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In recent years, one name has emerged strongly in the world of web development: Tailwind CSS. If until recently the immediate answer to the question “which CSS framework should I use?” was almost always Bootstrap, today more and more developers are looking to Tailwind as their first choice. But what exactly is it, and why does it seem to have taken Bootstrap's place in many discussions?
What is Tailwind CSS?
Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework, meaning a collection of pre-built classes that represent small style properties (padding, margins, colors, typography, etc.).
Instead of providing pre-packaged components (buttons, navbars, modals) like Bootstrap does, Tailwind provides building blocks, the basic building blocks for building highly customized interfaces.
A quick example:
<button class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-bold py-2 px-4 rounded">Click Me
</button>With Bootstrap, you would simply write:
<button class="btn btn-primary">Click Me</button>The difference? With Tailwind, you have total control over the look without having to write custom CSS, while with Bootstrap, you're stuck with a default style unless you override it.
Why has it become so popular?
- Extreme customization
Tailwind allows you to create unique designs without the feeling that "all sites look the same," a typical problem with Bootstrap. - Speed of development
Thanks to utility classes, you can quickly prototype without jumping back and forth between HTML and CSS. - Automatic optimization
With tools like PurgeCSS built in, Tailwind generates much smaller CSS files by eliminating unused classes. - Great for design systems
It's very suitable for development teams Complex and scalable products: allows you to centrally define palettes, spacing, and typography. - Growing ecosystem
There are ready-made libraries and templates based on Tailwind, but without losing the freedom of customization.
Has Bootstrap been replaced by Tailwind?
Not really. Bootstrap isn't dead and remains widely used, especially in corporate projects or for those looking for quick solutions with ready-made components.
The main difference is this:
- Bootstrap → more suitable for those who want a set of readily available components, with a consistent design and without too much customization.
- Tailwind → ideal for those who want to build unique, lightweight, and scalable interfaces with a custom design system.
In reality, it's not a question of "better or worse": it depends on the project and the context.
Tailwind CSS and performance: does it really increase file size?
One of the most common concerns about Tailwind is performance. The question is legitimate:
If to create a button with Bootstrap, all you have to do is write
<button class="btn btn-primary"> while with Tailwind you have to write five or six classes (bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-bold py-2 px-4 rounded), doesn't that mean the HTML file becomes larger and therefore slower to load?
The short answer is: no, it doesn't.Necessarily.
Let's see why.
1. HTML file weight vs. CSS weight
- With Tailwind, it's true that the HTML contains more classes, but we're talking about a few dozen or hundreds of bytes more.
- In return, the final CSS (after the build) is much lighter, because it contains only the rules actually used in your files.
- The browser must download and interpret the CSS, not the HTML each time: so the real critical factor is the CSS weight, not the number of classes in the HTML.
2. PurgeCSS and JIT Compiler: The Secret to Lightweight Design
Tailwind doesn't distribute a single, huge CSS file to everyone.
During the build phase, the framework:
- Scans your templates (HTML, React, Vue, Blade, etc.)
- Removes unused classes (a process called "purge" or tree-shaking)
- Generates only the rules actually present in your site
With the new JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler, classes are even generated only when needed, further reducing waste.
The result? A CSS file of just a few dozen KB, even in medium or large projects.
3. Real-world comparison with Bootstrap
- Bootstrap provides you with a ready-made CSS file, containing components and styles you may never use (modals, carousels, popovers, etc.).
- Even if you don't use them, the browser still has to download and interpret them.
- With Tailwind, however, if you don't use certain classes (e.g., animations or a specific color), they simply aren't included in the final CSS.
In many situations, the purged Tailwind CSS is smaller than Bootstrap's.
The fact that the HTML contains more classes doesn't negate this advantage.
4. Compression and Caching
Another aspect not to be overlooked:
- CSS files are almost always compressed (gzip or Brotli) and served by a CDN or browser cache.
- The user downloads the CSS only once and then reuses it on all pages.
- The few dozen extra characters in the HTML are irrelevant compared to the gain in CSS.
5. User Experience
Ultimately, what matters to the user is not whether the button has six classes instead of one, but:
- that the page loads quickly,
- that the style is consistent and optimized,
- that unnecessary resources are not downloaded.
Tailwind was designed specifically to improve perceived performance, eliminating the superfluous and keeping only what is necessary.
Conclusion
Tailwind CSS became popular because it changed the way people wrote CSS, bringing speed, flexibility, and control. Bootstrap remains valid, but Tailwind represents a modern choice for those who want custom designs and a utility-first approach.
In other words: if Bootstrap is like having a set of pre-assembled furniture from IKEA, Tailwind gives you the wood pieces, screws, and the freedom to build whatever you want.
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