Migrating From Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS: A Guide

I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different strategies our team considered.

In this article, I will tell you how I migrated a React single-page application (SPA) in one of my work projects from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS.

I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different strategies our team considered, the steps we took, and the lessons we learned along the way.

By the end of this article, you will learn:

Why Good Research Is Important

Different strategies for changing UI frameworks, their pros and cons:

Steps to Migrate From Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS

Best practices like dependency isolation, atomic design, and more

#Step 0: Starting Point

We started with a single-page app (SPA) built using Create React App (CRA) and the following packages:

• React 16
• Bootstrap 4, React-Bootstrap
• ClassNames, Polished, Emotion (styled-components)
• And more

Step 1: Research Phase

Before jumping into a big project, it’s wise to spend time planning and researching. This helps you make better decisions and avoid mistakes.

After deliberation, we came up with four strategies Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS Migration. We looked at the pros and cons of each and did some quick experiments to see what could go wrong.

✔️Option 1: Gradual Migration

Pros:

• Little disruption to current work.
• Easier to manage and test small changes.

Cons:

• Migration takes longer to complete.
• Incompatibilities can occur during the switch.

✔️Option 2: Big Bang Migration

Pros:

• Everything gets updated at once.
• No need to maintain two frameworks at the same time.

Cons:

• High effort and risk.
• Can lead to significant downtime or bugs.

✔️Option 3: Component-by-Component Migration

Pros:

• Allows for thorough testing of each component.
• Helps the team learn and adapt gradually.

Cons:

• Requires careful coordination to avoid duplicated efforts.
• Incompatibilities can arise between old and new components.

✔️Option 4: Page-by-page migration

Pros:

• Each page remains consistent.
• It’s easier to test overall page functionality.

Cons:

• Migrating pages individually can take more time.
• Integrating old and new pages can be challenging.

By carefully evaluating the pros and cons and doing some initial testing, we were able to choose the best strategy for our migration.

Next, I’ll explain how we executed our chosen strategy and share some valuable lessons we learned along the way.

Conclusion

No single solution works for every problem. Success comes from exploring different options. In the end, it’s all about compromise. Also, are you looking for wix website development services, WebbyCrown Solutions is the perfect choice for you. You can use Tailwind Css to create a professional website, but if you want to implement the best framework along with creating a professional website, then you can use WebbyCrown’s wix website development services.

Here are some key points to remember:

• Strive for small, steady improvements. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your “perfect” application won’t be built in a day either. It’s okay to have some “bad code” while improving.
• Be careful of bad coding practices and patterns. Try to avoid them as much as possible.
• Sometimes you may need to use a bad coding practice, but make sure you understand why you’re doing it and what the disadvantages are.