With Pulp Blog

Why You Should Use Tailwind CSS

Cedric Jackson January 19, 2021

Tailwind CSS is one of the utility-first CSS frameworks you may come across. It is a must-use for website developers. Tailwind CSS advertises its ability to “build modern websites” while using HTML.

#What Tailwind CSS Is

As mentioned, Tailwind CSS is a CSS framework that's utility-first. Using the framework gives you easy access to tools and classes for CSS. The result is the ability to easily style your application or website.

Essentially, Tailwind CSS makes it intuitive to deal with CSS. There's no need to deal with the cascading styles directly.

#What Are the Benefits of Tailwind CSS?

To learn more about Tailwind CSS or create a strategy with it, contact us at With Pulp.

#You Don’t Have to Write CSS

The biggest benefit of this utility-first CSS is that you don’t have to write CSS. Instead of writing the CSS code, just apply your chosen CSS class. You can do this directly to the HTML element.

Writing less CSS means you save time on design and development. You also reduce the risk of human error as you're working in less files.

#Access Thousands of CSS Classes

Since you don't have to write your CSS with Tailwind CSS, you instead rely on the CSS classes included. Luckily, this doesn't limit your options. There are several thousand CSS classes available right away. This gives you plenty of control along with the framework’s ease.

#CSS Classes Are Predefined

Tailwind CSS makes classes even easier by predefining them. This means that you don’t have to finetune the design as much or be overwhelmed. You'll find yourself spending less time making minor changes that have no real impact. The use of predefined classes is especially helpful for perfectionists. In these cases, it creates an alternative to moving pixels one by one.

#Use Common Utility Patterns

Tailwind also lets you use common utility patterns. This helps you specify, organize, and cascade classes. The utility classes also make it easier to create custom components. After all, you can extract values with the theme() function instead of hard coding.

#Make Complex Responsive Layouts

Thanks to those utility classes, you can freely develop complex responsive layouts. You can use the utility classes conditionally across breakpoints. This helps reduce the hassle during the build process. Tailwind CSS is actually mobile-first by default, which ensures the user experience is optimal across all viewports.

#Incredibly Customizable

Developers love that Tailwind CSS is very customizable. Of course, if you don’t need customization, you can stick to the default configuration. Otherwise, just add a tailwind.config.js file. That file will let you customize the theme spacing, styling, color palettes, and more.

#Design System Built-In

Thanks to that configuration file, you get a built-in design system. This helps you design better user experiences more easily. After all, good designs make use of consistency of colors, scale, and spacing. When you configure them in the configuration file, you ensure they are consistent.

#The Variables Are Meaningful

Tailwind CSS has much more meaningful variables than CSS. For an example of the difference, look at font size. With CSS, you would use something like 15px to indicate the font size. The value of this “15” is somewhat arbitrary. See how that contrasts with Tailwind CSS. Instead, you would use something like text-lg. Using terms like small, large, and extra-large has more meaning for the average person.

#No Need to Switch Contexts

Using this utility-first CSS doesn't require you to switch contexts. You can stick to HTML or another language for most of the process. This is a natural result of Tailwind providing nearly everything you may need right away. You'll save time and frustration by not having to switch between CSS and HTML.

#Make Reusable Components

This utility-first CSS lets you create Tailwind components that are reusable. You could do something similar with other programs, but you would have to install React. With Tailwind CSS, you can do so without installing it.

#PurgeCSS

Tailwind CSS also features PurgeCSS, which is very easy to set up. This feature helps you remove the CSS classes that you don’t use. The result is a smaller file and faster performing UI.

PurgeCSS works by scanning your HTML. It sees which classes you aren’t using and removes them. By featuring PurgeCSS, Tailwind’s CSS file size does not grow as your project grows. That is a common issue with other similar frameworks.

#Improves CSS Cache Work

Most CSS frameworks require updating your CSS file as you change the design. This isn't necessary with Tailwind. The difference comes from reusing the same classes. Therefore, you might never need to adjust the CSS cache for small design changes.

#Great Community

The community for Tailwind CSS is also a great benefit of the framework. There's a very active community that loves helping developers and community members. You usually get a quick response if you have an issue or question.