Why Tailwind CSS Can Be Used Instead of Bootstrap CSS

Compare Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap for UI development. Learn setup methods, pros, and integration tips for React, Next.js, and more.

Nagappan Subramanian

CORE ·

Jul. 10, 25 · Tutorial

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While Bootstrap has been a component-based approach for quick UI development, Tailwind CSS has emerged as a more zero-runtime, flexible, and utility-based approach, helping us to give more freedom for website development.

Tailwind CSS vs. Bootstrap Comparison

Feature	Tailwind CSS	Bootstrap
Approach	Utility-first CSS framework	Component-based CSS framework
Learning Curve	Steeper (requires learning utility classes)	Easier (pre-built components)
Customization	Highly customizable (design anything)	Limited by pre-defined components
File Size	Smaller (when purged) ~10-30KB	Larger ~25-50KB (with JS)
Performance	Excellent (only what you use)	Good (but includes unused styles)
Design Freedom	Complete freedom (no design opinions)	Constrained by Bootstrap's look
Components	None included (build your own)	Many pre-built components are included
JavaScript	None included	Includes jQuery-based JS components
Responsiveness	Utility classes (e.g., md:text-lg)	Predefined responsive classes
Popularity	Growing rapidly (modern projects)	Very popular (established)
Community	315 GitHub contributors, ~3k online discord support community	1405 Github contributors, ~200 online Discord support community
Documentation	Excellent documentation with a playground	Excellent documentation
When to Use	When you need custom designs	When you need rapid prototyping
CSS Output	Only what you use (with purging)	Includes all styles, whether used or not
Design Consistency	You create the system	Comes with a consistent design system
Setup Complexity	Requires a build process	Just include CSS/JS files
Theming	Easy through configuration	Theming is possible but more complex
Browser Support	Modern browsers	Wide browser support
Popular Users	GitHub, Shopify, Netflix	Twitter, Spotify, LinkedIn

Tailwind CSS Installation Methods and Integration Guides

1. Using Tailwind CLI (For Simple Projects)

Best for: Beginners, static websites, HTML/CSS-only projects.

     Shell
    
    # Step 1: Create project folder and init npm

mkdir my-tailwind-app

cd my-tailwind-app

npm init -y

# Step 2: Install Tailwind

npm install -D tailwindcss

npx tailwindcss init

2. Create a CSS file:

    CSS
   
   /* src/input.css */

@tailwind base;

@tailwind components;

@tailwind utilities;

3. Build with CLI:

    Shell
   
   npx tailwindcss -i ./src/input.css -o ./dist/output.css --watch

2. Using PostCSS (Recommended for Production)

Best for: Production-ready static sites, frameworks like Eleventy, Hugo

    Shell
   
   npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

npx tailwindcss init -p

PostCSS processes your CSS and adds browser prefixes with autoprefixer. You also get:

postcss.config.js
tailwind.config.js

3. Using Tailwind With React (Vite, CRA, Next.js)

With Vite

     Shell
    
    npm create vite@latest my-vite-app --template react

cd my-vite-app

npm install

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

npx tailwindcss init -p

Update tailwind.config.js:

     JavaScript
    
    content: ["./index.html", "./src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}"],

Create src/index.css:

    CSS
   
   @tailwind base;

@tailwind components;

@tailwind utilities;

With Create React App (CRA)

     Shell
    
    npx create-react-app my-app

cd my-app

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

npx tailwindcss init -p

Configure tailwind.config.js:

     JavaScript
    
    content: ["./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}"],

Create and import src/index.css like in the Vite setup.

With Next.js

     Shell
    
    npx create-next-app@latest my-app

cd my-app

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

npx tailwindcss init -p

Configure tailwind.config.js:

     JavaScript
    
    content: ["./pages/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}", "./components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}"],

Create styles/globals.css and import it in _app.js.

4. Using CDN (Quick Prototyping Only)

Not recommended for production (very large file size)

Add in <head>:

HTML

<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/tailwind.min.css" rel="stylesheet">

This lets you start using utility classes immediately in your HTML. No build step needed.

