Tailwind CSS v4: A New Era
CSS-Based Configuration
Gone is tailwind.config.ts. Configuration now lives in CSS with @theme inline.
Lightning CSS Engine
10x faster builds, native CSS nesting, automatic vendor prefixing.
Custom Variants
@custom-variant dark (&:is(.dark *));
Container Queries
Built-in container query support with @container.
New Utilities
- text-wrap-balance
- size-* shorthand
- inset-shadow-*
- field-sizing-content
Performance
Build time: ~800ms → ~80ms. HMR refresh: ~200ms → ~20ms.
Originally published on IceCat Studio Blog.