About Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is a set of utility classes and a build step that keeps the classes you use. Color, type and spacing live in one configuration. The production site receives the CSS file that build emits.
Why it exists
Custom interfaces were either a large component library or a long handwritten stylesheet. Utilities let a team style in markup and still share tokens.
Who uses it
Designers and front-end developers building a custom interface.
What it is used for
Styling a site or app you already build. Tailwind does not run on the server after the CSS is built.
Open source behind the product
The framework is MIT-licensed. Tailwind Labs also offers component kits and paid services. Those are separate from this build step. Your server only needs the generated CSS.
How to run it on a server
- Add it to the front-end build with the guide for Vite, PostCSS or your framework's plugin.
- Deploy the built CSS with the site. The production server does not run Tailwind.
- Keep the source configuration in Git so the next build can regenerate the file.
Follow the project's own guide for the version you install. Commands and file names change between releases.
How to contribute
tailwindlabs/tailwindcss takes issues and pull requests. Read the contributing guide. A design question is not the same as an engine bug.
- Read the project's guidelines. Open the repository and look for CONTRIBUTING, the code of conduct and the README.
- Find something to work on. Browse good first issues or all open issues. Documentation and bug reports count.
- Make a small change. Fork the repository, work on a branch, and keep the change focused.
- Open a pull request. Say what changed and why, and link the issue. See open pull requests.
Contributions are accepted under the project's own licence (MIT). Some projects also ask you to sign a contributor agreement. A doc fix or a reproduced bug is a real contribution.
Licence: MIT
Permissive. You can use, modify and distribute it, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright and licence notice.
This is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Read the licence in the repository before you ship it or sell a service on top of it.