#What is Franken UI?

Franken UI is a free, open-source library of UI components developed by the Franken UI team, designed to provide a framework-agnostic solution for building modern web interfaces. Its primary goal is to offer developers a collection of accessible, customizable components that can be easily integrated into any project, targeting those who need a lightweight, HTML-first approach with Tailwind CSS compatibility.

The library leverages UIkit 3 for JavaScript functionality and accessibility, while extending its capabilities with LitElement for web components. Influenced by shadcn/ui’s design, Franken UI allows for per-project styling customization, supports light/dark modes, and is optimized for performance with a smaller CSS footprint (128.78kb) compared to UIkit’s 297.88kb.

#Features ⚡️

• HTML-First: Components work standalone or as a Tailwind CSS plugin for flexibility.

• Framework-Agnostic: Compatible with Laravel, Astro, SvelteKit, and more.

• Light/Dark Modes: Toggle themes using the dark class or system preferences.

• Accessible Components: Built with UIkit 3 for better accessibility support.

• Customizable: Hooks allow per-project styling adjustments, e.g., rounded corners.

• Lightweight: Smaller CSS size (128.78kb) compared to UIkit (297.88kb).

#Pros and Cons

#Pros ✅

• Performance: Optimized CSS size reduces load times compared to UIkit.

• Free and Open-Source: MIT license allows unrestricted use and modification.

• Framework Flexibility: Works with multiple frameworks like Laravel and SvelteKit.

• Community Support: 1.8k GitHub stars and active contributions from developers.

• Customizable Design: Hooks enable project-specific styling adjustments.

#Cons ⚠️

• Incomplete Components: Missing some shadcn/ui elements, though more are planned.

• Theme Persistence: Theme switcher doesn’t save light/dark settings, per GitHub issues.

• Learning Curve: Requires familiarity with UIkit 3 and Tailwind CSS for advanced use.

• Limited Documentation: Docs lack depth for some customization options like hooks.

#Included Components - Templates

Franken UI provides a variety of UI components:

• Alert: Customizable alerts with color and background options in AlertData.

• Badge: Styled badges with color variants in BadgeData.

• Breadcrumb: Navigation breadcrumbs with customizable items in BreadcrumbData.

• Button: Buttons with types, colors, and disabled states in ButtonData.

#Pricing 💵

Franken UI operates on a Free model:

• Free Access: Fully open-source under the MIT license, with no cost to use or modify.

#Integrations 🧰

Franken UI integrates with:

• Tailwind CSS: Works as a plugin with Tailwind for styling.

• UIkit 3: Core JavaScript and accessibility foundation.

• LitElement: Extends UIkit for web component functionality.

• Frameworks: Supports Laravel, Astro, SvelteKit, and more via templates.