DEV Community

Pimolu
Pimolu

Posted on

Introducing Pimolu UI - Building an Open-Source React Component Library

#react #web #opensource

Hey DEV Community! 👋

I've been working on something for a while, and I wanted to finally share it.

Meet Pimolu UI, an open-source React component library I'm building with TypeScript.

The goal is pretty simple: create reusable, customizable UI components that look good, work well together, and make building interfaces a little easier.

Why I started Pimolu UI

There are already plenty of great UI libraries out there, like shadcn/ui, HeroUI, Mantine, and others.

So why build another one?

I wanted to experiment with building my own design system, understand how component libraries work under the hood, and create something I could keep improving across different projects.

I'm not trying to reinvent everything. I'm trying to build something useful and learn along the way.

What I'm working on

A few areas I've been focusing on:

  • React + TypeScript: Reusable components with typed APIs.
  • Customization: Design tokens and CSS variables to make styling easier to adjust.
  • Themes: Consistent styling across components, including light and dark themes.
  • Interactions: Component states, transitions, and animations.
  • Developer experience: Making components straightforward to use and customize.

One thing I really want to get right is customization.

I've used libraries where changing one small detail turns into fighting CSS overrides. I'm trying to avoid that with a token-based styling system.

A quick look at Pimolu UI

I also put together a short motion showcase to demonstrate some of the components, interactions, and interfaces.

It's a more cinematic presentation than everyday UI usage, but it gives an idea of the visual direction I'm exploring.

Pimolu Components

Pimolu Components

What's next?

There's still a lot I want to improve.

I'm continuing to work on the components, documentation, customization options, and overall consistency.

And honestly, figuring out what makes Pimolu different from existing libraries is still part of the process.

I'd love your feedback

If you've worked with React component libraries before, I'm curious:

  • What makes you choose one UI library over another?
  • What customization problems frustrate you the most?
  • Do you prefer subtle animations or more expressive interactions?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

GitHub: https://github.com/pimoludev/ui

Website: https://pimolu.com

Thanks for checking out Pimolu UI! 🚀

Top comments (0)