tangledgroup DaisyUI 5.5
Overview
DaisyUI is the most popular free and open-source component library for Tailwind CSS, providing human-friendly semantic class names for common UI components with built-in theming support. Version 5 requires Tailwind CSS 4 and uses the @plugin directive instead of the deprecated tailwind.config.js.
With over 65 components, 500+ utilities, and 35 built-in themes, DaisyUI enables rapid UI development using only HTML class names — no custom CSS or JavaScript required for most patterns. It works with any framework (React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, plain HTML) and any build tool or no build tool at all.
When to Use
- Building responsive web interfaces quickly with pre-styled, accessible components
- Implementing light/dark theme switching without writing custom CSS
- Creating consistent design systems on top of Tailwind CSS
- Prototyping UIs without a build step (via CDN)
- Migrating from Bootstrap or other component libraries to Tailwind CSS
- Adding semantic class names (
btn,card,navbar) instead of long utility class strings
Installation / Setup
Node.js (recommended)
Install as a development dependency, then add the plugin directive to your CSS:
@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "daisyui";
This is all that's needed. No tailwind.config.js file — Tailwind CSS v4 deprecated it entirely.
CDN (no build step)
For prototyping, documentation sites, or static pages:
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/daisyui@5" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@tailwindcss/browser@4"></script>
Config
DaisyUI configuration is done inline in CSS using the @plugin directive:
@plugin "daisyui" {
themes: light --default, dark --prefersdark;
root: ":root";
include: ;
exclude: ;
prefix: ;
logs: true;
}
Config Options
themes— List of themes to enable. Use--defaultfor the default theme and--prefersdarkfor the automatic dark mode theme. All other listed themes can be activated withdata-theme="name"on<html>.root— CSS selector where theme variables are applied (default::root).include— Specific components to include (comma-separated). Leave empty for all.exclude— Components or utilities to exclude (e.g.,rootscrollgutter, checkbox).prefix— Class name prefix for all daisyUI classes (e.g.,daisy-makesbtnintodaisy-btn).logs— Enable/disable console logging (trueorfalse).
Enabling All Built-in Themes
@plugin "daisyui" {
themes: light, dark, cupcake, bumblebee --default, emerald, corporate,
synthwave --prefersdark, retro, cyberpunk, valentine, halloween,
garden, forest, aqua, lofi, pastel, fantasy, wireframe, black,
luxury, dracula, cmyk, autumn, business, acid, lemonade,
night, coffee, winter, dim, nord, sunset, caramellatte, abyss, silk;
}
Colors
DaisyUI provides semantic color names that adapt automatically to the active theme. Use these instead of Tailwind's raw color names (like red-500) so colors change with themes.
Color Roles
primary/primary-content— Main brand color and its foreground text colorsecondary/secondary-content— Secondary brand color and its foregroundaccent/accent-content— Accent color and its foregroundneutral/neutral-content— Neutral dark color for non-saturated UI partsbase-100— Primary surface/background colorbase-200— Slightly darker base, for elevationsbase-300— Even darker base, for deeper elevationsbase-content— Foreground text on base surfacesinfo/info-content— Informational messagessuccess/success-content— Success/safe messageswarning/warning-content— Warning/caution messageserror/error-content— Error/danger messages
Color Usage Rules
- Use daisyUI color names in Tailwind utilities:
bg-primary,text-base-content,border-error - No need for
dark:prefix — daisyUI colors adapt automatically - Avoid raw Tailwind colors like
text-gray-800because they won't adapt to dark themes - Use
base-*colors for most page surfaces, reserveprimaryfor important interactive elements - The
*-contentvariants are designed to have sufficient contrast on their parent color
Themes
Built-in Themes (35 total)
