Next.js UI library

Build Next.js UI with Tailwind CSS and daisyUI

Next.js UI has a client boundary problem

Next.js lets you mix Server Components, Client Components, layouts, streaming, and API routes. A UI library should respect those boundaries. Many libraries don't.

Some component packages turn simple interface parts into client-side components. A button, badge, or card shouldn't need hydration. When enough of those pieces stack up, the app ships more JavaScript than the screen deserves.

Styling can become another trap. If every project uses the same preset UI library, your Next.js app starts to look familiar in the wrong way. Customizing it may require theme adapters, wrapper components, and CSS overrides that fight the library.

Next.js + Tailwind CSS + daisyUI

Tailwind CSS already fits Next.js well. daisyUI adds component classes without changing your rendering model.

• Server Component friendly: daisyUI classes render as HTML and CSS. They don't force a Client Component boundary.

• No hidden runtime: Components like cards, buttons, menus, and alerts don't bring extra JavaScript.

• Readable app markup: Use navbar, btn, menu, and card in pages and layouts without burying markup inside a third-party component tree.

• Theme at the document level: Set a theme with cookies, headers, local storage, or app state. daisyUI reads it from the DOM.

You keep the parts Next.js is good at: routing, rendering, data, and deployment. daisyUI keeps common UI from turning into repetitive CSS work.

Install Tailwind CSS and daisyUI for Next.js

Next.js uses Tailwind CSS through PostCSS in the current guide. Install Tailwind CSS, @tailwindcss/postcss, and daisyUI, then add @plugin "daisyui" in app/globals.css.

For the exact commands and the Turbopack note, see How to install daisyUI with Next.js.