See all daisyUI components

UI library for hackaton

How can you build fast, unique UIs in a few minutes, and win competitions with minimal effort?

In a hackathon, speed is everything. You have 24-48 hours to turn an idea into a working prototype that impresses judges. Every minute counts, and the teams that ship fastest often win. But there's a problem: building a good-looking UI takes time you don't have.

Why speed matters in hackathons

Hackathons aren't about perfect code or enterprise-grade architecture. They're about:

  • Rapid prototyping: Getting your idea from concept to demo as fast as possible
  • Visual impact: Judges see dozens of demos - yours needs to look professional to stand out
  • Functionality over perfection: A working prototype beats a half-finished masterpiece every time
  • Team efficiency: Frontend developers need to move fast so backend and business logic can shine

The team that can build and iterate fastest has a huge advantage. But most teams get stuck on the same thing: making their UI look good enough to demo.

The UI development challenges of 2025

Building modern web interfaces has never been more complex:

1. Framework lock-in

Every framework comes with its own setup and has its own pros and cons but you should be able to choose the right framework for the right job. Framework-specific component libraries often lock you into a single ecosystem. If you need to switch frameworks for a different job, those libraries become useless, forcing you to start from scratch. This creates a dependency trap, limiting flexibility and adaptability in fast-paced environments like hackathons.

By the time you're done setting up, other teams are already building features.

2. Design system complexity

Creating consistent, professional-looking components from scratch is time-consuming:

/* Just for ONE button variant - imagine doing this for every component */
.primary-button {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);
  border: none;
  border-radius: 8px;
  padding: 12px 24px;
  color: white;
  font-weight: 600;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 0.2s ease;
  box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(50, 50, 93, 0.11), 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08);
}
.primary-button:hover {
  transform: translateY(-1px);
  box-shadow: 0 7px 14px rgba(50, 50, 93, 0.1), 0 3px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08);
}
.primary-button:active {
  transform: translateY(0);
}
/* Now multiply this by buttons, cards, forms, modals, alerts... */

3. Responsive design complexity

Your demo needs to work on laptops, tablets, and phones. Building responsive layouts takes careful planning:

<!-- Typical responsive nightmare -->
<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 xl:grid-cols-4 gap-4 sm:gap-6 lg:gap-8 p-4 sm:p-6 lg:p-8">
  <div class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-sm hover:shadow-md transition-shadow duration-200 p-4 sm:p-6">
    <h3 class="text-lg sm:text-xl font-semibold mb-2 sm:mb-3 text-gray-900">Card Title</h3>
    <p class="text-sm sm:text-base text-gray-600 mb-4">Card description goes here...</p>
    <button class="w-full sm:w-auto bg-blue-600 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-medium py-2 px-4 rounded transition-colors duration-200">
      Action
    </button>
  </div>
</div>

4. Dark mode and theming

Modern apps need dark mode support. Implementing this properly requires planning every color and state:

/* Light mode */
.card {
  background-color: #ffffff;
  border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;
  color: #111827;
}

/* Dark mode */
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  .card {
    background-color: #1f2937;
    border: 1px solid #374151;
    color: #f9fafb;
  }
}

/* Plus manual theme toggle support */
[data-theme="dark"] .card {
  background-color: #1f2937;
  border: 1px solid #374151;
  color: #f9fafb;
}

All of this eats into your precious hackathon time.

How daisyUI solves hackathon UI problems

daisyUI is built for exactly this scenario: when you need professional-looking components fast, without the setup overhead or design complexity. daisyUI is beginner friendly, framework-agnostic, and designed for speed.

Lightning-fast setup

Get started in under 60 seconds with just a CDN link:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" data-theme="light">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>My Hackathon Project</title>
  <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/daisyui@5" rel="stylesheet">
  <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@tailwindcss/browser@4"></script>
</head>
<body>
  <button class="btn btn-primary">Let's build!</button>
</body>
</html>

No build tools, no package.json, no configuration files. Just start coding.

