Shadcn UI

shadcn/ui Components

Build beautiful, accessible React interfaces using shadcn/ui - a collection of reusable components built with Radix UI and Tailwind CSS.

Instructions

1. Copy, don't install - Components are copied to your project, not imported from a package
2. Customize freely - Modify components to match your design system
3. Use the CLI - Install components with npx shadcn@latest add
4. Follow conventions - Keep components in components/ui/
5. Leverage Radix - Components are built on accessible Radix primitives

Setup

Initialize Project

# Initialize shadcn/ui in your project
npx shadcn@latest init

# Follow prompts to configure:
# - TypeScript: yes
# - Style: Default
# - Base color: Slate
# - CSS variables: yes
# - React Server Components: depends on your setup
# - Components path: components/ui
# - Utils path: lib/utils

Configuration

// components.json
{
  "$schema": "https://ui.shadcn.com/schema.json",
  "style": "default",
  "rsc": true,
  "tsx": true,
  "tailwind": {
    "config": "tailwind.config.js",
    "css": "app/globals.css",
    "baseColor": "slate",
    "cssVariables": true
  },
  "aliases": {
    "components": "@/components",
    "utils": "@/lib/utils"
  }
}

Installing Components

# Add individual components
npx shadcn@latest add button
npx shadcn@latest add card
npx shadcn@latest add input
npx shadcn@latest add dialog
npx shadcn@latest add dropdown-menu
npx shadcn@latest add form

# Add multiple components
npx shadcn@latest add button card input dialog

# List available components
npx shadcn@latest add

Core Components

Button

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

export function ButtonDemo() {
  return (
    <div className="flex gap-4">
      <Button>Default</Button>
      <Button variant="secondary">Secondary</Button>
      <Button variant="destructive">Destructive</Button>
      <Button variant="outline">Outline</Button>
      <Button variant="ghost">Ghost</Button>
      <Button variant="link">Link</Button>

      {/* Sizes */}
      <Button size="sm">Small</Button>
      <Button size="lg">Large</Button>
      <Button size="icon"><Icons.plus /></Button>

      {/* States */}
      <Button disabled>Disabled</Button>
      <Button loading>
        <Icons.spinner className="animate-spin mr-2" />
        Loading
      </Button>
    </div>
  );
}

Card

import {
  Card,
  CardContent,
  CardDescription,
  CardFooter,
  CardHeader,
  CardTitle,
} from "@/components/ui/card";
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";

export function CardDemo() {
  return (
    <Card className="w-[350px]">
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Create project</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>Deploy your new project in one-click.</CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <form>
          <div className="grid w-full items-center gap-4">
            <div className="flex flex-col space-y-1.5">
              <Label htmlFor="name">Name</Label>
              <Input id="name" placeholder="Project name" />
            </div>
          </div>
        </form>
      </CardContent>
      <CardFooter className="flex justify-between">
        <Button variant="outline">Cancel</Button>
        <Button>Deploy</Button>
      </CardFooter>
    </Card>
  );
}

Dialog

import {
  Dialog,
  DialogContent,
  DialogDescription,
  DialogFooter,
  DialogHeader,
  DialogTitle,
  DialogTrigger,
} from "@/components/ui/dialog";

export function DialogDemo() {
  return (
    <Dialog>
      <DialogTrigger asChild>
        <Button variant="outline">Edit Profile</Button>
      </DialogTrigger>
      <DialogContent className="sm:max-w-[425px]">
        <DialogHeader>
          <DialogTitle>Edit profile</DialogTitle>
          <DialogDescription>
            Make changes to your profile here. Click save when done.
          </DialogDescription>
        </DialogHeader>
        <div className="grid gap-4 py-4">
          <div className="grid grid-cols-4 items-center gap-4">
            <Label htmlFor="name" className="text-right">Name</Label>
            <Input id="name" value="John Doe" className="col-span-3" />
          </div>
        </div>
        <DialogFooter>
          <Button type="submit">Save changes</Button>
        </DialogFooter>
      </DialogContent>
    </Dialog>
  );
}

Form with React Hook Form + Zod

"use client";

import { zodResolver } from "@hookform/resolvers/zod";
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form";
import { z } from "zod";

