Why I Ditch External UI Libraries for Tailwind

Why I Ditch External UI Libraries for Tailwind

In my Tech Stack post yesterday, I mentioned using Tailwind CSS. A developer friend asked me: "Why not just use Material UI or Bootstrap? They have pre-made buttons!"

It's a valid question. Pre-made libraries save time initially. But they come with a hidden cost: The Uncanny Valley of Bootstrap.

The Bloat and the Brand

When you use a massive UI library (like Material UI), you are importing thousands of lines of code you will never use. This is called Bloat. You are slowing down your site (and your SEO score) for the sake of a convenient button.

More importantly, your site ends up looking like everyone else's.

Tailwind is different. It is a "utility-first" framework. It doesn't give me a pre-made button; it gives me the raw materials (padding, color, shadow, rounded corners) to build my button.

• The Code: It looks ugly in the editor (lots of classes).
• The Result: It looks beautiful and unique in the browser.

Owning your UI is critical. I want my clients to have a digital identity that is uniquely theirs, not a generic template that looks like a Google Form. That is why I write my own Components, powered by Tailwind.

Best,

Gerasimos Makris Founder of g-makris.com AI Web Developer | Double Master's in MBA & FinTech and Blockchain

Tech Glossary & Concepts

• UI Library: A collection of pre-written code snippets and design elements (like buttons, forms, navbars) that developers can use to build websites faster.
• Bloat: Unnecessary code or features that slow down software and use up memory/storage.
• Component: A reusable, self-contained piece of code that defines a part of a user interface (e.g., a "Button" component or a "Navbar" component).
• Uncanny Valley: A concept used here metaphorically to describe websites that look "almost" professional but slightly generic or "off" because they use standard templates.