Pre-built components that look professional

Every component is designed to look good out of the box:

<!-- A complete hero section in 5 lines -->
<div class="hero min-h-screen bg-base-200">
  <div class="hero-content text-center">
    <div class="max-w-md">
      <h1 class="text-5xl font-bold">Hello Hackathon!</h1>
      <p class="py-6">Your amazing idea deserves an amazing demo. Built with daisyUI in minutes, not hours.</p>
      <button class="btn btn-primary">Get Started</button>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Instant dark mode and themes

Switch between 35+ professional themes with a single attribute change:

<!-- Light theme -->
<html data-theme="light">

<!-- Dark theme -->
<html data-theme="dark">

<!-- Cyberpunk theme for that extra wow factor -->
<html data-theme="cyberpunk">

Your entire app's appearance changes instantly. Perfect for demoing different looks to judges.

Mobile-responsive by default

All daisyUI components work perfectly on any screen size without extra classes:

<!-- This card looks perfect on mobile, tablet, and desktop -->
<div class="card w-96 bg-base-100 shadow-xl">
  <figure><img src="/api-screenshot.jpg" alt="API Demo" /></figure>
  <div class="card-body">
    <h2 class="card-title">Our API Integration</h2>
    <p>Real-time data processing with machine learning insights.</p>
    <div class="card-actions justify-end">
      <button class="btn btn-primary">View Demo</button>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Why daisyUI gives you a competitive edge

1. Focus on your core idea

Instead of spending 6 hours making buttons look good, spend that time on:

  • Your unique value proposition
  • Core functionality that solves the problem
  • Data integration and API work
  • User experience and flow

2. Professional presentation

Judges see a lot of rough prototypes. A polished UI makes your idea feel more real and investable:

<!-- A professional-looking stats dashboard in minutes -->
<div class="stats shadow">
  <div class="stat">
    <div class="stat-title">Total Users</div>
    <div class="stat-value">89,400</div>
    <div class="stat-desc">21% more than last month</div>
  </div>
  <div class="stat">
    <div class="stat-title">Revenue</div>
    <div class="stat-value">$12,200</div>
    <div class="stat-desc">14% more than last month</div>
  </div>
</div>

3. Rapid iteration

Need to try a different layout or color scheme? Change a few classes and you're done:

<!-- Try different button styles instantly -->
<button class="btn btn-primary">Primary Action</button>
<button class="btn btn-secondary">Secondary Action</button>
<button class="btn btn-accent">Accent Action</button>
<button class="btn btn-ghost">Ghost Action</button>

4. Team productivity

Your entire team can contribute to the UI without learning complex systems:

  • Designers can prototype directly in HTML
  • Backend developers can build interfaces without CSS expertise
  • Frontend developers can focus on interactions and logic

Real hackathon success stories

Teams using daisyUI consistently ship faster and demo better:

  • 48-hour startup weekend: "We had a working prototype with professional UI in 4 hours. Spent the rest of the time on business logic and user testing."
  • Corporate innovation hackathon: "While other teams were still setting up React and Styled Components, we were already user testing our MVP."
  • University hackathon: "The judges were impressed by how polished our demo looked. daisyUI made us look like we had a dedicated designer."

Getting started in your next hackathon

  1. Before the event: Bookmark the daisyUI components page and familiarize yourself with the basic classes
  2. Hour 1: Set up your project with the CDN approach and build your basic layout
  3. Hours 2-24: Focus on your core functionality, knowing your UI will look professional
  4. Final hours: Polish with themes and micro-interactions

Don't let UI development slow you down. In a hackathon, the best idea with the fastest execution wins. daisyUI gives you both speed and quality, so you can focus on what matters: building something amazing.

Ready to dominate your next hackathon? Get started with daisyUI and ship faster than ever.

daisyUI is the most popular
component library for Tailwind CSS

Used by engineers at

Meta Research
Alibaba
Amazon
Adobe
Google Cloud