Understanding Tailwind CSS v4

What’s New in Tailwind CSS v4

Tailwind CSS v4 introduces a completely rewritten engine that brings significant performance improvements and new features.

Key Features

1. Oxide Engine

The new Oxide engine is written in Rust and provides:

• Up to 10x faster incremental builds
• Reduced memory usage
• Better error messages

2. CSS-First Configuration

You can now configure Tailwind directly in your CSS:

@import "tailwindcss";

@theme {
  --color-primary: #4f46e5;
  --font-sans: "Inter", sans-serif;
}

3. Native Container Queries

Container queries are now built-in:

<div class="@container">
  <div class="@lg:grid-cols-2">
    <!-- Content -->
  </div>
</div>

Migration Guide

Upgrading from v3 to v4 is straightforward:

1. Update your dependencies
2. Migrate configuration to CSS
3. Update any deprecated utilities

Conclusion

Tailwind CSS v4 is a significant leap forward, making it even easier to build beautiful, responsive interfaces.