The simplest way to integrate Tailwind CSS with Django ⚡
No Node.js required! This library provides seamless Tailwind CSS integration for Django using the standalone Tailwind CSS CLI. Inspired by the Tailwind integration for Phoenix, it eliminates the need for Node.js in your Django development workflow.
Warning
Version Compatibility: 4.2.x+ supports Tailwind CSS 4.x only. For Tailwind CSS 3.x, use version 2.21.1.
- 🚀 Zero Node.js dependency - No npm, webpack, or build tools required
- ⚡ Instant setup - Get Tailwind running in under 5 minutes
- 🔄 Hot reload - Watch mode with automatic CSS rebuilding
- 📦 Production ready - Optimized builds with automatic purging
- 🎨 DaisyUI support - Built-in component library integration
- 🛠️ Developer friendly - Rich CLI with helpful error messages and debugging tools
# Using pip
pip install django-tailwind-cli
# Using uv (recommended)
uv add django-tailwind-cli
# Using poetry
poetry add django-tailwind-cliAdd to your settings.py:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
# ... your other apps
"django_tailwind_cli",
]
# Configure static files directory
STATICFILES_DIRS = [BASE_DIR / "assets"]Create or update your base template (e.g., templates/base.html):
<!DOCTYPE html>
{% load tailwind_cli %}
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>My Django App</title>
{% tailwind_css %}
</head>
<body class="bg-gray-50">
<div class="container mx-auto px-4">
{% block content %}{% endblock %}
</div>
</body>
</html>python manage.py tailwind setupThis will guide you through the complete setup process!
# Start development server with hot reload
python manage.py tailwind runserver
# Or run build and watch separately
python manage.py tailwind watch # In one terminal
python manage.py runserver # In another terminalStart adding Tailwind classes to your templates:
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% block content %}
<div class="max-w-4xl mx-auto py-12">
<h1 class="text-4xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-8">
Welcome to Django + Tailwind!
</h1>
<p class="text-lg text-gray-600">
This text is styled with Tailwind CSS.
</p>
<button class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-bold py-2 px-4 rounded mt-4">
Click me!
</button>
</div>
{% endblock %}📚 Next Steps: Check out the full documentation for advanced configuration and usage patterns.
- Automatic CLI download - No manual setup required
- Smart caching - Faster rebuilds with file change detection
- Production optimization - Automatic CSS purging and minification
- Force rebuild -
--forceflag for clean builds
- Interactive setup -
python manage.py tailwind setup - Configuration viewer -
python manage.py tailwind config - Template scanner -
python manage.py tailwind list_templates - Troubleshooting guide -
python manage.py tailwind troubleshoot
- Tailwind CSS 4.x - Latest features and performance improvements
- DaisyUI integration - Pre-built components via tailwindcss-cli-extra
- Custom CSS support - Bring your own styles and configurations
- Template tag - Simple
{% tailwind_css %}inclusion
- File change detection - Only rebuild when necessary
- Concurrent processing - Parallel build and server processes
- Progress indicators - Visual feedback during downloads and builds
- Verbose logging - Detailed diagnostics with
--verbose
| Command | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
setup |
Interactive setup guide | python manage.py tailwind setup |
build |
Production CSS build | python manage.py tailwind build |
watch |
Development file watcher | python manage.py tailwind watch |
runserver |
Combined server + watcher | python manage.py tailwind runserver |
config |
Show current configuration | python manage.py tailwind config |
troubleshoot |
Debug common issues | python manage.py tailwind troubleshoot |
- Python: 3.10+
- Django: 4.0+
- Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux (automatic platform detection)
# settings.py
STATICFILES_DIRS = [BASE_DIR / "assets"]# Pin specific Tailwind version
TAILWIND_CLI_VERSION = "4.1.3"
# Custom CSS paths
TAILWIND_CLI_SRC_CSS = "src/styles/main.css"
TAILWIND_CLI_DIST_CSS = "css/app.css"
# Enable DaisyUI
TAILWIND_CLI_USE_DAISY_UI = True
# Custom CLI path (for CI/CD)
TAILWIND_CLI_PATH = "/usr/local/bin/tailwindcss"
TAILWIND_CLI_AUTOMATIC_DOWNLOAD = False# Optimized for production
TAILWIND_CLI_VERSION = "4.1.3" # Pin version
TAILWIND_CLI_AUTOMATIC_DOWNLOAD = False # Use pre-installed CLI
TAILWIND_CLI_DIST_CSS = "css/tailwind.min.css"CSS not updating?
python manage.py tailwind build --force
python manage.py tailwind troubleshootConfiguration problems?
python manage.py tailwind config
python manage.py tailwind setupMissing templates?
python manage.py tailwind list_templates --verbose- Use file watching:
python manage.py tailwind runserverfor automatic rebuilds - Check template scanning: Ensure all template directories are included
- Optimize builds: Use
--forceonly when necessary - Monitor file changes: Use
--verbosefor detailed logging
Enable beautiful pre-built components:
# settings.py
TAILWIND_CLI_USE_DAISY_UI = True<!-- Use DaisyUI components -->
<button class="btn btn-primary">Primary Button</button>
<div class="card bg-base-100 shadow-xl">
<div class="card-body">
<h2 class="card-title">Card Title</h2>
<p>Card content goes here.</p>
</div>
</div>- 📖 Full Documentation: django-tailwind-cli.rtfd.io
- 🎯 Tailwind CSS Docs: tailwindcss.com
- 🧩 DaisyUI Components: daisyui.com
- 💬 Django Commons: github.com/django-commons
- tailwindcss-cli-extra: DaisyUI-enabled CLI
- Django Extensions: Extended runserver features
- Tailwind CSS IntelliSense: VS Code extension
We welcome contributions! This project uses modern Python tooling for development.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/django-commons/django-tailwind-cli.git
cd django-tailwind-cli
# Setup development environment (with just)
just bootstrap
# Or setup manually with uv
uv venv
uv sync --all-extras# With just (recommended)
just upgrade # Update dependencies
just lint # Run linting and formatting
just test # Run test suite
just test-all # Run tests across Python/Django versions
# Without just
uv sync --all-extras # Update dependencies
uvx pre-commit run --all-files # Run linting
uv run pytest # Run tests
uvx --with tox-uv tox # Run full test matrix- 🍴 Fork the repository
- 🌿 Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - ✅ Test your changes (
just test) - 📝 Commit with conventional commits (
feat:,fix:,docs:, etc.) - 📤 Push to your branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - 🔄 Create a Pull Request
- Type hints for all new code
- Tests for new features and bug fixes
- Documentation updates for user-facing changes
- Conventional commits for clear history
This software is licensed under MIT license.