Tailwind CSS v4 Support Lands – New Finance & Accounting theme is coming
Andy Leverenz
Hey!
I’m writing you to share a quick update about what’s going on with Rails UI.
Tailwind CSS 4 has launched, including some breaking changes. As a result, I spent some time upgrading the gem, which I hope will make using it much easier and more efficient.
What’s new in Rails UI
The most significant update, beyond cleaned-up and refactored code, is the removal of color definitions from the Rails UI configuration. Instead, Rails UI now supports Tailwind CSS v4 natively. Previously, color hex codes were stored in the railsui.yml config file, adjustable via Tailwind CSS, to maintain a reusable color scheme across themes.
This process is now streamlined with Tailwind v4’s shift to a CSS-based setup. The new @theme directive in Tailwind handles branded colors seamlessly, eliminating extra configuration in Rails UI.
Each theme now includes two additional brand colors alongside Tailwind’s default palette, consolidated into a single theme.css file. This file is automatically included during installation or theme changes and remains fully customizable.
Official gem published to rubygems.org
It finally happened; the open-source version of Rails UI is now hosted on rubygems.org. You can add gem "railsui" to your Gemfile and run bundle install to fetch the gem. I have wanted to do this for some time now, but there were so many moving parts to iron out with the gem that I held off. Now that the foundation is laid, I figured the time was right. Check it out on rubygems.org.
A refreshed splash page
While in the thick of the Tailwind v4 update, I took some time to re-imagine the splash page you see after installing Rails UI for the first time on a new app. This screen aims to help you take immediate action when booting your server locally. Everything from the Rails API documentation to Rails UI components is linked up for easy access.
A new theme is in the works.
I recently published a poll on X asking for feedback on the focus of the next Rails UI theme.
It was a close race, but Accounting/Finance took the lead after 15 votes. 15 is not the most significant demographic, but it's enough to help me steer the ship. With this in mind, I plan for the next theme to be some form of personal finance SaaS tool. It is in the early stages, but I wanted to share the good news that more themes are coming.
What’s missing from Rails UI?
Here’s where I need your help. If you have a few seconds, hit reply or DM me on X with any suggestions or feedback for Rails UI. What am I getting wrong with Rails UI? What’s missing? What can I improve or add? What do you want to see in Rails regarding better overall design? I’m a simple message away and will reply if you wanna chat about it!