Building Scalable Apps with shadcn/ui
Why shadcn/ui's copy-paste component philosophy is revolutionizing how we build React applications, and how to architect apps around it.
by faraaz motiwalashadcn/ui represents a paradigm shift in how we think about component libraries. Rather than adding a dependency, you copy components directly into your codebase. At first, this seemed counterintuitive, but after building several production apps with it, I'm convinced it's the future.
Ownership Over Dependencies
The traditional component library approach chains you to someone else's decisions. Need to modify a button's behavior? Good luck digging through node_modules or overriding styles. With shadcn/ui, the component lives in your codebase. You own it, understand it, and can modify it without fear.
This ownership is liberating. When a design requires a variation of a component that doesn't exist in the library, you're not stuck. You fork the component and adapt it to your needs.
Building on Solid Foundations
shadcn/ui components are built on Radix UI, one of the most robust unstyled component libraries available. This means you get enterprise-grade accessibility, keyboard navigation, and focus management out of the box.
The components use Tailwind CSS for styling, making them easy to customize while maintaining consistency with your design system. It's a perfect marriage of flexibility and convention.
Architecting for Scale
When building larger applications with shadcn/ui, I've found these patterns effective:
Component Variants: Use the built-in variant system to create design system primitives. Define your button sizes, colors, and styles once, then compose them throughout your app.
Compound Components: shadcn's dialog, dropdown, and form components show the power of compound patterns. Study these to build your own complex, composable components.
Type Safety: The TypeScript definitions are excellent. Leverage them to build type-safe APIs for your components. This prevents bugs and improves DX.
Real-World Experience
I recently rebuilt a dashboard using shadcn/ui. What struck me was how quickly I could move while maintaining quality. The components handle the hard parts (accessibility, keyboard navigation, mobile responsiveness) while giving me complete control over the design.
When a client requested a custom select component with grouped options and search, I simply extended the existing Select component. Twenty minutes later, I had exactly what I needed without wrestling with a third-party library's limitations.
The Philosophy
shadcn/ui embodies a philosophy: own your code, understand your dependencies, and build on solid foundations. It's not just about components, it's about taking control of your architecture.
For teams willing to invest in their codebase (rather than just consuming libraries), this approach is transformative.