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import {
  Form,
  FormControl,
  FormDescription,
  FormField,
  FormItem,
  FormLabel,
  FormMessage,
} from "@/components/ui/form";
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";

const formSchema = z.object({
  username: z.string().min(2, {
    message: "Username must be at least 2 characters.",
  }),
  email: z.string().email({
    message: "Please enter a valid email address.",
  }),
});

type FormValues = z.infer<typeof formSchema>;

export function ProfileForm() {
  const form = useForm<FormValues>({
    resolver: zodResolver(formSchema),
    defaultValues: {
      username: "",
      email: "",
    },
  });

  function onSubmit(values: FormValues) {
    console.log(values);
  }

  return (
    <Form {...form}>
      <form className="space-y-8">
        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="username"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Username</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Input placeholder="johndoe" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormDescription>
                This is your public display name.
              </FormDescription>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />
        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="email"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Input placeholder="john@example.com" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />
        <Button type="submit">Submit</Button>
      </form>
    </Form>
  );
}

Data Table

import {
  Table,
  TableBody,
  TableCaption,
  TableCell,
  TableHead,
  TableHeader,
  TableRow,
} from "@/components/ui/table";

const invoices = [
  { id: "INV001", status: "Paid", method: "Credit Card", amount: "$250.00" },
  { id: "INV002", status: "Pending", method: "PayPal", amount: "$150.00" },
];

export function TableDemo() {
  return (
    <Table>
      <TableCaption>A list of your recent invoices.</TableCaption>
      <TableHeader>
        <TableRow>
          <TableHead className="w-[100px]">Invoice</TableHead>
          <TableHead>Status</TableHead>
          <TableHead>Method</TableHead>
          <TableHead className="text-right">Amount</TableHead>
        </TableRow>
      </TableHeader>
      <TableBody>
        {invoices.map((invoice) => (
          <TableRow key={invoice.id}>
            <TableCell className="font-medium">{invoice.id}</TableCell>
            <TableCell>{invoice.status}</TableCell>
            <TableCell>{invoice.method}</TableCell>
            <TableCell className="text-right">{invoice.amount}</TableCell>
          </TableRow>
        ))}
      </TableBody>
    </Table>
  );
}

Theming

CSS Variables

/* globals.css */
@layer base {
  :root {
    --background: 0 0% 100%;
    --foreground: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --card: 0 0% 100%;
    --card-foreground: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --popover: 0 0% 100%;
    --popover-foreground: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --primary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
    --secondary: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --secondary-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --muted: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --muted-foreground: 215.4 16.3% 46.9%;
    --accent: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --accent-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --destructive: 0 84.2% 60.2%;
    --destructive-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
    --border: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
    --input: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
    --ring: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --radius: 0.5rem;
  }

  .dark {
    --background: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --foreground: 210 40% 98%;
    /* ... dark mode values */
  }
}

Custom Colors

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        border: "hsl(var(--border))",
        input: "hsl(var(--input))",
        ring: "hsl(var(--ring))",
        background: "hsl(var(--background))",
        foreground: "hsl(var(--foreground))",
        primary: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--primary))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--primary-foreground))",
        },
        // ... more colors
      },
    },
  },
};

Utility Function

// lib/utils.ts
import { clsx, type ClassValue } from "clsx";
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge";

export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
  return twMerge(clsx(inputs));
}

// Usage
<div className={cn(
  "base-styles",
  isActive && "active-styles",
  className
)} />

Best Practices

1. Customize in place - Edit component files directly for project needs
2. Use composition - Build complex components from primitives
3. Maintain accessibility - Don't remove ARIA attributes
4. Follow naming - Keep consistent with shadcn conventions
5. Update carefully - Manual updates needed for new versions

When to Use

• React applications with Tailwind CSS
• Projects needing accessible components
• Design systems built on Radix primitives
• Rapid prototyping with customizable UI
• Enterprise applications requiring consistency

Notes

• Not a dependency - components are copied to your project
• Based on Radix UI primitives for accessibility
• Requires Tailwind CSS v3.3+
• Works with React Server Components
• MIT licensed - use in any project