Unlocking the Power of Utility-First CSS Frameworks: TailwindCSS vs Tachyons
When it comes to frontend development, architecting the markup, style, and behavior of web pages is a complex task. One of the essential skills required to build for the web is knowledge of CSS, which can be a daunting skill to acquire. Fortunately, CSS frameworks have been developed to make styling web content easier and more efficient, while solving cross-browser compatibility concerns.
What is Utility-First CSS?
Utility-first CSS frameworks offer a set of unopinionated building blocks, known as utility/helper classes, to help you style your components. This approach allows for creating custom designs without having to override unwanted styles. Utility-first CSS frameworks are often referred to as functional or atomic CSS.
TailwindCSS and Tachyons: A Comparison
In this article, we’ll delve into the strengths and weaknesses of two popular utility-first CSS frameworks: TailwindCSS and Tachyons. Both frameworks have gained popularity among developers, but which one is the best fit for your project?
Prerequisites
Before we dive into the comparison, make sure you have the following:
- Node.js 10x or higher installed on your PC
- Yarn/npm 5.2 or higher installed on your PC
- Basic knowledge of how CSS works
- Basic understanding of atomic CSS architecture
What is Tachyons?
Tachyons is a functional CSS framework designed for building fast-loading, highly readable, and 100% responsive interfaces with minimal custom CSS. According to its documentation, Tachyons is inspired by the hypothetical particle that always moves faster than light.
What is Tailwind?
TailwindCSS is a highly customizable, low-level CSS framework that provides all the building blocks needed to create bespoke designs without any annoying opinionated styles. It’s designed to be flexible and adaptable to your project’s needs.
Installation and Usage
Both Tailwind and Tachyons can be installed via package managers or using a CDN build. However, installing via a package manager is recommended to get the most out of these frameworks.
Ease of Use
While both libraries aim to achieve similar goals, the process of installing Tachyons can be more complex. Additionally, Tailwind’s documentation is richer and more extensive, making it easier for new users to onboard.
Community and Popularity
Tailwind has gained more popularity, with 21.8k stars on GitHub, 38,749 repositories using it, and over 100 contributors. Tachyons, on the other hand, has 9.7k stars on GitHub, 64 contributors, and 26,384 weekly downloads on NPM.
Size and Performance
Tachyons excels in terms of file size, with an original file size of 111.7kb and 14kb when minified and gzipped. Tailwind, however, offers more defaults and flexibility, but at a larger file size.
Developer Experience
Tailwind’s configuration uses JavaScript, making it easy to extend its capabilities with third-party plugins or building your own utilities, custom variants, and components as plugins. Tailwind also uses a more human-readable approach to class naming, making it easier to comprehend.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Tailwind and Tachyons are powerful utility-first CSS frameworks with their strengths and weaknesses. While Tachyons excels in terms of file size, Tailwind provides a better developer experience, customization options, and more resources. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your project’s specific needs and your personal preference.