Tailwind CSS React Placeholder - Free Examples & Tutorial

Use responsive placeholders component with helper examples for width, color, sizing, placeholder animations & more.

Basic example

In the example below, we take a typical card component and recreate it with placeholders applied to create a "loading card". Size and proportions are the same between the two.

import React from 'react';
import { TERipple } from 'tw-elements-react';

export default function PlaceholderBasicExample(): JSX.Element {
  return (
    <div>
      <div
        className="max-w-xs rounded-lg bg-white shadow-[0_2px_15px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.07),0_10px_20px_-2px_rgba(0,0,0,0.04)] dark:bg-neutral-700">
        <img
          src="https://tecdn.b-cdn.net/img/new/standard/nature/184.jpg"
          className="rounded-t-lg"
          alt="..." />
        <div className="p-6">
          <h5
            className="mb-2 text-xl font-medium leading-tight text-neutral-800 dark:text-neutral-50">
            Card title
          </h5>
          <p className="mb-4 text-base text-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-200">
            Some quick example text to build on the card title and make up the
            bulk of the card's content.
          </p>
          <TERipple>
            <button
              type="button"
              className="inline-block rounded bg-primary px-6 pb-2 pt-2.5 text-xs font-medium uppercase leading-normal text-white shadow-[0_4px_9px_-4px_#3b71ca] transition duration-150 ease-in-out hover:bg-primary-600 hover:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:bg-primary-600 focus:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:outline-none focus:ring-0 active:bg-primary-700 active:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] dark:shadow-[0_4px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.5)] dark:hover:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.2),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.1)] dark:focus:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.2),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.1)] dark:active:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.2),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.1)]">
              Go somewhere
            </button>
          </TERipple>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div
        className="max-w-xs rounded-lg bg-white shadow-[0_2px_15px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.07),0_10px_20px_-2px_rgba(0,0,0,0.04)] dark:bg-neutral-700"
        aria-hidden="true">
        <img
          src="https://tecdn.b-cdn.net/img/new/standard/nature/182.webp"
          className="rounded-t-lg"
          alt="..." />
        <div className="p-6">
          <h5
            className="mb-2 animate-pulse text-xl font-medium text-neutral-900 dark:text-white">
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-6/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          </h5>
          <p
            className="mb-4 animate-pulse text-base text-neutral-700 dark:text-white">
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-7/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-4/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-4/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-6/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-8/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          </p>
          <a
            href="#"
            tabIndex={-1}
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-6/12 flex-auto cursor-wait rounded bg-primary px-6 pb-2 pt-2.5 text-xs font-medium uppercase leading-normal text-white opacity-50 shadow-[0_4px_9px_-4px_#3b71ca] transition duration-150 ease-in-out before:inline-block before:content-[''] hover:bg-primary-600 hover:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:bg-primary-600 focus:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:outline-none focus:ring-0 active:bg-primary-700 active:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)]"></a>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Hey there 👋 we're excited about TW Elements for React and want to see it grow! If you enjoy it, help the project grow by sharing it with your peers. Every share counts, thank you!

How it works

import React from 'react';

export default function App() {
  return (
      <div>
          <p
            aria-hidden="true"
            className="mb-4 text-base text-neutral-700 dark:text-white">
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-6/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          </p>
          <a
            href="#"
            tabIndex={-1}
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-4/12 flex-auto cursor-wait rounded bg-primary px-6 pb-2 pt-2.5 text-xs font-medium uppercase leading-normal text-white opacity-50 shadow-[0_4px_9px_-4px_#3b71ca] transition duration-150 ease-in-out before:inline-block before:content-[''] hover:bg-primary-600 hover:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:bg-primary-600 focus:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)] focus:outline-none focus:ring-0 active:bg-primary-700 active:shadow-[0_8px_9px_-4px_rgba(59,113,202,0.3),0_4px_18px_0_rgba(59,113,202,0.2)]"
            aria-hidden="true"></a>
        </div>
  );
}

Width

You can change the width through grid column classes, width utilities, or inline styles.

import React from 'react';

export default function App() {
  return (
      <div>

          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-6/12 flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-9/12 cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
        </div>
  );
}

Colors

By default, the placeholder uses currentColor. This can be overridden with a custom color or utility class.

import React from 'react';

export default function App() {
  return (
      <div>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-white"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-primary align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-secondary align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-success align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-danger align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-warning align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-info align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-neutral-200 align-middle opacity-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-neutral-800 align-middle opacity-50 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:opacity-50"></span>
        </div>
  );
}

Sizing

import React from 'react';

export default function App() {
  return (
      <div>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1.2em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[0.8em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          <span
            className="inline-block min-h-[0.6em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
        </div>
  );
}

Animation

import React from 'react';

export default function App() {
  return (
      <div>
          <p className="mb-4 animate-pulse">
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          </p>
          <p
            className="mb-4 animate-[placeholder-wave_2s_linear_infinite] [mask-size:200%_100%]">
            <span
              className="inline-block min-h-[1em] w-full flex-auto cursor-wait bg-current align-middle text-base text-neutral-700 opacity-50 dark:text-neutral-50"></span>
          </p>
        </div>
  );
}

If you are looking for more advanced options, try Bootstrap Placeholders from MDBootstrap.

Placeholders

Tailwind CSS React Placeholders