What Is shadcn and Why Is It Getting So Popular? (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

🧩 Imagine This...

You’re building a sleek, modern web app with React. You’ve got your logic down, but when it comes to UI? You hit a wall. Tailwind CSS gives you flexibility, but it’s also a lot of work to style everything from scratch. Then someone says:
“Why don’t you just use shadcn/ui?”

Now you're wondering — what is this shadcn thing everyone keeps mentioning? Why is it suddenly popping up in so many GitHub repos, tutorials, and Twitter threads?

Let’s break it all down in this friendly, beginner-focused guide. By the end, you’ll understand what shadcn is, why it’s trending, and how it might just save you a ton of time on your next React project.

🚀 TL;DR: What is shadcn/ui?

shadcn/ui is a collection of pre-built, customizable UI components built using:

• React
• Tailwind CSS
• Radix UI (for accessibility)
• TypeScript (optional but supported)

But here’s the twist:

Unlike other UI libraries, shadcn doesn’t ship as a traditional NPM package. Instead, you copy the components directly into your project and customize them as needed.

That’s a game-changer — and we’ll explain why.

💡 Why Should You Care?

Here’s what makes shadcn so powerful:

✅ Freedom — You own the code. Customize every part.
✅ Design-Ready — Built with elegant, modern UI patterns.
✅ Accessible — Powered by Radix UI primitives under the hood.
✅ Tailwind-Native — If you’re already using Tailwind, it just fits right in.

Let’s explore it more deeply.

🧱 The Problem With Traditional UI Libraries

Imagine you're using a typical UI component library like Material UI, Chakra UI, or Bootstrap. You install it with npm, import a component, and boom — it works! 🎉

But…

• Want to change how a button looks? You fight against their styling system.
• Want full control? You might hit limitations.
• Accessibility? Sometimes inconsistent.
• File sizes? Sometimes bloated.

You trade flexibility for speed.

🎯 Enter shadcn/ui: The Best of Both Worlds

Instead of a big library with locked-in components, shadcn/ui gives you:

🔹 Source code you can edit — It's literally yours.
🔹 Components built with Tailwind — Customize with ease.
🔹 Radix UI primitives under the hood — For accessible popovers, dropdowns, dialogs, etc.
🔹 Headless logic + styled components — A perfect balance.

🧠 Think of it like this:

If using Material UI is like renting a fully furnished apartment…
Using shadcn is like owning a beautifully designed home — with full renovation rights.

🛠️ How It Works (Step-by-Step)

Here’s how easy it is to start using shadcn/ui in a React or Next.js project:

1. Install the CLI Tool

   npx shadcn-ui@latest init
   

2. Answer Setup Questions

   • Are you using Tailwind?
   • Do you want dark mode support?
   • Choose your UI style preferences.

3. Add Components

   npx shadcn-ui@latest add button
   

   This literally copies a fully working, themed <Button /> component into your project.

4. Customize Freely
   Open the code, tweak the styles, add logic, change structure — it’s all yours.

🌈 What’s Included?

Here are just a few components shadcn/ui gives you out of the box:

• ✅ Button
• ✅ Dialog
• ✅ Input
• ✅ Tooltip
• ✅ Dropdown Menu
• ✅ Tabs
• ✅ Toast (notifications)
• ✅ Accordion

Each one is:

• Styled with Tailwind
• Built with accessibility in mind
• Themeable (light/dark modes)
• Easy to override

📸 Real-Life Example: Creating a Modal Dialog

Let’s say you want to add a modal dialog.

1. Run:

   npx shadcn-ui@latest add dialog
   

2. Use in your code:

   <Dialog>
     <DialogTrigger>Open</DialogTrigger>
     <DialogContent>
       <DialogHeader>Title</DialogHeader>
       <DialogDescription>This is a modal.</DialogDescription>
     </DialogContent>
   </Dialog>
   

3. Done. It’s accessible, styled, and customizable.

Compare that to building your own from scratch — including focus trapping, keyboard support, backdrop click handling, etc. With shadcn, that’s already baked in.

⚡ Why Is It Getting Popular?

It checks all the boxes developers love:

Plus, the developer behind it — ShadCN — has a strong presence in the open-source community, and the project is well-maintained with regular updates.

⚠️ A Few Things to Keep in Mind

🧪 Still evolving — The project is maturing, but some parts are actively being improved.

📦 Not a drop-in npm package — This is by design. It’s meant to give you ownership.

📘 You should understand Tailwind CSS — or be ready to learn it alongside.

🧠 Quick Recap

What is shadcn/ui?
A copy-paste UI component system built with Tailwind, React, and Radix UI.

Why use it?
Because it gives you total control, great design, accessibility, and no more fighting with library styles.

Who’s it for?
Developers who want modern, flexible UI components without reinventing the wheel.

🎬 Final Thoughts + What to Do Next

Shadcn/ui is perfect if you:

• Love Tailwind CSS
• Want full control over your components
• Need production-ready accessibility
• Prefer ownership over dependency

✨ Ready to Try It?

Run this in your Next.js project:

npx shadcn-ui@latest init

Then add your first component:

npx shadcn-ui@latest add button

And watch your UI development speed up without sacrificing control.