Why TailwindCSS is a better choice than Bootstrap in 2024
Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap are two of the most popular CSS frameworks in the web development world. They both offer a set of tools and components to help developers create responsive and beautiful websites. However, they have different approaches and philosophies that make them suitable for different kinds of projects and preferences. In this article, we will compare Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap in terms of their features, performance, flexibility, and customization, and explain why Tailwind CSS is a better choice than Bootstrap in 2024.
Features
Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that provides a large number of low-level utility classes that can be composed and combined to create any design, directly in the HTML markup. Tailwind CSS does not provide any predefined components or themes, but rather gives developers full control over the appearance and behavior of their elements. Tailwind CSS also supports CSS variables, dark mode, focus ring, gradients, animations, and more.
Bootstrap, on the other hand, is a component-based CSS framework that provides a series of ready-to-use components and themes that can be easily integrated into any project. Bootstrap also offers a grid system, icons, forms, modals, carousels, and more. Bootstrap relies on jQuery and Popper for its JavaScript plugins, which add interactivity and functionality to the components.
Performance
Tailwind CSS is designed to be fast and lightweight, with a small file size and minimal runtime. Tailwind CSS uses a powerful CLI tool that scans the HTML files and generates the corresponding CSS styles, removing any unused classes and optimizing the output. Tailwind CSS also supports PurgeCSS, which is a tool that further reduces the file size by removing unused CSS. According to the official documentation, Tailwind CSS can produce a production-ready CSS file of less than 10 KB, which is significantly smaller than Bootstrap.
Bootstrap, on the contrary, is much larger and heavier than Tailwind CSS, with a file size of around 150 KB for the CSS and 80 KB for the JavaScript. Bootstrap also requires additional dependencies, such as jQuery and Popper, which add to the overall load time and bandwidth. Bootstrap does not have a built-in tool to remove unused CSS, which means that developers have to manually include or exclude the components they need or use a third-party tool to optimize the output.
Flexibility
Tailwind CSS is extremely flexible and customizable, allowing developers to create any design they can imagine, without being constrained by the rules or limitations of a UI kit. Tailwind CSS also enables developers to easily adjust and tweak the styles of their elements, by using the utility classes or the Sass variables, maps, functions, and mixins. Tailwind CSS also supports custom plugins, which are extensions that add new features or utilities to the framework.
Bootstrap, on the other hand, is less flexible and customizable, as it provides a set of predefined components and themes that have a specific look and feel. Bootstrap also makes it harder to modify and override the styles of the components, as it uses a complex and nested system of selectors and specificity. Bootstrap also has limited support for custom plugins, which are mostly third-party libraries that integrate with the framework.
Customization
Tailwind CSS is highly customizable, as it allows developers to create their own configuration file, where they can define their own colors, fonts, breakpoints, spacing, and more. Tailwind CSS also provides a way to extend the default utilities and variants, by using the @apply directive, which lets developers extract common patterns and reuse them throughout their project. Tailwind CSS also supports custom themes, which are collections of configuration files and plugins that can be shared and used by other developers.
Bootstrap, on the other hand, is less customizable, as it does not provide a way to create a custom configuration file, but rather requires developers to modify the source Sass files or use the online customizer to generate a custom build. Bootstrap also does not have a built-in way to extend the default components and utilities, but rather requires developers to write their own CSS or use a preprocessor like Sass or Less. Bootstrap also does not have a native support for custom themes, but rather relies on third-party websites and marketplaces that offer Bootstrap-based templates and themes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap are two different CSS frameworks that have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, based on the comparison of their features, performance, flexibility, and customization, we can say that Tailwind CSS is a better choice than Bootstrap in 2024. Tailwind CSS offers more advantages, such as:
- A smaller file size and faster load time
- A utility-first and modular approach that gives more control and creativity to the developers
- A powerful and easy-to-use tooling and customization system
- A vibrant and growing community and ecosystem
Therefore, we recommend Tailwind CSS as the preferred CSS framework for web development in 2024. If you want to learn more about Tailwind CSS, you can visit their official website, or read their documentation. You can also try Tailwind CSS in their online playground, or browse their beautiful UI components.
