Tailwind CSS Plugins Tutorial

Extend Tailwind's capabilities with custom plugins and third-party integrations.

What Are Plugins?

Core Features

  • • Add new utility variants
  • • Register custom directives
  • • Create themeable components

Use Cases

  • • Custom form elements
  • • Project-specific patterns
  • • Framework integrations

Creating a Plugin

Plugin File


tailwind.config.js

module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    function ({ addUtilities }) {
      addUtilities({
        '.scroll-mt-20': {
          scrollMarginTop: '5rem',
        },
      })
    }
  ]
}

Using the Plugin


<div class="scroll-mt-20">
  Scroll to see margin
</div>

Advanced Techniques

Theme Integration

Create theme-aware components with theme() and variants()

Responsive Variants

Add responsive utility variants: hover:focus:bg-blue-500

Configuration API

Leverage Tailwind's configuration API for complex plugin logic.

Plugin Editor

Plugin Code

Live Preview

Your plugin output will appear here

Recommended Plugins

Form

Advanced form controls including form-input, form-select, and more.

tailwindcss/forms

Animations

Add common transition patterns with animate-fade-in etc.

tailwindcss/animated

Typography

Ready-made text styling with prose base styles.

tailwindcss/typography