clsx vs classnames vs tailwind-merge
Utility Class Management Libraries Comparison
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What's Utility Class Management Libraries?

Utility class management libraries are designed to help developers conditionally apply CSS class names in a clean and efficient manner. These libraries simplify the process of dynamically toggling classes based on component state or props, making it easier to manage styles in JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and others. They enhance code readability and maintainability by providing a straightforward API for class name manipulation, which is especially useful in component-based architectures where styles can change frequently based on user interactions or application state.

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clsx26,046,7248,7818.55 kB1310 months agoMIT
classnames15,200,37317,68423.6 kB5a year agoMIT
tailwind-merge5,635,8534,931824 kB1410 days agoMIT
Feature Comparison: clsx vs classnames vs tailwind-merge

Performance

  • clsx:

    'clsx' is designed for performance, boasting a smaller footprint and faster execution compared to 'classnames'. It uses a more efficient algorithm for class name merging, which can lead to improved performance in applications that require dynamic class name generation, especially in high-frequency updates.

  • classnames:

    The 'classnames' library is optimized for performance and is lightweight, making it suitable for applications where class name manipulation is frequent. It efficiently handles multiple conditions and concatenates class names without significant overhead, ensuring that rendering remains smooth even in complex components.

  • tailwind-merge:

    'tailwind-merge' focuses on performance by intelligently merging Tailwind CSS classes, ensuring that only the necessary classes are included in the final output. This optimization is crucial for maintaining fast load times and responsiveness in applications that heavily utilize Tailwind's utility classes.

API Simplicity

  • clsx:

    'clsx' provides an even simpler API than 'classnames', with a focus on minimalism and ease of use. It allows for quick and efficient class name concatenation with a very similar syntax, making it an excellent choice for developers who want to streamline their code without sacrificing functionality.

  • classnames:

    'classnames' offers a straightforward API that allows developers to easily combine class names based on conditions. Its syntax is intuitive, making it easy to read and write, which is beneficial for teams and projects that prioritize code clarity and maintainability.

  • tailwind-merge:

    'tailwind-merge' has a specialized API tailored for merging Tailwind CSS classes. It simplifies the process of resolving conflicts between utility classes, making it easy for developers to manage class names specific to Tailwind's design philosophy.

Community and Ecosystem

  • clsx:

    Although newer than 'classnames', 'clsx' has quickly gained traction and is becoming popular among developers looking for a lightweight alternative. Its growing community and documentation are becoming increasingly robust, making it a viable option for modern applications.

  • classnames:

    Being one of the most popular libraries for class name management, 'classnames' has a large community and extensive documentation. This popularity ensures that developers can find support, examples, and best practices easily, making it a reliable choice for long-term projects.

  • tailwind-merge:

    'tailwind-merge' is specifically designed for Tailwind CSS users, and while it may not have as large a community as the others, it is highly regarded among Tailwind users. Its focused purpose means that it has a dedicated user base that contributes to its development and improvement.

Use Cases

  • clsx:

    'clsx' is ideal for modern React applications where performance is critical. Its lightweight nature makes it perfect for scenarios where minimal bundle size is desired, such as in mobile-first applications or when optimizing for performance.

  • classnames:

    'classnames' is versatile and can be used in various frameworks and libraries, making it suitable for any project that requires conditional class name management. It is particularly useful in React applications where component state changes frequently, affecting styling.

  • tailwind-merge:

    'tailwind-merge' is specifically tailored for projects using Tailwind CSS. It excels in scenarios where multiple utility classes need to be merged while avoiding conflicts, making it perfect for developers who embrace Tailwind's utility-first approach.

Integration with CSS Frameworks

  • clsx:

    'clsx' also integrates well with CSS frameworks, providing a simple way to manage class names across different styling solutions. Its lightweight nature ensures that it does not add unnecessary bloat to the application, making it a great fit for any CSS framework.

  • classnames:

    'classnames' integrates seamlessly with various CSS frameworks, allowing developers to conditionally apply classes from libraries like Bootstrap, Bulma, or custom styles without any issues, making it a flexible choice for diverse projects.

  • tailwind-merge:

    'tailwind-merge' is specifically designed for use with Tailwind CSS, making it the best choice for projects that heavily rely on Tailwind's utility classes. It ensures that the final class names are optimized for Tailwind's conventions, preventing conflicts and ensuring a clean output.

How to Choose: clsx vs classnames vs tailwind-merge
  • clsx:

    Opt for 'clsx' if you prefer a smaller, faster alternative to 'classnames' with a similar API. It's ideal for performance-sensitive applications where minimizing bundle size is crucial. 'clsx' is particularly useful in modern React applications due to its lightweight nature and straightforward usage.

  • classnames:

    Choose 'classnames' if you need a well-established and widely-used library that provides a simple API for conditionally joining class names. It is particularly beneficial for projects that require compatibility with various JavaScript frameworks and have a large codebase where consistency and reliability are paramount.

  • tailwind-merge:

    Select 'tailwind-merge' if you are using Tailwind CSS and need a specialized solution for merging class names while avoiding conflicts. This package is particularly beneficial when working with Tailwind's utility-first approach, ensuring that the final class list is optimized and adheres to Tailwind's conventions.

Similar Npm Packages to clsx

clsx is a utility for constructing className strings conditionally in JavaScript applications, particularly in React. It provides a simple and efficient way to combine class names based on certain conditions, making it easier to manage dynamic class names in your components. With its lightweight design and straightforward API, clsx is a popular choice among developers looking for a minimalistic solution to handle class name manipulation.

One of the primary alternatives to clsx is classnames. This library serves a similar purpose, allowing developers to conditionally join class names together. classnames has been widely used in the React community for years and offers a familiar API for those who have worked with it before. While both libraries achieve the same goal, classnames has a slightly larger footprint and may include more features than necessary for some projects.

