UIkit

A lightweight CSS and JavaScript framework for building fast web interfaces.

Stars: 18.5k
Forks: 2.3k
Licence: MIT
Language: HTML
Last update: 4 days ago
Type: Library

What it is

UIkit is a front-end framework, a ready-made set of styles and scripts that helps you build web page layouts and interface components without writing everything from scratch. It is described as lightweight and modular, so you can use the parts you need. It is open source under the MIT license and is developed by YOOtheme.

Add a prebuilt layout and components to a static website by loading UIkit's CSS and JavaScript
Install UIkit from npm into a JavaScript project and import the parts you need
Load UIkit directly from the jsDelivr CDN for a quick prototype

Great for

Developers who want prebuilt web interface components without a heavy setup
Teams building websites who want a modular, lightweight CSS and JavaScript toolkit
Developers who prefer loading a library via npm, yarn, pnpm, or jsDelivr

Not ideal for

People who need a no-code website builder, since UIkit is a code-level framework
Projects that must support older browsers, because the README lists support only for the latest versions of major browsers

Step-by-step guide: how to use UIkitInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

UIkit alternatives Bootstrap vs UIkit Tailwind CSS vs UIkit Bulma vs UIkit

How to get it

1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js (only if installing via npm, yarn, or pnpm; the README does not state a version)
Install with npm
npm install uikit
Install with yarn
yarn add uikit
Install with pnpm
pnpm add uikit
Clone the repo for source files and build scripts
git clone git@github.com:uikit/uikit.git
2
Run it
- Install UIkit with npm, yarn, or pnpm, or download the latest release zip from GitHub
- Include UIkit's CSS and JavaScript files in your HTML page, or load them from jsDelivr
- Open the page in your browser and check that the styles and components apply
- Consult the homepage at getuikit.com for component examples and documentation
3
Get the most out of it
- Use the dev tag (npm install uikit@dev) if you want the latest development version before a release
- Load from the jsDelivr CDN to avoid hosting the files yourself
- Clone the repo if you want the source files and build scripts for customization
- Check the Discord chat linked in the README for developer questions

Downloads

Source code (.zip)develop branch · straight from GitHub Release v3.25.281 files incl. uikit-3.25.28.zip Official website & docsgetuikit.com

Strengths

Described by its authors as lightweight and modular, so you can include only what you use
Multiple install options, including a direct download, npm, yarn, pnpm, and a CDN
Released under the permissive MIT license

Trade-offs

The README lists browser support only for the latest version of each major browser, which may not fit wider compatibility needs
The README is brief on features, so you will need the homepage or docs to learn the component set
Developed by a single company, YOOtheme, so project direction depends on its maintainers

How it compares

Project	Stars	Type	Level	Updated	Best for
uikit (this)	18.5k	Library	beginner	4 days ago	Developers who want prebuilt web interface components without a heavy setup
bootstrap	175k	Library	beginner	4 days ago	Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
tailwindcss	98.3k	Library	intermediate	4 days ago	Web developers who build their own interfaces and want to avoid writing large custom stylesheets
bulma	50k	Library	beginner	2 months ago	Developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page

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.