What is Tailwind Grid?

Tailwind CSS is a popular utility-first CSS framework that simplifies the creation of responsive

and well-designed user interfaces. The Grid is one of its standout features. It allows developers

make grids flexible and responsive.

If you’re a web developer, you’ve likely encountered the need for a responsive and flexible grid

system to structure your web layouts effectively. Tailwind provides a robust grid system that

simplifies this task.

When you ask,

What is the use of a Tailwind grid?

The Tailwind system is a foundation for structuring layouts on your web pages. It allows you to

organize content into rows and columns, making it easier to create complex designs; and

ensure responsiveness across various screens.

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In this article, we’ll delve into the various aspects of Tailwind Grid, providing code samples for

each section to help you understand how to use it effectively.

The Tailwind Grid Container

The grid container is the parent element that holds the grid items.

<div class="grid">

<!-- Grid items go here -->

</div>

How to create a grid using Tailwind CSS?

Creating a grid in Tailwind is a straightforward process. You start by defining a grid container

using the grid class and specifying the number of columns. Simply by adding the grid to an

HTML element.

<div class="grid grid-cols-3">

<!-- Grid items go here -->

</div>

We’ve created a grid container with three columns.

Tailwind Grid Columns

Inside the grid container, you can place various grid items. To control the placement of these

items within the grid, you can use classes like col-span-{number} to specify the number of

columns a grid item should span. (element span n columns)

<div class="grid grid-cols-3">

<div class="col-span-2">This spans 2 columns</div>

<div class="col-span-1">This spans 1 column</div>

</div>

Here, the first grid item spans two columns, while the second one spans a single column.

Does Tailwind have a grid system?

Tailwind’s system has 12 equally sized columns (you can modify the sizes to suit your need),

which defines the width of grid items. You can specify the number of columns a grid item should

span using the col-span-X class, where X is a number from 1 to 12.

<div class="grid">

<div class="col-span-6">Half-width</div>

<div class="col-span-3">One-third width</div>

<div class="col-span-3">One-third width</div>

</div>

Tailwind Grid Rows

Tailwind Grid primarily focuses on defining columns, but you can make rows by controlling the

positioning of grid items using other classes like row-span-{number}.

<div class="grid grid-cols-2">

<div class="row-span-2">This spans 2 rows</div>

<div class="row-span-1">This spans 1 row</div>

</div>

The first grid item spans two rows, and the second spans a single row.

How do you use the grid row in Tailwind?

Control the positioning of grid items within rows using classes like row-span-{number}.

<div class="grid grid-cols-2">

<div class="row-span-2">This spans 2 rows</div>

<div class="row-span-1">This spans 1 row</div>

</div>

The first grid item spans two rows, and the second one spans a single row.

Responsiveness

One of the strengths of Tailwind CSS Grid is its responsiveness. You can control how grid items

behave on different screen sizes. For example, you can make a grid item span 6 columns (grid

cols 6) on small screens and 3 columns on larger screens.

<div class="grid">

<div class="col-span-6 md:col-span-3">Half-width on small screen, one-third on medium

screen and up</div>

</div>

How do I make a grid responsive in Tailwind CSS?

Making a grid responsive in Tailwind is simple. You can use responsive classes to adjust the

grid class layout based on screen sizes. For example, to change the columns on small screens,

you can do the following:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

Here the column numbers change from 1 on small screens to 2 on medium screens and 3 on

large screens.

Let’s explore how to make these grids responsive:

1. Using Responsive Classes

Tailwind CSS Grid provides responsive classes that allow you to modify the layout based on

different screens. You can prefix any utility class with a breakpoint to apply styles only on

screens that match the breakpoint.

If you want to change the column numbers in your grid on small screens, you can do the

following:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-3 lg:grid-cols-4">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

In this code, the grid will have one column on extra-small screens, two columns on small

screens, three columns on only medium screen sizes, and four columns on large screens. This

ensures that your layout adapts gracefully to different device sizes.

2. Adjusting Column Spans

In addition to changing the column numbers, you can also adjust the column spans for

individual grid items to optimize their placement on various screens. Use the col-span-

{number} classes to specify how many columns an item should span.

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2">

<div class="col-span-1 sm:col-span-2">Item 1</div>

<div class="col-span-1 sm:col-span-1">Item 2</div>

</div>

Here “Item 1” spans one column on small screens but expands to two columns on larger

screens, while “Item 2” maintains its single-column width.