When choosing between clsx and classnames, developers often consider factors such as bundle size, performance, and ease of use. clsx is typically favored for its minimalistic approach and smaller size, while classnames may be preferred by those who need additional features or are already accustomed to its API.

To see how clsx compares with classnames, check out the comparison: Comparing classnames vs clsx.

Similar Npm Packages to classnames

classnames is a popular utility for conditionally joining class names together in JavaScript applications, particularly in React. It simplifies the process of dynamically setting class names based on certain conditions, making it easier to manage styles in a clean and readable way. With classnames, developers can easily combine static and dynamic class names, ensuring that the right classes are applied based on the component's state or props.

One notable alternative to classnames is clsx. clsx is a tiny utility that serves a similar purpose, allowing developers to conditionally combine class names. It is designed to be lightweight and efficient, with a minimal API that makes it easy to use. While both classnames and clsx provide similar functionality, clsx is often favored for its smaller bundle size and performance optimizations, especially in projects where minimizing file size is a priority.

For a detailed comparison of classnames and clsx, you can visit: Comparing classnames vs clsx.

Similar Npm Packages to tailwind-merge

tailwind-merge is a utility for merging Tailwind CSS class names in a way that resolves conflicts and ensures that the final output is optimized for use in your React or other JavaScript frameworks. It simplifies the process of combining multiple Tailwind classes, automatically handling the specificity of classes to produce a clean and effective result. This is particularly useful when dealing with conditional class names, as it helps maintain the intended styling without the hassle of manual conflict resolution.

While tailwind-merge is a powerful tool for managing Tailwind CSS classes, there are alternatives that also provide similar functionality:

  • classnames is a popular utility for conditionally joining class names together. It allows developers to easily combine class names based on certain conditions, making it a versatile choice for managing CSS classes in any project, not just those using Tailwind CSS. classnames is lightweight and straightforward, making it a go-to solution for many developers looking to manage class names dynamically.

  • clsx is a tiny utility for constructing className strings conditionally. It is similar to classnames but is even smaller and faster. clsx supports arrays and objects, allowing for a more flexible approach to combining class names. It’s particularly useful for projects where performance is a concern, and it provides a simple API for managing class names without adding significant overhead.

To see how tailwind-merge compares with classnames and clsx, check out the comparison: Comparing classnames vs clsx vs tailwind-merge.

README for clsx

clsx CI codecov licenses

A tiny (239B) utility for constructing className strings conditionally.
Also serves as a faster & smaller drop-in replacement for the classnames module.

This module is available in three formats:

  • ES Module: dist/clsx.mjs
  • CommonJS: dist/clsx.js
  • UMD: dist/clsx.min.js

Install

$ npm install --save clsx

Usage

import clsx from 'clsx';
// or
import { clsx } from 'clsx';

// Strings (variadic)
clsx('foo', true && 'bar', 'baz');
//=> 'foo bar baz'

// Objects
clsx({ foo:true, bar:false, baz:isTrue() });
//=> 'foo baz'

// Objects (variadic)
clsx({ foo:true }, { bar:false }, null, { '--foobar':'hello' });
//=> 'foo --foobar'

// Arrays
clsx(['foo', 0, false, 'bar']);
//=> 'foo bar'

// Arrays (variadic)
clsx(['foo'], ['', 0, false, 'bar'], [['baz', [['hello'], 'there']]]);
//=> 'foo bar baz hello there'

// Kitchen sink (with nesting)
clsx('foo', [1 && 'bar', { baz:false, bat:null }, ['hello', ['world']]], 'cya');
//=> 'foo bar hello world cya'

API

clsx(...input)

Returns: String

input

Type: Mixed

The clsx function can take any number of arguments, each of which can be an Object, Array, Boolean, or String.

Important: Any falsey values are discarded!
Standalone Boolean values are discarded as well.

clsx(true, false, '', null, undefined, 0, NaN);
//=> ''

Modes

There are multiple "versions" of clsx available, which allows you to bring only the functionality you need!

clsx

Size (gzip): 239 bytes
Availability: CommonJS, ES Module, UMD

The default clsx module; see API for info.

import { clsx } from 'clsx';
// or
import clsx from 'clsx';

clsx/lite

Size (gzip): 140 bytes
Availability: CommonJS, ES Module
CAUTION: Accepts ONLY string arguments!

Ideal for applications that only use the string-builder pattern.

Any non-string arguments are ignored!

import { clsx } from 'clsx/lite';
// or
import clsx from 'clsx/lite';

// string
clsx('hello', true && 'foo', false && 'bar');
// => "hello foo"

// NOTE: Any non-string input(s) ignored
clsx({ foo: true });
//=> ""

Benchmarks

For snapshots of cross-browser results, check out the bench directory~!

Support

All versions of Node.js are supported.

All browsers that support Array.isArray are supported (IE9+).

Note: For IE8 support and older, please install clsx@1.0.x and beware of #17.

Tailwind Support

Here some additional (optional) steps to enable classes autocompletion using clsx with Tailwind CSS.

Visual Studio Code

  1. Install the "Tailwind CSS IntelliSense" Visual Studio Code extension

  2. Add the following to your settings.json:

 {
  "tailwindCSS.experimental.classRegex": [
    ["clsx\\(([^)]*)\\)", "(?:'|\"|`)([^']*)(?:'|\"|`)"]
  ]
 }

You may find the clsx/lite module useful within Tailwind contexts. This is especially true if/when your application only composes classes in this pattern:

clsx('text-base', props.active && 'text-primary', props.className);

Related

  • obj-str - A smaller (96B) and similiar utility that only works with Objects.

License

MIT © Luke Edwards

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