Layui
A free, open-source UI component library for building web pages with plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
- Stars
- 30.6k
- Forks
- 7.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Layui is a set of ready-made user interface components for websites, such as buttons, forms, tables and pop-up windows. It follows a plain approach: you write standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript for browsers, without a build system or a specific framework. The README says it was built to lower the barrier for people who are not front-end specialists to create complex web interfaces.
- Add styled forms, tables and buttons to a traditional website
- Build a back-office or admin page with plain HTML
- Show pop-up dialogs and messages without a framework
Great for
- Developers maintaining existing sites or admin panels built on Layui
- Non-front-end developers who want UI components without learning a framework
- Small projects that prefer plain browser-native code
- Teams that already use Layui 2.x in production
Not ideal for
- Teams starting a new large single-page app: the README says Layui 3 is still in development, and the README does not describe a React, Vue or similar integration
- Projects that need a modern component ecosystem: the README does not compare its component depth or accessibility with other libraries
How to get it
- 1
See the README
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/layui/layui.git - 2
Run it
- Download the latest release zip (layui-v2.13.9.zip) from the releases page or clone the repository
- Open the documentation at https://layui.dev/docs/2/
- Include the layui CSS and JavaScript files in an HTML page
- Open the page in a browser and check that the components render
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the Layui 2 documentation at layui.dev for component examples
- Check the npm package named layui if you prefer a package-manager install
- Watch the Layui 3 issue on GitHub to track the next major version
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and MIT-licensed, so it can be used in commercial projects under that license
- Works with plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript, with no framework required
- Long history since 2016 and active releases, with the latest version listed as v2.13.9
Trade-offs
- Layui 3 is listed as in development, so the current line is version 2
- The README is mostly a project history and does not give detailed feature or browser support information
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| layui (this) | 30.6k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers maintaining existing sites or admin panels built on Layui |
| bootstrap | 175k | Library | beginner | 5 days ago | Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly |
| element-plus | 27.8k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | Developers building admin panels or business web apps with Vue 3 |
| ant-design | 100k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | React developers building admin dashboards or internal business tools |
| materialize | 38.8k | Library | beginner | 3 months ago | Developers building a web page or app who want a Material Design look quickly |
| daisyui | 42.7k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers already using Tailwind CSS who want prebuilt components |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.