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Most Effective Ways To Build A Navbar With Tailwind CSS

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What is Tailwind CSS?

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that provides a set of pre-defined classes to create responsive and customizable user interfaces. It is designed to help developers quickly build modern and beautiful web applications without the need for writing custom CSS code.

The description of navbar ui component

A navbar is a user interface component that is commonly used in web applications to provide navigation links to different sections of the website. It typically includes a logo, a set of links, and some additional features like dropdown menus, search boxes, and user profiles.

Why use Tailwind CSS to create a navbar ui component?

Tailwind CSS provides a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to create a fully responsive and customizable navbar with minimal effort. It also allows developers to easily modify the appearance and behavior of the navbar by changing the values of the classes.

The preview of navbar ui component

To create a navbar with Tailwind CSS, we can use the navbar component provided by the framework. This component includes a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to create a fully functional navbar with minimal effort.

Free download of the navbar's source code

The source code of navbar ui component

The source code of the navbar component can be found in the official Tailwind CSS documentation. It includes a set of HTML and CSS classes that can be used to create a fully functional navbar.

<div class="flex min-h-screen">
    <!-- Nav -->
    <div
      class="flex flex-wrap justify-between w-screen h-20 text-white bg-black md:flex-nowrap"
    >
      <!-- LOGO -->
      <div class="z-30 flex items-center h-full pl-3 space-x-3 bg-black">
        <svg
          xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
          class="w-16 h-16"
          fill="none"
          viewBox="0 0 24 24"
          stroke="currentColor"
        >
          <path
            stroke-linecap="round"
            stroke-linejoin="round"
            stroke-width="2"
            d="M18.364 5.636l-3.536 3.536m0 5.656l3.536 3.536M9.172 9.172L5.636 5.636m3.536 9.192l-3.536 3.536M21 12a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0zm-5 0a4 4 0 11-8 0 4 4 0 018 0z"
          />
        </svg>
        <p class="text-2xl text-">KAKI HOME</p>
      </div>
      <!-- MenuButton -->
      <button
        class="z-30 flex items-center justify-end flex-grow pr-3 bg-black focus:outline-none md:hidden"
      >
        <svg
          xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
          class="w-8 h-8"
          fill="none"
          viewBox="0 0 24 24"
          stroke="currentColor"
        >
          <path
            stroke-linecap="round"
            stroke-linejoin="round"
            stroke-width="2"
            d="M4 6h16M4 12h16M4 18h16"
          />
        </svg>
      </button>

      <!-- Menu -->
      <div
        class="flex flex-col items-stretch w-screen text-xl text-center transform bg-black md:flex-row md:translate-y-0 md:space-x-5 md:items-center md:justify-end md:pr-3"
      >
        <a
          href="#"
          class="h-10 leading-10 border-b-2 border-dotted md:border-none"
          >Home</a
        >
        <a
          href="#"
          class="h-10 leading-10 border-b-2 border-dotted md:border-none"
          >About</a
        >
        <a
          href="#"
          class="h-10 leading-10 border-b-2 border-dotted md:border-none"
          >Service</a
        >
        <a
          href="#"
          class="h-10 leading-10 border-b-2 border-dotted md:border-none md:bg-red-600 md:rounded-full md:w-24"
          >Log In</a
        >
        <a
          href="#"
          class="h-10 leading-10 border-b-2 border-dotted md:border-red-600 md:border-solid md:border-2 md:rounded-full md:w-24 md:leading-9"
          >Sign Up</a
        >
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

How to create a navbar with Tailwind CSS?

To create a navbar with Tailwind CSS, we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Set up the HTML structure

The first step is to set up the HTML structure of the navbar. We can use the following code as a starting point:

<nav class="bg-gray-800">
  <div class="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-2 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <div class="relative flex items-center justify-between h-16">
      <div class="absolute inset-y-0 left-0 flex items-center sm:hidden">
        <!-- Mobile menu button -->
        <button type="button" class="inline-flex items-center justify-center p-2 rounded-md text-gray-400 hover:text-white hover:bg-gray-700 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-inset focus:ring-white" aria-controls="mobile-menu" aria-expanded="false">
          <span class="sr-only">Open main menu</span>
          <!-- Icon when menu is closed. -->
          <!--
            Heroicon name: menu

            Menu open: "hidden", Menu closed: "block"
          -->
          <svg class="block h-6 w-6" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor" aria-hidden="true">
            <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M4 6h16M4 12h16M4 18h16" />
          </svg>
          <!-- Icon when menu is open. -->
          <!--
            Heroicon name: x

            Menu open: "block", Menu closed: "hidden"
          -->
          <svg class="hidden h-6 w-6" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor" aria-hidden="true">
            <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M6 18L18 6M6 6l12 12" />
          </svg>
        </button>
      </div>
      <div class="flex-1 flex items-center justify-center sm:items-stretch sm:justify-start">
        <div class="flex-shrink-0">
          <img class="block lg:hidden h-8 w-auto" src="https://tailwindui.com/img/logos/workflow-mark-indigo-500.svg" alt="Workflow">
          <img class="hidden lg:block h-8 w-auto" src="https://tailwindui.com/img/logos/workflow-logo-indigo-500-mark-white-text.svg" alt="Workflow">
        </div>
        <div class="hidden sm:block sm:ml-6">
          <div class="flex space-x-4">
            <a href="#" class="bg-gray-900 text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Dashboard</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Team</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Projects</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Calendar</a>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="absolute inset-y-0 right-0 flex items-center pr-2 sm:static sm:inset-auto sm:ml-6 sm:pr-0">
        <button class="bg-gray-800 p-1 rounded-full text-gray-400 hover:text-white focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:ring-offset-gray-800 focus:ring-white">
          <span class="sr-only">View notifications</span>
          <!-- Heroicon name: bell -->
          <svg class="h-6 w-6" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor" aria-hidden="true">
            <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M13 10V3L4 14h7v7l9-11h-7z" />
          </svg>
        </button>

        <!-- Profile dropdown -->
        <div class="ml-3 relative">
          <div>
            <button type="button" class="bg-gray-800 flex text-sm rounded-full focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:ring-offset-gray-800 focus:ring-white" id="user-menu" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true">
              <span class="sr-only">Open user menu</span>
              <img class="h-8 w-8 rounded-full" src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/7860930?v=4" alt="">
            </button>
          </div>
          <!--
            Profile dropdown panel, show/hide based on dropdown state.

