Show HN: Basecoat – shadcn/UI components, no React required
77 hunvreus 30 5/13/2025, 11:22:40 AM
Basecoat ports the upcoming shadcn/ui v4 [1] to plain HTML + Tailwind (no React):
- Live demo & documentation: https://basecoatui.com
- MIT‑licensed and free: https://github.com/hunvreus/basecoat/
- Works with any backend (Flask, Django, Rails, PHP, etc.) or static site.
- Fully theme‑compatible with shadcn/ui [2].
- Uses a sliver of Alpine.js only for a few interactive bits (e.g. combobox). Swap in your own JS if you prefer.
- Dead simple to use, just drop in a class here and there:
<button class="btn" data-tooltip="This is a tooltip text">Click me</button>
Feedback is most welcome: bugs, requests for components, criticism.
[2]: https://basecoatui.com/installation/#install-theming
[3]: https://pagescms.org
I understand that Next.js can feel bloated, especially when used as a static site generator or within a classic JAMStack setup.
Basecoatui reminds me a bit of Bootstrap during the golden era of Ruby on Rails.
I took a look at the Git repository and tried to find an automated solution to convert shadcn to plain HTML but didn't find anything suitable. Is there a script available for this, or was this done manually?
I've normally done DaisyUI + Tailwind + Rails but it never feels quite right. Basecoat is a really nice step forward.
I have to imagine the author is planning to charge for a premium package at some point, but given that a huge % of development is spent on UI design, I'd be more than happy to pay for a year of updates.
Also, reminds me of https://franken-ui.dev
I think it may be on the heavier side though (~100k).
One suggestion would be adding a focus trap, such as when a Dialog opens. It's nice to use the tab key to move around the Dialog (inputs and buttons). Currently focus leaves to the page behind. It might be as simple as adding https://alpinejs.dev/plugins/focus#x-trap
And all CSS is custom classes that use Tailwind @apply, I'm not sure why, can someone elaborate.
(I like building pure html files in alpine)
Have you fully tested it with Solaris or AIX? /s