Abandon UI libraries for React's headless components

Links

• Headless components in React and why I stopped using a UI library for our design system

  The author of the blog post shares their experience of building a design system at Gloat and the challenges they faced with UI libraries like Material UI (MUI). They initially migrated from React-Bootstrap to MUI but encountered limitations when implementing unique components. Frustrated with the lack of control and maintainability, they discovered the concept of headless components. Headless UI libraries like Radix UI, Reach UI, Headless UI, Downshift, and React-aria provide accessible components without default styling, allowing developers to have complete control over functionality and design. The author praises the benefits of using headless components, including improved accessibility, flexibility, and smaller bundle size, but notes the need for more decision-making and a smaller community compared to UI libraries. They recommend considering headless components for projects with unique design requirements.