If you're building modern web apps using React and Tailwind CSS, you might have heard of ShadCN UI. It’s a thoughtfully crafted component library that helps you build beautiful interfaces faster — without sacrificing accessibility or customization.

In this blog, we'll explore what ShadCN UI is, why it's gaining popularity, and how you can get started with it in your next project.

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What is ShadCN UI?

ShadCN UI isn’t your traditional npm package that you install and forget. Instead, it’s a copy-paste library — meaning you copy the code for each component directly into your project. This gives you full control over styles, logic, and customization.

It’s built using:

• Radix UI – a low-level component library with accessibility baked in.
• Tailwind CSS – a utility-first CSS framework.
• React – the library we all love for building UI components.

This combination offers the best of all worlds — clean design, accessibility, and complete control over your components.

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Why Use ShadCN UI?

Here are a few reasons developers are turning to ShadCN UI:

✅Complete Ownership

Since you copy the code into your project, there's no magic or hidden behavior. You own everything — and can tweak it however you like.

🎨Beautiful and Functional

The components look great out of the box and are built with best practices in mind — from dark mode support to keyboard accessibility.

🧱Composable

Because it's based on Radix and Tailwind, everything is composable. You can build more complex components by reusing and extending existing ones.

🚀Easy to Start

You don’t need to install a bulky UI library. Just copy the components you need, paste them in, and customize.

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Setting Up ShadCN UI

Let’s walk through how to add ShadCN UI to a new or existing React project.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (18+ recommended)
• React (18+)
• Tailwind CSS
• A working build setup (like Vite, Next.js, or Create React App)

Step 2: Install the CLI

ShadCN UI provides a CLI tool to scaffold components and manage your setup:

npx shadcn-ui@latest init

The CLI will prompt you for configuration options:

• What framework are you using? (e.g., Next.js)
• What package manager? (npm, pnpm, yarn)
• Where should components live? (default: components/ui)
• Which styling approach? (Tailwind, etc.)

Once configured, it sets up your directory structure and installs necessary dependencies like tailwind-variants, clsx, and @radix-ui/react-*.

Adding a Component

You can now add any ShadCN component by running:

npx shadcn-ui@latest add button

This will:

• Download the Button component.
• Place it in your components/ui folder.
• Import necessary Radix or utility packages.

You can then use it like this:

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";

export default function Home() {
  return <Button>Click me</Button>;
}

Customizing Components

Since the code is fully yours, customizing is easy:

• Want to change colors? Update Tailwind classes.
• Need new variants? Edit the button.tsx file to add more options.
• Want animations? Use Framer Motion or Tailwind transitions directly.

You’re not locked in. You’re in charge.

ShadCN vs Traditional UI Libraries

ShadCN UI favors flexibility and control over convenience. It’s a great fit for teams who value design consistency and want complete say over their UI.

Final Thoughts

ShadCN UI is an exciting option for developers who want beautiful, accessible, and fully customizable components without relying on heavy third-party abstractions.

If you love building things your way but still want a solid starting point, ShadCN UI is absolutely worth exploring.

Useful Links

• ShadCN UI Website
• Radix UI
• Tailwind CSS

If you enjoyed this post or have any questions, feel free to reach out or leave a comment. Happy building!