Core Concepts and Philosophies
Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that provides low-level utility classes to build custom designs directly in your markup. It encourages a different approach to styling web pages by allowing developers to construct complex designs without leaving the HTML.
The framework is designed to be highly customizable, enabling developers to define their design system within the configuration file. Tailwind’s approach aims to minimize the use of custom CSS by providing a vast array of utility classes that can be composed to create unique designs.
Documentation: Tailwind CSS Documentation
Installation: Tailwind CSS Installation Guide
Popular Third-Party Addons or Libraries for Tailwind CSS
- Tailwind UI: A collection of professionally designed, pre-built components using Tailwind CSS.
- Headless UI: A set of completely unstyled, fully accessible UI components for React, Vue, and Alpine.js, designed to integrate beautifully with Tailwind CSS.
- DaisyUI: A plugin that adds component classes to Tailwind CSS.
Skeleton
Skeleton is a lightweight, simple CSS framework that provides basic styling for HTML elements. It is designed to be a starting point for projects that do not require a full-fledged framework like Bootstrap. Skeleton is best suited for simple projects that need a responsive grid and basic styling.
The philosophy of Skeleton is to provide only the bare essentials to avoid unnecessary bloat. It includes a responsive grid system, basic typography, buttons, forms, and a few other elements. Skeleton’s minimalistic approach makes it an excellent choice for small projects where you want to avoid the overhead of larger frameworks.
Documentation: Skeleton Documentation
Installation: Skeleton does not require an installation process; it can be included directly by linking to the CSS file.
Popular Third-Party Addons or Libraries for Skeleton
Skeleton is minimal by design and does not have a large ecosystem of third-party addons or libraries. However, its simplicity makes it easy to integrate with other tools and libraries as needed.
Use Cases
Tailwind CSS Use Cases
- Large-scale applications where a custom design system is required.
- Projects where developers prefer utility-first styling directly in HTML.
- Applications that need a highly responsive design with a mobile-first approach.
- Single Page Applications (SPAs) where component-based frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular are used.
Skeleton Use Cases
- Small projects or prototypes that need to be developed quickly.
- Websites that require a lightweight framework with a minimal footprint.
- Projects where a simple, responsive grid is the primary requirement.
- Developers who prefer writing more traditional CSS and want a basic scaffold without the complexity of a full framework.
Customization Capabilities
Tailwind CSS Customization
Tailwind CSS is highly customizable through its configuration file, tailwind.config.js. Developers can define their color palette, typography, breakpoints, and other design tokens. Tailwind also allows for the creation of custom utility classes and components.
// Example of customizing Tailwind's default theme
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'custom-blue': '#243c5a',
},
spacing: {
'72': '18rem',
'84': '21rem',
'96': '24rem',
},
},
},
variants: {},
plugins: [],
};
Skeleton Customization
Skeleton is much less customizable than Tailwind CSS. It does not offer a configuration file or a system for creating custom classes. Customization is done by overriding the default styles provided by Skeleton in your own CSS.
/* Example of customizing Skeleton's default button */
.button-primary {
background-color: #33c3f0;
border-color: #33c3f0;
color: white;
&:hover {
background-color: #1eaedb;
border-color: #1eaedb;
}
}
Community Support
Tailwind CSS Community
Tailwind CSS has a vibrant community and ecosystem. There are numerous resources available, including plugins, UI libraries, and community-contributed components. The framework is also backed by frequent updates and an active development team, ensuring its long-term viability.
Skeleton Community
As a smaller and more focused framework, Skeleton has a less active community compared to Tailwind CSS. It is a stable project but does not see frequent updates or an extensive ecosystem of addons. However, its simplicity and ease of use continue to attract developers looking for a lightweight solution.
Code Samples
Tailwind CSS Code Sample
Tailwind CSS uses utility classes to style elements. Here’s an example of a responsive card component using Tailwind CSS:
<div class="max-w-sm rounded overflow-hidden shadow-lg">
<img class="w-full" src="/img/card-top.jpg" alt="Sunset in the mountains">
<div class="px-6 py-4">
<div class="font-bold text-xl mb-2">The Coldest Sunset</div>
<p class="text-gray-700 text-base">
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptatibus quia, nulla! Maiores et perferendis eaque, exercitationem praesentium nihil.