3. Adjusting Padding and Margins

Responsive design often involves fine-tuning the spacing between full-width element to ensure

readability and aesthetics on different screen. Tailwind provides responsive classes for adjusting

padding and margins.

You can change the margin around grid items based on a screen:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2">

<div class="m-2 sm:m-4">Item 1</div>

<div class="m-2 sm:m-4">Item 2</div>

</div>

Here, the margin around each item increases on small screens to provide more spacing

between them.

4. Hiding or Showing Elements

Sometimes, it’s necessary to hide or show certain elements based on the screen or device

orientation. Tailwind provides responsive classes for this purpose as well.

For example, you can hide an element on small screens using the hidden class:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2">

<div>Always Visible</div>

<div class="hidden sm:block">Visible on Small Screens</div>

</div>

In this case, the second grid item is hidden on screens smaller than the small breakpoint.

5. Custom Breakpoints

Tailwind allows you to customize breakpoints to precisely control how your layout responds to

different screen sizes. You can define these breakpoints in your configuration file and then use

them in your responsive classes.

// tailwind.config.js

module.exports = {

theme: {

extend: {

screens: {

'xl': '1280px', // Custom XL breakpoint

},

},

},

variants: {},

plugins: [],

}

Now, you can use the xl breakpoint in your responsive classes like this:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 xl:grid-cols-4">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

This allows you to tailor your layout precisely to your design requirements.

Mobile-First Approach

Tailwind CSS follows a mobile-first approach to responsiveness. This means that styles defined

for smaller screens apply as a default, and you progressively enhance them for larger screens

using responsive classes for the web page.

For example, when specifying the column numbers, you typically start with a single column for

small screens and add more columns as the screen size increases:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-3 lg:grid-cols-4">

<!-- Grid items go here -->

</div>

By default, the grid has one column on small screens (grid-cols-1). As the screen size gets

larger, the grid adapts accordingly.

Responsive design is a fundamental aspect of modern web development, and Tailwind makes it

easier than ever to make adaptive layouts. With its responsive classes, you can control the

behavior of your grids and elements across various screen sizes and devices.

Grid Gaps

Grid gaps are spaces between grid items. You can add horizontal and vertical gaps to the grid

container using the gap-X classes, where X is a spacing value.

<div class="grid gap-4">

<!-- Grid items with a 1rem gap -->

</div>

For instance, to change the number of columns on small screens, you can do the following:

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

In this example, the column numbers change from 1 on small screens to 2 on medium screens

and 3 on large screens.

Grid Templates

Tailwind allows you to define custom grid templates for more complex layouts. You can create

grids templates using the grid-rows-X and grid-cols-X classes to specify the number of rows

and columns in your grid.

<div class="grid grid-rows-2 grid-cols-3">

<!-- Custom 2x3 grid -->

</div>

You can use the grid-rows-{template} and grid-cols-{template} classes to specify custom row

and column templates.

<div class="grid grid-cols-[1fr,2fr,1fr] grid-rows-[auto,200px]">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

This example creates a grid with custom column and row templates.

Auto Layout

You can use the col-auto class to make a grid item automatically adjust its width based on its

content.

<div class="grid">

<div class="col-auto">Auto width</div>

<div class="col-auto">Auto width</div>

</div>

In this case, the columns will size themselves to fit their content.

Alignment

Tailwind provides alignment classes to control the alignment of grid items within their cells. You

can align grid items both horizontally and vertically using alignment classes like justify-center,

justify-items-center, items-center, and more. These tailwind CSS grid classes make it easy to

fine-tune the positioning of your grid items.

<div class="grid grid-cols-2 justify-center items-center">

<!-- ... -->

</div>

This code centers both the columns and rows within the grid container.

Overflow and Scaling

When dealing with overflowing content in grid items, you can use classes like overflow-hidden

and overflow-auto to control how content is displayed.

<div class="grid">

<div class="overflow-hidden">Overflow hidden</div>

<div class="overflow-auto">Overflow auto</div>

</div>

You can use overflow-{value} and scale-{value} classes to control these aspects.

<div class="grid grid-cols-2">

<div class="overflow-hidden">Overflow Hidden</div>

<div class="scale-125">Scaled Up</div>

</div>

These classes help you manage how grid items interact with their content and how they’re

displayed on the screen.

Grid Spans

In addition to the basic col-span-X classes, Tailwind also provides col-start-X and col-end-X

classes to precisely control the starting and ending points of grid items within columns.