            Entering: "transition ease-out duration-100"
              From: "transform opacity-0 scale-95"
              To: "transform opacity-100 scale-100"
            Leaving: "transition ease-in duration-75"
              From: "transform opacity-100 scale-100"
              To: "transform opacity-0 scale-95"
          -->
          <div class="hidden origin-top-right absolute right-0 mt-2 w-48 rounded-md shadow-lg py-1 bg-white ring-1 ring-black ring-opacity-5" role="menu" aria-orientation="vertical" aria-labelledby="user-menu">
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Your Profile</a>
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Settings</a>
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Sign out</a>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <!-- Mobile menu, show/hide based on menu state. -->
  <div class="sm:hidden" id="mobile-menu">
    <div class="px-2 pt-2 pb-3 space-y-1">
      <a href="#" class="bg-gray-900 text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Dashboard</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Team</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Projects</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Calendar</a>
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

Step 2: Customize the navbar appearance

The next step is to customize the appearance of the navbar by modifying the values of the classes. We can use the following classes to change the background color, font size, and padding of the navbar:

<nav class="bg-gray-800">
  <div class="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-2 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <div class="relative flex items-center justify-between h-16">
      ...
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

The next step is to add the logo and navigation links to the navbar. We can use the following classes to add the logo and links:

<nav class="bg-gray-800">
  <div class="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-2 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <div class="relative flex items-center justify-between h-16">
      <div class="flex-1 flex items-center justify-center sm:items-stretch sm:justify-start">
        <div class="flex-shrink-0">
          <img class="block lg:hidden h-8 w-auto" src="https://tailwindui.com/img/logos/workflow-mark-indigo-500.svg" alt="Workflow">
          <img class="hidden lg:block h-8 w-auto" src="https://tailwindui.com/img/logos/workflow-logo-indigo-500-mark-white-text.svg" alt="Workflow">
        </div>
        <div class="hidden sm:block sm:ml-6">
          <div class="flex space-x-4">
            <a href="#" class="bg-gray-900 text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Dashboard</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Team</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Projects</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Calendar</a>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      ...
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

Step 4: Add additional features

Finally, we can add additional features like dropdown menus, search boxes, and user profiles to the navbar. We can use the following classes to add these features:

<nav class="bg-gray-800">
  <div class="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-2 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <div class="relative flex items-center justify-between h-16">
      <div class="absolute inset-y-0 left-0 flex items-center sm:hidden">
        <!-- Mobile menu button -->
        ...
      </div>
      <div class="flex-1 flex items-center justify-center sm:items-stretch sm:justify-start">
        <div class="flex-shrink-0">
          ...
        </div>
        <div class="hidden sm:block sm:ml-6">
          <div class="flex space-x-4">
            <a href="#" class="bg-gray-900 text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Dashboard</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Team</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Projects</a>
            <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-sm font-medium">Calendar</a>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="absolute inset-y-0 right-0 flex items-center pr-2 sm:static sm:inset-auto sm:ml-6 sm:pr-0">
        <button class="bg-gray-800 p-1 rounded-full text-gray-400 hover:text-white focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:ring-offset-gray-800 focus:ring-white">
          <span class="sr-only">View notifications</span>
          <!-- Heroicon name: bell -->
          ...
        </button>

        <!-- Profile dropdown -->
        <div class="ml-3 relative">
          <div>
            <button type="button" class="bg-gray-800 flex text-sm rounded-full focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:ring-offset-gray-800 focus:ring-white" id="user-menu" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true">
              <span class="sr-only">Open user menu</span>
              <img class="h-8 w-8 rounded-full" src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/7860930?v=4" alt="">
            </button>
          </div>
          <!--
            Profile dropdown panel, show/hide based on dropdown state.

            Entering: "transition ease-out duration-100"
              From: "transform opacity-0 scale-95"
              To: "transform opacity-100 scale-100"
            Leaving: "transition ease-in duration-75"
              From: "transform opacity-100 scale-100"
              To: "transform opacity-0 scale-95"
          -->
          <div class="hidden origin-top-right absolute right-0 mt-2 w-48 rounded-md shadow-lg py-1 bg-white ring-1 ring-black ring-opacity-5" role="menu" aria-orientation="vertical" aria-labelledby="user-menu">
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Your Profile</a>
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Settings</a>
            <a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100" role="menuitem">Sign out</a>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <!-- Mobile menu, show/hide based on menu state. -->
  <div class="sm:hidden" id="mobile-menu">
    <div class="px-2 pt-2 pb-3 space-y-1">
      <a href="#" class="bg-gray-900 text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Dashboard</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Team</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Projects</a>
      <a href="#" class="text-gray-300 hover:bg-gray-700 hover:text-white block px-3 py-2 rounded-md text-base font-medium">Calendar</a>
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tailwind CSS provides a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to create a fully responsive and customizable navbar with minimal effort. By following the steps outlined in this article, developers can easily create a beautiful and functional navbar for their web applications.