Tailwind Labs has released Tailwind CSS 4.0, a complete rewrite of the build engine and a new approach to configuration.
Oxide Engine
The new Oxide engine, built in Rust, replaces the JavaScript-based engine:
- 10x faster full builds — From seconds to milliseconds for large projects
- Incremental compilation — Sub-10ms rebuilds during development
- Lower memory usage — 50% less memory consumption
Zero Configuration
Tailwind 4.0 works without a config file. Simply import it in your CSS:
@import "tailwindcss";Automatic content detection scans your project for class usage without configuring content paths.
CSS-First Configuration
Configuration has moved from JavaScript to CSS using the new @theme directive:
@theme {
--color-primary: #FF9900;
--font-display: "Inter", sans-serif;
--breakpoint-xl: 1280px;
}Other Changes
- Native CSS Cascade Layers — Using @layer for proper specificity management
- Container queries — Built-in @container support
- 3D transforms — rotate-x, rotate-y, perspective utilities
