@linaria/core is a zero-runtime CSS-in-JS library that offers a seamless way to style your components using JavaScript. It allows you to write CSS directly in your JavaScript files, eliminating the need for a build step or runtime CSS processing. Linaria provides excellent performance by extracting styles at build time and generating minimal CSS output.
Windicss is a utility-first CSS framework that aims to optimize your CSS by removing unused styles and reducing the overall file size. It provides a set of utility classes that can be used to style your components without writing custom CSS. Windicss is highly customizable and allows you to configure the framework to include only the styles you need, resulting in a more efficient and lightweight CSS output.
Both @linaria/core and WindiCSS are popular npm packages in the front-end development community. However, WindiCSS has gained significant popularity in recent years due to its focus on utility-first CSS and its integration with popular frameworks like Vue.js and React.
CSS-in-JS vs Utility-first CSS
@linaria/core is a CSS-in-JS library that allows you to write CSS styles in JavaScript. It provides a way to extract and optimize the CSS during the build process. On the other hand, WindiCSS is a utility-first CSS framework that focuses on generating small and optimized CSS bundles by using utility classes. It provides a set of pre-defined utility classes that can be used directly in HTML templates.
Developer Experience
Both packages offer a good developer experience, but they have different approaches. @linaria/core provides a familiar CSS syntax and allows you to write CSS styles directly in your JavaScript code. It offers features like automatic class name generation and dynamic styling. WindiCSS, on the other hand, provides a utility-first approach where you can use pre-defined utility classes to style your components. It offers features like JIT (Just-in-Time) compilation, which generates CSS on-demand based on your usage.
Integration with Frameworks
Both @linaria/core and WindiCSS can be integrated with popular front-end frameworks like React and Vue.js. However, WindiCSS has better integration and tooling support for frameworks like Vue.js, as it provides a dedicated plugin for seamless integration. @linaria/core can be used with React, but it requires additional configuration and setup.
Bundle Size
In terms of bundle size, @linaria/core generates optimized CSS during the build process, which can result in smaller bundle sizes compared to traditional CSS-in-JS libraries. WindiCSS, being a utility-first CSS framework, generates optimized CSS by using utility classes, which can also result in smaller bundle sizes. However, the actual bundle size depends on the usage and configuration of each package.
Community and Documentation
Both @linaria/core and WindiCSS have active communities and provide good documentation. However, WindiCSS has gained more traction and has a larger community due to its popularity. It also has extensive documentation and examples available, making it easier for developers to get started and find support.