</p>
</div>
<div class="px-6 pt-4 pb-2">
<span class="inline-block bg-gray-200 rounded-full px-3 py-1 text-sm font-semibold text-gray-700 mr-2">#photography</span>
<span class="inline-block bg-gray-200 rounded-full px-3 py-1 text-sm font-semibold text-gray-700 mr-2">#travel</span>
<span class="inline-block bg-gray-200 rounded-full px-3 py-1 text-sm font-semibold text-gray-700">#landscape</span>
</div>
</div>
Skeleton Code Sample
Skeleton uses a more traditional approach with predefined classes. Here’s an example of a responsive card component using Skeleton:
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="one-half column" style="margin-top: 25%">
<h4>Basic Page</h4>
<p>This index.html page is a placeholder with the CSS, font and favicon. It's just waiting for you to add your content and style it up.</p>
<p>Make sure to keep all page content within the `.container` and only use the grid for layout.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
In the next half of the article, we will compare performance, learning curve, browser support, and provide a final verdict on which framework might be suitable for different types of projects. Stay tuned for an in-depth continuation of Tailwind CSS vs Skeleton.
Performance Considerations
Tailwind CSS Performance
Tailwind CSS’s utility-first approach can lead to larger file sizes in development due to the sheer number of utility classes. However, Tailwind provides tools like PurgeCSS, which is integrated into its build process to remove unused CSS, drastically reducing the final file size for production. This results in a minimal performance overhead and fast loading times.
// Example of configuring PurgeCSS in Tailwind CSS
module.exports = {
purge: ['./src/**/*.html', './src/**/*.vue', './src/**/*.jsx'],
// ...
};
Tailwind’s just-in-time (JIT) mode further enhances performance by generating styles on demand, rather than generating a large stylesheet upfront. This can significantly improve build times and reduce CSS output size.
Skeleton Performance
Skeleton’s minimalistic approach naturally leads to a small footprint. The entire framework is only around 400 lines of code, which means there’s very little overhead added to a project. This makes Skeleton an excellent choice for performance-critical applications that need to load quickly on all devices, including mobile.
Learning Curve
Tailwind CSS Learning Curve
Tailwind CSS has a steeper learning curve compared to traditional CSS frameworks. Developers need to familiarize themselves with a large number of utility classes and the concept of a utility-first workflow. However, once the learning phase is over, many find that development can be faster and more efficient. Tailwind CSS’s comprehensive documentation and active community can help ease the learning process.
Skeleton Learning Curve
Skeleton is straightforward and easy to learn, especially for those already familiar with CSS. With its limited scope, developers can quickly understand the entire framework and start using it immediately. This makes Skeleton an ideal choice for beginners or for those who need to spin up a project quickly without the overhead of learning a more complex system.
Browser Support
Tailwind CSS Browser Support
Tailwind CSS aims to support all modern browsers. However, some of the newer CSS features that Tailwind uses may not be supported in older browsers. Developers should be aware of their target audience and browser usage when choosing to use Tailwind CSS. The framework’s documentation provides detailed information on browser support.
Skeleton Browser Support
Skeleton is built with simplicity in mind and uses basic CSS features, which results in excellent browser compatibility, including support for older browsers. This can be a significant advantage when developing applications that need to cater to users on legacy browsers.
Final Verdict
When deciding between Tailwind CSS and Skeleton, consider the scope and requirements of your project:
- Choose Tailwind CSS if:
- You are building a large-scale application with a need for a custom design system.
- You prefer a utility-first approach and are willing to invest time in learning the framework.
- Your project requires extensive customization and you want to take advantage of a large ecosystem.
- You are targeting modern browsers and can leverage Tailwind’s performance optimizations for production.
- Choose Skeleton if:
- You are working on a small project or a prototype that needs to be developed quickly.
- You want a lightweight, no-frills framework that provides basic styling out of the box.
- You need to support a wide range of browsers, including older ones.
- You prefer writing more traditional CSS and want to avoid the overhead of a larger framework.
Both Tailwind CSS and Skeleton have their strengths and are suited for different types of projects. By understanding your project’s needs and the characteristics of each framework, you can make the right choice to ensure the success of your web development endeavors.
More Tailwind CSS Comparisons
- Tailwind CSS vs Foundation
- Tailwind CSS vs Bulma
- Tailwind CSS vs Materialize
- Tailwind CSS vs Semantic UI
- Tailwind CSS vs UIkit
- Tailwind CSS vs Pure CSS
- Tailwind CSS vs Skeleton
- Tailwind CSS vs Milligram
- Tailwind CSS vs Ant Design
- Tailwind CSS vs Tachyons
- Tailwind CSS vs Primer
- Tailwind CSS vs Vuetify
- Tailwind CSS vs Chakra UI