

Example of Tailwind Utility classes

Before we dive into integrating TailwindCSS, let me highlight some classes that showcase the tool's strengths.

  • rounded  - adds border-radius of 0.25rem to an element
  • text-blue-500  - adds blue color (#3b82f6) to the text of an element. It ranges from 50 to 950, where 50 is the lightest color and 950 is the darkest.
  • hover:bg-gray-400  - when the element is hovered, the background color changes to gray (#9ca3af)
  • text-base  - adds font size of 1rem to text.

Features provided by Tailwind

  1. Constraint-based - Utility classes help you work within the constraints of a system instead of littering your stylesheets with arbitrary values. They make it easy to be consistent with color choices, spacing, typography, shadows, and everything else that makes up a well-engineered design system.
  2. Build anything - Tailwind is so low-level, that never encourages you to design the same site twice. Even with the same color palette and sizing scale, it's easy to build the same component with a completely different look in the next project.
  3. Performance - Tailwind automatically removes all unused CSS when building for production, which means your final CSS bundle is the smallest it could be.
  4. Mobile-first - Wrestling with a bunch of complex media queries in your CSS sucks, so Tailwind lets you build responsive designs right in your HTML instead.
  5. Dark Mode - Modern operating systems have light and dark modes. Tailwind makes it easy for you to style your UI differently when dark mode is enabled.

What is Angular?

In this blog, I’ll assume you have a basic understanding of Angular, a front-end framework designed for creating modern web applications effortlessly. It’s favored by millions for its built-in features like hydration, internationalization, security, and accessibility, enabling developers to create inclusive solutions for users worldwide.

Installation and configuration

Now, let's start the setup process for Tailwind by creating an angular project first. 

  1. Create an empty angular project by running Angular CLI.
ng new my-project 
cd my-project
  1. Install @tailwindcss/postcss and its peer dependencies via npm
npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/postcss postcss --force
  1. Create a .postcssrc.json file in the root of your project and add the @tailwindcss/postcss plugin to your PostCSS configuration.
{
  "plugins": {
    "@tailwindcss/postcss": {}
  }
 }
  1. Add an @import to ./src/styles.css that imports Tailwind CSS.
@import "tailwindcss";
  1. Open   app.component.html  and write the following code to test our tailwind config.
<div class="p-4">
  <button class="bg-blue-600 text-white rounded shadow px-3 py-2">
    Click Me
  </button>
</div>
  1. Run ng serve –o which will build our angular application and open the angular on the browser. The below screenshot shows the result of our code and indicates our integration was successful.

Next step

After successful installation, the next step will be building your own customizable design. Learn more about writing codes in Tailwind from their documentation website https://tailwindcss.com/docs/utility-first. 

Tip

If you are using VS code for your development then you can install an extension called “Tailwind CSS IntelliSense” developed by Tailwind Developers. It provides users with advanced features such as autocomplete, syntax highlighting and linting so you don’t have to worry about remembering utility classes.

Conclusion

Tailwind CSS is rapidly becoming one of the most popular libraries for front-end developers due to its flexibility, performance optimization, and other powerful features. By mastering Tailwind CSS, full-stack developers can create stunning, responsive, and maintainable user interfaces that stand out in the competitive landscape.