<div class="grid">

<div class="col-start-2 col-end-5">Spanning columns 2 to 4</div>

</div>

In addition to col-span-{number} and row-span-{number}, you can use col-start-{number}

and col-end-{number} to specify the starting and ending positions of a grid item within the

columns.

<div class="grid grid-cols-4">

<div class="col-start-2 col-end-4">Spanning columns 2 to 4</div>

</div>

This code spans grid columns 2 through 4.

Ordering Grid Items

Tailwind allows you to change the order of grid items using the order-X classes, where X is a

numeric value.

<div class="grid">

<div class="order-2">Second in order</div>

<div class="order-1">First in order</div>

</div>

This is particularly useful for rearranging items on different screen sizes.

<div class="grid grid-cols-2">

<div class="order-2">Second in the source order</div>

<div class="order-1">First in the source order</div>

</div>

Here, the second grid item appears before the first in the rendered output.

Grid Utilities

Tailwind provides a wide range of utility classes to style grid items and containers, including

background colors, text alignment, and text colors.

<div class="grid">

<div class="bg-blue-500 text-white text-center">Styled grid item</div>

</div>

To fine-tune your grid layout, you can explore various utility classes provided by Tailwind. These

classes allow you to manipulate grid item placement, sizing, and appearance without writing

custom CSS.

Nesting Grid

You can also nest grids within each other to create more complex layouts. This allows you to

build intricate designs by combining multiple grid containers and grid items.

<div class="grid">

<div class="col-span-6">

<div class="grid">

<!-- Nested grid -->

</div>

</div>

<div class="col-span-6">Another half-width item</div>

</div>

Nesting grids enable you to maintain a structured approach to your layouts, even when dealing

with multifaceted designs.

Centering Grid Items

Centering grid items can be achieved with ease using Tailwind classes. You can center items

both horizontally and vertically within the grid container, creating visually appealing layouts.

<div class="grid grid-cols-3 justify-center items-center">

<div class="col-span-2 text-center">Centered Content</div>

</div>

This code centers a grid item both horizontally and vertically within the container.

What is the difference between Tailwind CSS and

CSS Grid?

Tailwind CSS and CSS Default Grid are two distinct technologies that serve different purposes

in web development. Here’s a breakdown of their differences:

1. Tailwind CSS:

Utility-First CSS Framework: Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework. It provides a set of

pre-designed classes that you can apply directly to HTML elements to style them. It focuses on

speeding up the development process by providing a consistent and predictable way to style

elements without writing custom CSS.

Styling Approach: Primarily used for styling individual elements or components. You add

classes directly to HTML elements to define their appearance, behavior, and layout. For

example, you can use text-blue-500 to set text color, p-4 to add padding.

Grid System: Tailwind CSS system is known as Tailwind Grid, which simplifies the creation of

grid-based layouts using utility classes. It’s built on top of CSS Grid, providing an abstraction

layer for common grid layout tasks.

Responsive Design: Tailwind CSS excels at creating responsive designs. It offers responsive

classes that allow you to adjust styles based on different screen sizes. For instance, you can

apply different margin or padding classes for small, medium, and large screens.

2. CSS Grid:

Native CSS Layout System: It is a native layout system in CSS. It’s a two-dimensional gridbased

layout system that enables you to create complex grid layouts by defining rows and

columns directly in your CSS code. It doesn’t rely on utility classes or pre-defined styles.

Styling Approach: Here it creates the overall structure of a page’s layout. It involves writing

CSS rules that define the grid container, the rows, and columns, and how elements within the

grid are positioned.

Grid System: It is a fundamental part of CSS. It is not an abstraction layer like Tailwind Grid.

Developers have control over the structure and behavior.

Responsive Design: While CSS Grid lines start can be used for responsive layouts, it requires

custom CSS rules to adapt the layout based on screen sizes. It doesn’t offer responsive classes

like Tailwind CSS does.

Wrapping up on Tailwind Grid

Tailwind Grid classes are a powerful and flexible system for creating responsive layouts in web

applications. With its wide range of classes and customization options, you can build complex

designs while maintaining code simplicity and readability. Whether you’re designing a simple

blog layout or a complex dashboard, Tailwind Grid has you covered.

Tailwind Grid is a powerful and flexible tool for creating grid layouts in your web projects.

Harnessing the wide range of utility classes, Tailwind helps you design responsive and complex

grid-based interfaces. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, Tailwind Grid

simplifies the process of building elegant and functional layouts, making it a valuable addition to

your toolkit.

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