5. Using Framework Plugins

Tailwind CSS integrates well with:

Laravel (With Laravel Mix)

     Shell
    
    composer require laravel/ui

php artisan ui vue

npm install

npm install -D tailwindcss

npx tailwindcss init

Then include Tailwind in resources/css/app.css and compile via Mix.

Nuxt.js

     Shell
    
    npx nuxi init my-nuxt-app

cd my-nuxt-app

npm install

npm install -D @nuxtjs/tailwindcss

Add module to nuxt.config.ts:

     TypeScript
    
    export default defineNuxtConfig({

  modules: ['@nuxtjs/tailwindcss']

})

How to Set Up Tailwind CSS in Your Project

Tailwind is easy to set up, whether you're working on a basic HTML project or using a modern frontend framework like React, Vue, or Next.js.

1. Initialize Your Project

     Shell
    
    mkdir tailwind-demo

cd tailwind-demo

npm init -y

This sets up your project with a basic package.json file.

2. Install Tailwind CSS

If you're using Node.js, install Tailwind via npm:

    Shell
   
   npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

    Shell
   
   npx tailwindcss init -p

This usually creates:

tailwind.config.js – for customizing Tailwind
postcss.config.js – for PostCSS plugins

However, in most cases, the following issue arises when trying to initialize Tailwind CSS.

This error typically occurs when:

You don't have Node.js/npm properly installed
You're running the command in the wrong directory
There's a permission issue

Step-by-Step Fix

1. First, verify Node.js and npm are installed correctly:

     Shell
    
    node -v

npm -v

You should see version numbers (e.g., v18.x.x and 9.x.x). If not, install Node.js from nodejs.org

2. Clear npm cache:

     Shell
    
    npm cache clean --force

3. Reinstall dependencies:

     Shell
    
    rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json

npm install

If still issues persist, try these specific steps:

1. Install Tailwind CSS v3 explicitly instead of the default v4:

     Shell
    
    npm i -D tailwindcss@3 postcss autoprefixer

2. Initialize Tailwind CSS after successful installation:

     Shell
    
    npx tailwindcss init -p

3. Expected successful outcome:

A tailwind.config.js configuration file will be created. In the tailwind config, copy the below configuration to the tailwind.config.js file.

    JavaScript
   
 

   /** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
module.exports = {
  content: [
     "./index.html",
    "./src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

  

A postcss.config.js file will be generated
A node_modules folder will appear in your project directory

This method specifically uses Tailwind CSS version 3 (a more stable version for many setups) rather than version 4, which currently causes initialization issues for many users. The v3 installation typically resolves the "could not determine executable" error and properly sets up all required configuration files.

Add Tailwind to Your CSS

Inside your main CSS file (index.css or styles.css), add:

     CSS
    
    @tailwind base;

@tailwind components;

@tailwind utilities;

This imports Tailwind’s core styles into your project.

Start Using Tailwind Classes

Now, you can use Tailwind classes in your HTML or JSX files:

     JSX
    
    <button className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-600">Click Me

</button>

The above button was created with a CSS class name available for the button creation:

px-4: Adds horizontal padding (left and right) of 1rem (16px) to the button.
py-2: Adds vertical padding (top and bottom) of 0.5rem (8px).
bg-blue-500: Sets the background color to a medium blue shade from Tailwind’s color palette.
text-white: Sets the text color to white.
rounded-lg: Applies large rounded corners to the button.
hover:bg-blue-600: Changes the background color to a slightly darker blue (blue-600) when the user hovers over the button.

Having the text color set to white, setting a blue background with a particular shade, and having different blue on hover are done using direct utility classes, which will be difficult to achieve in Bootstrap. It is zero run downtime, and output will look like:

    Shell
   
   npm start

The output will come like this:

The source code is available on GitHub.

CSS Node.js Bootstrap (front-end framework) Npm (software)

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