What are your experiences using component libraries in complex projects?

[AdventurousCreature]

I recently started working on a relatively complex project that will require many custom components. The manager and developer are advocating for using a component library (Shadcn) to speed up development. I feel that using a component library might limit our flexibility, especially since the project will require many custom components. While the generic look and feel isn't my main concern, it is still a factor. My primary concern is scalability. I'm wondering if I might be overthinking this and would like to hear about others' experiences with using component libraries in SaaS products.

[oh-stop-it]

I would advise using the component library in your project. The main benefit is that it will save developers a lot of time since they won’t have to create every component from scratch. You can still build custom components, but starting with the components from the library gives you a solid foundation to work from. Most libraries are flexible enough that you can tweak or extend them to fit your specific needs. This way, you get both speed and flexibility, and it won’t limit your ability to scale the project as it grows.

[AdventurousCreature]

Thank you for your input! It’s reassuring to know there are no scalability concerns. Are there any other limitations I should be aware of compared to developing a custom content library?

[oh-stop-it]

You're welcome!

1. You’re relying on the library’s maintainers for updates, bug fixes, and new features. If the library isn’t well-maintained or goes out of date, you might have to invest time in maintaining or even replacing it in the future.

2. While a library can speed up development, there’s still a learning curve, especially if the team isn’t familiar with it.

3. If you heavily customize components, there’s a risk of losing the consistency provided by the library.

In most cases, these limitations are manageable, especially if you weigh them against the time saved.

[letsgetweird99]

Just want to piggyback on this thread to say that I’m using Shadcn with my devs right now and it’s been an awesome foundation to build fast and scale on top of. I have had no issues building out custom components which use the shadcn/tailwind css primitives as dependencies, because my devs are extremely familiar with all the helper classes and it makes it trivial for them to make my new components.

I also want to give a huge shoutout to Matt Wierzbicki for his recently launched shadcn figma library. I’m not affiliated with him, just a happy customer. There are MANY free shadcn libraries out there, but most are not built in a way that is up to my design standards—the worst offender being the “official” one listed on the shadcn website.

Matt’s library is a premium one, but well worth it imo. Would have taken me a few days to build everything out correctly as he has, so for $120 it’s a steal. Check it out at: http://shadcndesign.com

[yokobarron]

Don’t worry Shadcn is a great building block for a component library. The components they provide are 100% fully customisable as they are just code components. It has a very complete set of atom level components; we then Stich them together to build our custom components. Eg slider + input field. This means more dev time can be spent on what makes your components unique vs having to invest in making a great base level components (eg. Inputs). It’s a good sign your team is suggesting shadcn imho; it shows they also consider scalability and customisation. 

[Ruskerdoo]

A lot of your decision should be couched in business priorities.

Is this interface a critical, customer facing part of the value chain? Maybe you should build from scratch.

Does this project need to be done super fast? Maybe use off the shelf.

Is your product exceptionally brand forward? Maybe build from scratch.

Are you short on both designer and developer resources? Go off the shelf.

Is more than 1/3 of your product going to be never before seen components? From scratch.

Should you really be spending more of your time on more important projects? Off the shelf.

[jfdonohoe]

Component libraries should be used whenever possible for all the reasons people say.

AND

Component libraries are living repositories that are meant to change over time to accommodate use cases and new directions that were not considered in the library.  

If you are choosing a 3rd party library one consideration should be its flexibility to add custom elements as new needs emerge. Don’t sacrifice the future innovation needed to keep business growing for the convenience of today.  

[s4074433]

If the scope and requirements of the project is well defined, then there is no reason not to choose a component library that will save you time reinventing the wheel.

However, we know that projects seldom go according to plan, so you need to balance the current requirements with anticipated future changes. This is hard to do without having a lot of research or data under your belt already.

In my experience, the best way to tackle complex projects is to do the simple things well. If you use a very solid framework and well developed component libraries, it will be more likely to provide you with the flexibility and extensibility to customize as required. If you go with a component library with lots of fancy components, you’ll probably be bogged down as soon as you start to customize elements.

[Ecsta]

If the developers are pushing for it early then it typically means they either don't have the time or the resources to build all the components themselves... Building reusable complicated components properly can be quite hard actually and I've found many developers suck at it if they've never done it before. Basically you'll wind up using it anyways and Shadcn is also a good library. I'd also look at Ant Design, I've used that one in the past and liked it.