Shadcn UI adoption guide: Overview, examples, and alternatives

Shadcn UI is a rapidly growing collection of reusable UI components that developers can integrate into their applications by directly copying the source code, differing from traditional component libraries like Material UI and Chakra UI. Built on Tailwind CSS and Radix UI, Shadcn UI supports a variety of frameworks such as Next.js, Gatsby, and Laravel, and is renowned for its aesthetically pleasing components and ease of customization. Despite its recent release in March 2023, it has gained significant traction in the web development community, evidenced by its popularity on GitHub and adoption by companies like Vercel. While Shadcn UI offers fine-grained control and extensibility, it requires developers to manage component maintenance and performance optimization due to its unique integration method. Its components are fully accessible, adhering to WCAG standards, and the library allows for rapid prototyping and development of visually appealing applications. However, the reliance on Tailwind CSS and the need for manual installation of components can be drawbacks. Shadcn UI stands out for its flexibility, but as with any tool, it must be evaluated against project requirements and developer expertise.