Exploring the popular UI library: shadcn/ui

One of the defining features of shadcn/ui is the ability to install only the components you need. This allows developers to create lightweight and flexible component structures tailored to the specific requirements of a project.
In terms of size, it is comparable to widely used libraries such as MUI and Bootstrap (approximately 100KB for MUI, 81KB for Bootstrap, and around 87KB for shadcn/ui), meaning it has minimal impact on overall site performance.

1. Create a Project

npx create-next-app@latest my-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint

Use the above command to create a new project.

2. Run the CLI

npx shadcn-ui@latest init

Run this command to set up shadcn/ui. During the process, you will be prompted with a few questions—simply answer them accordingly.

3. Start the local environment

Use npm run dev to launch the local development environment, then open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

4. Install the Components You Need and Customize Freely

Select the components you want from the official site, install them via copy and paste, and integrate them into your project as needed. For example, to install a button component, visit https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/button

npx shadcn-ui@latest add button

Run the above command to install the button component.

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

Add this import to the file where you want to use the component, then

<Button variant="outline">Button</Button>

use it to render the button component.

As a review and a practical example, here are the steps to implement a form.

1. Install the Required Components

Use npx to install the necessary components.

npx shadcn-ui@latest add form npx shadcn-ui@latest add button npx shadcn-ui@latest add input npx shadcn-ui@latest add toast

With shadcn/ui, only the components you need are loaded, enabling a lightweight and efficient implementation.

2. Create a Form.tsx File

Define the form using a Zod schema.

"use client"

import { z } from "zod"

const formSchema = z.object({
username: z.string().min(2).max(50),
})

3. Define the Form

Create the form using the useForm hook from react-hook-form.

"use client"

import { zodResolver } from "@hookform/resolvers/zod"
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form"
import { z } from "zod"

const formSchema = z.object({
username: z.string().min(2, {
message: "Username must be at least 2 characters.",
}),
})

export function ProfileForm() {
// 1. Define the form.
const form = useForm>({
resolver: zodResolver(formSchema),
defaultValues: {
username: "",
},
})

// 2. Define the submit handler.
function onSubmit(values: z.infer) {
console.log(values)
}
}

4. Build the Form

Now that the <Form> component is available, you can use it to construct your form.

"use client"

import { zodResolver } from "@hookform/resolvers/zod"
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form"
import { z } from "zod"

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import {
Form,
FormControl,
FormDescription,
FormField,
FormItem,
FormLabel,
FormMessage,
} from "@/components/ui/form"
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"

const formSchema = z.object({
username: z.string().min(2, {
message: "Username must be at least 2 characters.",
}),
})

export function ProfileForm() {
const form = useForm>({
resolver: zodResolver(formSchema),
defaultValues: {
username: "",
},
})

function onSubmit(values: z.infer) {
console.log(values)
}
return (


 (

Username




This is your public display name.



)}>

Submit


)
}

5. Setting the Theme

You can configure the theme from this link.
After selecting your preferred settings, click “Copy code” to copy the generated code, and overwrite the existing styles in src/app/globals.css.
In this example, we selected default, green, 0.5, and light.

6. Final Result

Without requiring any additional styling or explicit accessibility configurations, we were able to create an input form that fully supports keyboard interactions.

In addition, we created a sample page by combining various other components, which we would also like to introduce.

https://shadcn-ui-mrh8.vercel.app/

The page also achieves a very high performance score.

In recent years, technological innovation driven by generative AI has been advancing at a remarkable pace.
shadcn/ui is no exception. Vercel has introduced v0.dev, an AI tool specialized in UI generation using shadcn/ui, enabling developers to create high-quality interfaces simply through copy and paste.
In addition, the developer has shared on X plans to integrate AI for generating personalized documentation. This appears to be a pioneering initiative, and it is one of the features I am most looking forward to.
As demonstrated above, this library is under active development and continuous improvement, suggesting strong potential for the future.

shadcn/ui is a highly customizable UI component library built on Radix UI and Tailwind CSS. Its key features include the ability to install only the components you need, ease of implementation, and extensive customization options for both components and themes—enabling flexible and efficient UI development.
Furthermore, integration with AI technologies is rapidly advancing. With the emergence of UI generation tools like v0.dev powered by shadcn/ui, as well as plans for AI-driven personalized documentation, the library shows strong promise for the future.
For development environments that require both rapid iteration and accessibility considerations, shadcn/ui is an excellent fit. As such, I personally look forward to actively incorporating it into future projects.

Reference: shadcn/ui - Introduction -

Reference: Using the Popular shadcn/ui with Next.js

Reference: shadcn/ui as the Right Choice for React UI Components

Reference: Fundamentals for Mastering the Rapidly Growing shadcn/ui Library