Tailwind

In Next.js you add Tailwind by installing three packages, creating tailwind.config.js, adding the @tailwind directives to globals.css, and importing that file in _app.tsx. Astro ships an official integration that does all of that in one command.

Playground note: Tailwind requires its Vite integration to be installed in the project — a single-file .astro page in StackBlitz cannot load it without the full setup. This lesson is code-only. Copy any snippet to a local project created with npx create astro@latest and run the steps below to try it live.

Adding Tailwind to Astro

# inside your Astro project
npx astro add tailwind

The CLI installs tailwindcss and the official @tailwindcss/vite Vite plugin, wires it into astro.config.mjs under vite.plugins (Tailwind 4 is a Vite plugin, not an Astro integration — the old @astrojs/tailwind package is deprecated and only relevant to Tailwind 3 projects), and creates src/styles/global.css with the Tailwind import. Accept all prompts.

// astro.config.mjs  — after running the command
import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config';
import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite';

export default defineConfig({
  vite: {
    plugins: [tailwindcss()],
  },
});

/* src/styles/global.css  — auto-generated */
@import "tailwindcss";

There is no tailwind.config.mjs and no content glob to maintain — Tailwind 4 scans your project automatically and is configured CSS-first (@theme { ... } in the CSS file for design-token overrides). Import the stylesheet once in a shared layout:

---
import '../styles/global.css';
---

Using utility classes in .astro vs React

// Card.tsx  (Next.js + Tailwind)
export default function Card({
  title,
  description,
  featured = false,
}: {
  title: string;
  description: string;
  featured?: boolean;
}) {
  return (
    <div className={`rounded-xl border p-6 shadow-sm ${
      featured ? 'border-indigo-500 bg-indigo-50' : 'border-slate-200 bg-white'
    }`}>
      <h2 className="mb-2 text-lg font-semibold text-slate-900">{title}</h2>
      <p className="text-sm text-slate-600">{description}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

---
// Card.astro  (Astro + Tailwind)
interface Props { title: string; description: string; featured?: boolean; }
const { title, description, featured = false } = Astro.props;
---
<div class:list={[
  "rounded-xl border p-6 shadow-sm",
  featured ? "border-indigo-500 bg-indigo-50" : "border-slate-200 bg-white",
]}>
  <h2 class="mb-2 text-lg font-semibold text-slate-900">{title}</h2>
  <p class="text-sm text-slate-600">{description}</p>
</div>

The only mandatory change: className becomes class. Everything else — utility classes, responsive prefixes, dark-mode variants, arbitrary values — works identically.

Mixing Tailwind with scoped styles

You can use Tailwind utilities and a <style> block in the same .astro file. This is useful when a component needs a complex selector (e.g., nth-child, ::before) that Tailwind cannot express cleanly.

<section class="py-24 px-6 bg-gradient-to-br from-indigo-600 to-purple-700">
  <h1 class="text-4xl font-bold text-white mb-4">Ship faster</h1>
  <p class="text-indigo-200 max-w-xl">Tailwind utilities + scoped styles in one component.</p>
</section>

<style>
  /* Scoped rule for a complex selector Tailwind cannot express */
  section > *:not(:last-child) { margin-bottom: 1rem; }
</style>

Tailwind and framework components (React / Vue inside Astro)

Utility classes also work on framework components rendered inside Astro pages. Pass classes as class on the Astro wrapper or as className inside JSX if you are inside a .tsx Island component.

---
import Counter from './Counter.tsx';
---
<!-- Tailwind class on the Astro element wrapper -->
<div class="max-w-screen-lg mx-auto px-4">
  <!-- className inside the React Island -->
  <Counter className="mt-8" client:visible />
</div>