Tailwind CSS Best Practices

Why Tailwind CSS?

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first framework that provides low-level utility classes to build custom designs without leaving your HTML. It promotes rapid development and consistent styling.

Responsive Design

Use responsive prefixes (sm:, md:, lg:, xl:) to apply styles at different breakpoints. Mobile-first is the default approach.

<div class="bg-blue-500 md:bg-red-500 lg:bg-green-500">

Custom Themes

Extend Tailwind's default theme in tailwind.config.js:

module.exports = {
    theme: {
      extend: {
        colors: {
          'brand': '#ff0000',
        },
        fontFamily: {
          'mono': ['Courier New'],
        },
      },
    },
  }

Optimizing for Production

Use PurgeCSS to remove unused styles. Configure it in your build process to scan your templates and remove unnecessary CSS.

Common Patterns

• Use @apply directive sparingly to avoid duplicating styles
• Leverage component libraries built on Tailwind for rapid prototyping
• Organize utilities with logical grouping and comments

Tailwind CSS encourages a different mindset for styling. With practice, you'll build complex interfaces quickly while maintaining design consistency.