Tailwind CSS is an open-source, utility-first CSS framework designed for rapid web development. Unlike traditional CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS doesn't offer pre-designed components such as buttons or tables. Instead, it provides a comprehensive set of utility classes that developers can compose directly in their HTML markup to style elements. This utility-first approach allows for granular control over styling and promotes streamlined development by minimizing the need to write custom CSS.
Tailwind CSS is designed to be modern and customizable. It utilizes a Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler to generate only the CSS classes used in a project, resulting in smaller CSS files and faster load times. It also offers features like responsive modifiers, dark mode support, and easy customization through CSS variables. As of February 2026, Tailwind CSS has over 93,700 stars on GitHub.