light, dark, cupcake, bumblebee, emerald, corporate, synthwave, retro, cyberpunk, valentine, halloween, garden, forest, aqua, lofi, pastel, fantasy, wireframe, black, luxury, dracula, cmyk, autumn, business, acid, lemonade, night, coffee, winter, dim, nord, sunset, caramellatte, abyss, silk
Switching Themes
Add data-theme="theme-name" to the <html> element:
<html data-theme="cupcake">
Custom Themes
Create a custom theme using the @plugin "daisyui/theme" directive:
@plugin "daisyui/theme" {
name: "mytheme";
default: true;
prefersdark: false;
color-scheme: light;
--color-base-100: oklch(98% 0.02 240);
--color-base-200: oklch(95% 0.03 240);
--color-base-300: oklch(92% 0.04 240);
--color-base-content: oklch(20% 0.05 240);
--color-primary: oklch(55% 0.3 240);
--color-primary-content: oklch(98% 0.01 240);
--color-secondary: oklch(70% 0.25 200);
--color-secondary-content: oklch(98% 0.01 200);
--color-accent: oklch(65% 0.25 160);
--color-accent-content: oklch(98% 0.01 160);
--color-neutral: oklch(50% 0.05 240);
--color-neutral-content: oklch(98% 0.01 240);
--color-info: oklch(70% 0.2 220);
--color-info-content: oklch(98% 0.01 220);
--color-success: oklch(65% 0.25 140);
--color-success-content: oklch(98% 0.01 140);
--color-warning: oklch(80% 0.25 80);
--color-warning-content: oklch(20% 0.05 80);
--color-error: oklch(65% 0.3 30);
--color-error-content: oklch(98% 0.01 30);
--radius-selector: 1rem;
--radius-field: 0.25rem;
--radius-box: 0.5rem;
--size-selector: 0.25rem;
--size-field: 0.25rem;
--border: 1px;
--depth: 1;
--noise: 0;
}
All CSS variables above are required. Colors can use OKLCH, hex, or other CSS color formats. Use the Theme Generator for visual theme creation.
Usage Rules
- Style elements by adding daisyUI class names: component class + part classes + modifier classes
- Customize with Tailwind utility classes when daisyUI classes are insufficient (e.g.,
btn px-10) - Use
!importance override sparingly for specificity conflicts (e.g.,btn bg-red-500!) - Create custom components with Tailwind utilities if daisyUI doesn't have what you need
- Use responsive prefixes with
flexandgridlayouts - Only use existing daisyUI class names or Tailwind CSS utility classes
- Avoid writing custom CSS — prefer daisyUI + Tailwind combination
- For placeholder images, use
https://picsum.photos/200/300 - Don't add
bg-base-100 text-base-contentto body unless necessary - Follow Refactoring UI book best practices for design decisions
Class Name Categories
DaisyUI class names fall into these categories (for reference only, not used in code):
- component — The required main class (e.g.,
btn,card) - part — A child element of a component (e.g.,
card-body,collapse-title) - style — Visual variant (e.g.,
btn-outline,badge-soft) - behavior — Interaction behavior (e.g.,
btn-disabled,dropdown-hover) - color — Color assignment (e.g.,
btn-primary,alert-error) - size — Size variant (e.g.,
btn-sm,badge-lg) - placement — Positional placement (e.g.,
chat-start,tooltip-top) - direction — Layout direction (e.g.,
menu-horizontal,steps-vertical) - modifier — Behavioral or visual modification (e.g.,
card-side,collapse-open) - variant — Conditional utility prefix, syntax:
variant:utility-class(e.g.,is-drawer-open:w-64)
Advanced Topics
Actions Components: Button, Dropdown, FAB/Speed Dial, Modal, Swap, Theme Controller → Actions Components
Data Display Components: Accordion, Avatar, Badge, Card, Carousel, Chat, Collapse, Countdown, Diff, Hover 3D, Hover Gallery, Kbd, List, Stat, Status, Table, Text Rotate, Timeline → Data Display Components
Navigation Components: Breadcrumbs, Dock, Link, Menu, Navbar, Pagination, Steps, Tab → Navigation Components
Feedback Components: Alert, Loading, Progress, Radial Progress, Skeleton, Toast, Tooltip → Feedback Components
Data Input Components: Calendar, Checkbox, Fieldset, File Input, Filter, Label, Radio, Range, Rating, Select, Input, Textarea, Toggle, Validator → Data Input Components
Layout Components: Divider, Drawer, Footer, Hero, Indicator, Join, Mask, Stack → Layout Components
Mockup Components: Browser, Code, Phone, Window → Mockup Components