OSS TanbouOn this page
Overview
shadcn/ui provides designed components as source code that teams can copy into a project, customize, extend, and maintain as their own UI library rather than treating the components as an opaque package dependency. Its CLI handles initialization, component installation, registry discovery, and change previews.
Features and best fit
Based on official documentation; not hands-on tested · Content checked:
Key features
Add the source code for only the components a project needs
The shadcn CLI configures a project with init and copies selected components such as Button with add. The resulting files live in the application repository, so teams can read and modify the implementation directly.
Preview file and CSS changes before writing them
The CLI supports add --dry-run, --diff, and --view to inspect resolved files and CSS changes before installation. The same workflow can help review upstream changes before updating locally customized components.
Sources: [3]
Best fit
Fits teams that want to own a design system as application code
It is well suited to React-oriented projects that want a strong starting point while keeping styling, behavior, accessibility, and component conventions under local source control. The README explicitly frames the project as a way to build your own component library.
Sources: [2]
Before adoption
Inspect project modifications before applying CLI operations
init and add can modify configuration, dependencies, component files, and CSS. On an existing project, use info plus --dry-run or --diff to understand the planned changes before writing them.
Sources: [3]
Owning the source also means owning ongoing maintenance
Local ownership makes deep customization possible, but teams are responsible for reconciling their changes with upstream updates. Review upstream diffs and selectively integrate changes rather than assuming package-style automatic upgrades.
Official sources
- [1]shadcn-ui/ui repository(2026-09-30)
- [2]shadcn/ui README(2026-09-30)
- [3]shadcn CLI reference(2026-09-30)
- [4]shadcn/ui MIT license(2026-09-30)
Supplemental curator note
The key distinction is ownership of component source rather than extension of a hidden package implementation. On existing projects, preview CLI changes with dry-run or diff before applying them.
Try it in 3 steps
- 1
Initialize the project for shadcn
Configure components.json, dependencies, and CSS for the existing project. Substitute the runner used by the project package manager when appropriate.
npx shadcn@latest init - 2
Preview the Button changes
Resolve the files and planned changes without writing them. Use --diff when a detailed patch is needed.
npx shadcn@latest add button --dry-run - 3
Add the Button source to the project
Apply the reviewed changes, then import the generated components/ui/button source and render it in the application.
npx shadcn@latest add button
Growth
Growth trends · Last 30 days
124,865 Stars
Trend data is still being collected.
Development activity
Last 90 days · weekly
- Commits (last 30 days)
- 46
- Open PRs
- 1,015
Development activity is still being collected.
Built with
Categories and tags
Categories
GitHub data
GitHub dataView detailed GitHub data
GitHub Topics
- components
- nextjs
- radix-ui
- react
- tailwindcss
- ui
- shadcn
- base-ui
- laravel
- tanstack
- vite
- react-aria
- Stars
- 124,865
- Forks
- 11,799
- Watchers
- 425
- Open issues
- 810
- Contributors
- 469
- Owner type
- Organization
- Primary language
- TypeScript
- License
- MIT
- Repository last updated
- Sep 29, 2026
Related information
Write a related articleShare a guide or use case for this OSS in Markdown. Articles are published after administrator approval.
Explore next
- React Hook Form44,866 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
Manage React input registration, validation, submission, and dynamic fields through hooks
TypeScript - tRPC40,677 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
Carry server types to clients and catch API mismatches during development
TypeScript - CopilotKit37,609 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
embed agent conversation, generative UI, and shared action in a product
TypeScript - Jotai21,286 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
Compose small atoms to manage shared React state and derived values
TypeScript - React Email19,796 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
build, preview, and export email content with React and TypeScript
TypeScript - Tremor Raw3,634 Stars
2 shared tag(s) · 2 shared category(s) · Same language
copy dashboard-oriented React component source into your application
TypeScript
Report incorrect information
Tell us if any listing information is incorrect or outdated.