In this article, you’ll learn how to integrate Tailwind CSS with Electron to build stylish, responsive desktop applications.
You’ll set up Tailwind in an Electron project, configure your project, style the components, and optimize the development workflow. This is perfect for developers who are looking to combine Tailwind’s utility-first CSS framework with Electron’s cross-platform capabilities.
Table of Content
A Quick Overview of Electron
Electron is a framework that lets developers create desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux using familiar web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with Node.js for backend features.
It’s open-source, MIT-licensed, and completely free to use – whether you’re building personal projects or commercial apps.
In this guide, we’ll look at why so many developers and companies choose Electron for building modern desktop apps.
What is Tailwind CSS?
Tailwind CSS is essentially a utility-first framework for styling web interfaces. Unlike frameworks that provide full-blown, pre-designed UI components, Tailwind offers a comprehensive set of single-purpose utility classes. You apply these classes directly to your HTML elements, which means you can rapidly build out custom layouts and designs without diving into separate CSS files.
The big advantage? Precision and flexibility – you can assemble unique, responsive interfaces by combining these classes however you see fit, all while keeping you markup lean and maintainable.
Why Electron and Tailwind Work So Well Together
Electron uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build desktop applications. Essentially, it runs a web app in a desktop shell. This makes it easy to integrate modern frontend tools like Tailwind CSS.
Tailwind’s utility-first approach allows you to style interfaces directly in you HTML, which can speed up UI development. Instead of writing custom styles or managing large CSS files, you apply predefined classes directly to elements. This aligns well with Electron’s structure, where layout and styles are tightly connected within the same HTML environment.
Tailwind also provides sensible defaults and a consistent design system out of the box. This helps you prototype and build visually consistent desktop apps faster. While some familiarity with CSS is still helpful, Tailwind’s approach can reduce the overhead of setting up and managing styles, especially in smaller or design-light projects.
Together, Electron and Tailwind offer a straightforward path to building desktop apps.
What We’ll Build?
In this tutorial, we will create a basic Electron desktop app styled with Tailwind CSS and improved with FlyonUI components. You don’t need any prior experience with Electron or Tailwind.
By the end of the guide, you’ll have:
-
A working desktop window (Electron)
-
Styled UI with Tailwind CSS
-
A reusable button component
-
A fully functional modal dialog powered by FlyonUI
This will provide a solid base for building more complex apps in the future.
Prerequisites
Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:
-
Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding how to structure HTML and use basic JavaScript will help you follow along.
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Familiarity with Node.js and npm. We’ll use npm (Node Package Manager) to install dependencies and run build commands.
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Node.js installed on your machine. You can download it from nodejs.org.
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A code editor. I recommend Visual Studio Code.
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Terminal / Command Line Access. You’ll need to run commands in the terminal to set things up.
How to Initialize an Electron Project
Let’s set up a basic Electron app from scratch. This will launch a simple desktop window that loads an HTML file, serving as the foundation for your UI.
1. Create Your Project Folder
First, open your terminal and create a new project folder:
mkdir my-electron-app
cd my-electron-app
This creates a new folder called my-electron-app and changes the directory to it. This folder will be your project workspace.
2. Install Electron
Next, install Electron as a development dependency:
npm install electron --save-dev
This will add Electron to your project’s node_modules and update your package.json file.
This command installs Electron as a development dependency. Electron allows you to build desktop apps across different platforms using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
3. Configure package.json
Update your package.json to point to a file named main.js, and add a script for easily starting the app.
Edit your package.json like this:
"main": "main.js",
"scripts": {
"start": "electron ."
}
-
"main"defines the entry point of your Electron app (the main process). -
"start"is a shortcut to launch the app usingnpm start.
4. Create main.js
Create a file named main.js in your root folder and add the following code:
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require("electron/main");
const createWindow = () => {
const win = new BrowserWindow({
width: 800,
height: 600,
});
win.loadFile("index.html");
};
app.whenReady().then(() => {
createWindow();
app.on("activate", () => {
if (BrowserWindow.getAllWindows().length === 0) {
createWindow();
}
});
});
app.on("window-all-closed", () => {
if (process.platform !== "darwin") {
app.quit();
}
});
This is your main process. It creates and manages the app window while loading your HTML file.
5. Create index.html (Renderer Process)
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Security-Policy" content="default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'" />
<title>Hello from Electron renderer!</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello from Electron renderer!</h1>
<p></p>
<p id="info"></p>
<script src="./renderer.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
This is the frontend (renderer) of your Electron app. You can use standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript here, just like in a browser.
Optional: Create a renderer.js file if you want to add JavaScript interactivity.
6. Run the Electron App
Now, create a file called main.js in the root of your project. This is the main process that starts your Electron app:
npm start
This command runs the app using the script you set up in package.json. A desktop window should open, displaying your HTML content.
How to Integrate Tailwind CSS with Electron?
For this guide, we’ll be using the Tailwind CLI approach.
The Tailwind CLI is a command-line tool that allows you to generate and compile Tailwind utility classes directly into a CSS file. You don’t need complex build tools like Webpack or PostCSS. This makes it perfect for simple projects like Electron apps, where you’d want minimal setup and quick styling. The CLI also has a --watch mode that automatically rebuilds CSS when files change. This feature helps you stay productive.
1. Install Tailwind CSS
First, install Tailwind CSS. Make sure Node.js is installed as well, then run:
npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/cli
This command installs Tailwind and its CLI tool as a development dependency in your project. We’ll use the CLI to build and monitor our Tailwind styles.
