A New Engine Built for Speed

For developers, this signifies an enhanced experience, while end users can expect quicker load times and improved SEO performance. Some notable features include:

• Speed Improvements: The Tailwind CSS website can now be fully built in just 105ms instead of 960ms, and the Catalyst UI kit takes only 55ms compared to 341ms.
• Reduced Size: The new engine has a footprint that is over 35% smaller, even with the integration of heavier native packages like those rewritten in Rust and Lightning CSS.

Cutting-Edge CSS Features

Tailwind is also adopting modern CSS techniques:

• Native Cascade Layers: They are implementing real @layer rules, addressing many specificity issues that developers have faced previously.
• Color Mix for Opacity Modifiers: This enhancement simplifies the use of opacity modifier syntax with CSS variables for colors and the currentColor property. Additionally, the team is working on updating their color palette to reflect contemporary design trends.

Zero-Configuration and CSS-First Setup

With this version, manual configuration of the content path is eliminated, as Tailwind automatically detects it. After installation, simply use:

@import "tailwindcss";

You will no longer need to configure settings in JavaScript or TypeScript files; instead, CSS variables will be utilized.

@import "tailwindcss";

@theme {

--font-family-display: "Satoshi", "sans-serif";

—breakpoint-3xl: 1920px;

--color-neon-pink: oklch(71.7% 0.25 360);

—color-neon-lime: oklch(91.5% 0.258 129);

--color-neon-cyan: oklch(91.3% 0.139 195.8);

}

Breaking Changes to Note

As with any major version update, there are some breaking changes, though Tailwind aims to minimize these. The most significant change is the shift away from configuring settings in JavaScript and TypeScript files.

Trying Out the Alpha Version

If you're eager to test the alpha version, you can easily do so with the new Vite plugin. Use the following command:

npm install tailwindcss@next @tailwindcss/vite@next

Then, update your vite.config.ts file as follows:

import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite';

import { defineConfig } from 'vite';

export default defineConfig({

plugins: [tailwindcss()],

});

After that, include Tailwind in your main CSS file:

@import "tailwindcss";

Happy Coding!

For a deeper dive into Tailwind CSS 4.0, I recommend checking out Theo's YouTube video.

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The New Tailwind CSS V4 Blew My Mind

Tailwind CSS 4.0 brings a plethora of new features and optimizations that are sure to impress both developers and users alike. The enhancements not only focus on performance but also on usability and flexibility.