What is Tailwind CSS?

Source: Dev.to

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Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework. It gives us ready-made utility classes like: flex text-center p-4 rotate-90 We use these classes directly inside HTML or JSX to build designs quickly. Instead of writing custom CSS again and again, Tailwind already provides hundreds of small reusable classes. A utility class does one small job only. Example: w-12 → sets width h-12 → sets height text-center → centers text flex → makes flexbox layout We combine many small classes together to create complete layouts and designs. Think like this: You write your own CSS: .box { width: 48px; height: 48px; display: flex; }

You use ready-made classes:

So Tailwind means: “Don’t write CSS from scratch. Use small ready-made classes.” Tailwind CSS = Small ready-made classes combined together to build any design quickly. In Tailwind CSS, classes like: w-12 h-12 flex text-center

already have CSS written behind the scenes. Example: .w-12 { width: 3rem; }

.h-12 { height: 3rem; }

If you use w-12 100 times in your project:

Tailwind does NOT create the CSS 100 times. The CSS rule for .w-12 is written only once. Then every element simply reuses that same class. Instead of writing this again and again: .card { width: 3rem; }

.button { width: 3rem; }

.box { width: 3rem; }

Tailwind gives one reusable utility: .w-12 { width: 3rem; }

and everything shares it. Think of utility classes like LEGO pieces. You do not create a new LEGO block every time. You reuse the same block in many places. Tailwind utilities work the same way. Utility-first CSS means using small reusable classes that already contain one CSS property, and reusing them everywhere instead of writing new CSS repeatedly.