2. Set Up Tailwind CSS
Create a input.css file with the following content to set up Tailwind:
@import "tailwindcss";
This line instructs Tailwind to generate all its utility classes into one output file, which we’ll compile next.
3. Add a Build Script
Then update your package.json to include a build script:
"scripts": {
"watch:css":"npx @tailwindcss/cli -i ./input.css -o ./output.css --watch",
}
This command watches your input.css file and continuously builds a compiled CSS file (output.css) whenever it detects changes. You’ll include this file in your HTML.
4. Link output.css in index.html
Open your index.html file and add this inside the <head>
<link href="./output.css" rel="stylesheet">
Then compile Tailwind CSS with this command:
npm run watch:css
This step includes the compiled Tailwind styles in your Electron app UI.
5. Compile Tailwind CSS
Run this script to start watching for changes and generate your CSS:
npm run watch:css
Keep this process running in a terminal window. It updates output.css live as you work.
6. Update the UI with Tailwind Classes
Replace your <body> content with this example layout:
<body class="flex items-center justify-center h-screen bg-gray-100">
<button type="button"
class="py-3 px-4 inline-flex items-center gap-x-2 text-sm font-medium rounded-lg border border-transparent bg-purple-600 text-white hover:bg-purple-700 focus:outline-hidden cursor-pointer focus:bg-purple-700 disabled:opacity-50 disabled:pointer-events-none">
Hello Tailwindcss
</button>
</body>
7. Run the Electron App
Run the electron server with this command:
npm start
Your Electron window should now open with a well-styled button in the center, thanks to Tailwind CSS.
How to Use a Tailwind Component Library – a Practical Example
We are going to use FlyonUI, an open source Tailwind component library. It includes a mix of utility classes in addition to JavaScript plugins. FlyonUI draws ideas from daisyUI but also from Preline, and combines flexibility and simplicity. It also helps you build interfaces that respond well and appear consistent.
1. Install FlyonUI
You can install FlyonUI with the command below. Make sure Node.js is installed, then run:
npm install -D flyonui@latest
Installs FlyonUI into your project as a development dependency, making its CSS and JS functionality available for integration.
2. Add FlyonUI as plugin in the input.css:
@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "flyonui";
@import "./node_modules/flyonui/variants.css"; /* Needed for JS components */
@source "./node_modules/flyonui/dist/index.js"; /* Needed for JS components */
-
@plugin "flyonui"injects FlyonUI’s semantic classes into your build. -
The
@importincludes custom variants created for the JS Components. -
The
@sourceline is required for the classes used in the js gets generated.
3. Include FlyonUI JavaScript for Interactivity
Right before closing the </body> tag in your HTML, include:
<script src="../node_modules/flyonui/flyonui.js"></script>
This script enables the interactive behaviors for FlyonUI components, such as overlays, modals, and dropdowns.
4. Use a FlyonUI Component
For example, update your UI with:
<body class="flex items-center justify-center h-screen bg-gray-100">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">
Hello FlyonUI
</button>
</body>
- The
.btnand.btn-primaryclasses come from FlyonUI—giving you styled, semantic components without crafting custom CSS.
Why It Matters
-
Cleaner Code: FlyonUI’s semantic classes make your templates more readable and maintainable compared to verbose utility classes.
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Interactive Without the Overhead: Easily add dynamic features like modals or accordions through FlyonUI’s JS plugins—no need to code them from scratch.
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Effortless Styling: FlyonUI builds on Tailwind’s utility approach, so you can customize components with familiar classes instantly.
Let’s Test FlyonUI JS Components
To show how FlyonUI works, we’ll test one of its JavaScript-powered UI components, the Modal. Modals are common UI elements that grab user attention for alerts, confirmations, or extra information without moving away from the current page.
Why Test the Modal?
Testing the modal helps you:
-
Check that FlyonUI’s JavaScript components load and work properly within your Electron and Tailwind setup.
-
See how simple it is to add interactive features using FlyonUI’s built-in classes and data attributes.
-
Understand how the modal responds to different screen sizes and how the UI reacts to user actions like opening and closing dialogs.
How to Test the Modal
Copy the following example code into your index.html file. This button will open a modal dialog with some placeholder content:
We’ll use this Modal example for testing. Copy the following code in your index.html:
<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="basic-modal" data-overlay="#basic-modal">Open modal</button>
<div id="basic-modal" class="overlay modal overlay-open:opacity-100 hidden overlay-open:duration-300" role="dialog" tabindex="-1">
<div class="modal-dialog">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="modal-header">
<h3 class="modal-title">Dialog Title</h3>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-text btn-circle btn-sm absolute end-3 top-3" aria-label="Close" data-overlay="#basic-modal">
<span class="icon-[tabler--x] size-4"></span>
</button>
</div>
<div class="modal-body">
This is some placeholder content to show the scrolling behavior for modals. Instead of repeating the text in the
modal, we use an inline style to set a minimum height, thereby extending the length of the overall modal and
demonstrating the overflow scrolling. When content becomes longer than the height of the viewport, scrolling
will move the modal as needed.
</div>
<div class="modal-footer">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-soft btn-secondary" data-overlay="#basic-modal">Close</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Save changes</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
After updating the file, restart your Electron app:
npm start
Here’s the result:
Conclusion
You can use Tailwind CSS and Electron to build desktop applications that look good and operate well on different devices. This adds to Electron’s many functions and Tailwind’s good styling system, letting you stay productive and utilize clean design methods.
The full code and more details are in the repository here: ts-electron-tailwindcss.
I have written this tutorial with the help of Pruthvi Prajapati, an experienced Tailwind CSS developer.