Using Material UI and Other Component

Modern web applications rely heavily on clean, consistent, and responsive user interfaces. Designing such UIs from scratch takes time and effort, especially when focusing on accessibility, responsiveness, and design patterns. This is where UI component libraries come into play.

React developers often turn to libraries such as Material UI (MUI), Chakra UI, and Ant Design to speed up development, ensure design consistency, and maintain scalability. These libraries offer pre-built, customizable, and accessible UI components that can be seamlessly integrated into React projects.

This post explains the purpose of component libraries in React, explores the features and usage of MUI, Chakra UI, and Ant Design, compares their strengths and weaknesses, and discusses when and how to use them effectively.

---

Understanding UI Component Libraries

A UI component library is a collection of reusable and customizable React components that follow a specific design system or aesthetic. These components include buttons, modals, forms, navigation bars, data tables, grids, and more.

Instead of coding every visual element from scratch, developers can import these ready-to-use components, customize them via props or themes, and focus more on business logic rather than design implementation.

Benefits of Using UI Component Libraries

1. Faster Development – Pre-built components reduce the need for repetitive styling and layout design.
2. Design Consistency – Libraries follow uniform design systems that ensure consistency across pages.
3. Accessibility (A11y) – Components are usually built with ARIA standards and best practices.
4. Customization – Most libraries allow extensive theming, overrides, and styling flexibility.
5. Cross-Browser Compatibility – Libraries are tested across browsers, ensuring UI reliability.
6. Community and Support – Popular libraries like MUI and Ant Design have strong communities, frequent updates, and documentation.

---

Material UI (MUI): Overview and Features

Material UI (MUI) is one of the most widely used React component libraries, based on Google’s Material Design principles. It provides a robust system for building visually appealing, responsive, and accessible UIs with minimal setup.

Installing MUI

To use MUI in a React project, install it via npm or yarn:

npm install @mui/material @emotion/react @emotion/styled

You can also install MUI icons if needed:

npm install @mui/icons-material

Basic Usage

After installation, you can import and use components directly:

import React from 'react';
import Button from '@mui/material/Button';

function App() {
  return (
<Button variant="contained" color="primary">
  Click Me
</Button>
  );
}

export default App;

This example renders a Material UI button with a contained (filled) style and a primary color.

---

MUI Core Components

MUI offers a wide variety of core components categorized into layout, navigation, feedback, and data display.

Commonly Used Components

• Button – For triggering actions.
• TextField – For capturing user input.
• Card – For grouping related information.
• AppBar – For navigation headers.
• Grid – For responsive layout design.
• Dialog – For modal interactions.
• Snackbar – For temporary notifications.

Example: MUI Card Component

import React from 'react';
import { Card, CardContent, Typography, Button } from '@mui/material';

function InfoCard() {
  return (
<Card sx={{ maxWidth: 300, margin: '20px', boxShadow: 3 }}>
  <CardContent>
    <Typography variant="h6">React with MUI</Typography>
    <Typography variant="body2">
      Build clean and professional UIs quickly using Material UI.
    </Typography>
    <Button variant="contained" sx={{ marginTop: 2 }}>
      Learn More
    </Button>
  </CardContent>
</Card>
  );
}

export default InfoCard;

The sx prop in MUI allows inline styling using a powerful shorthand syntax compatible with the system’s theming features.

---

Theming and Customization in MUI

MUI provides a theme object that defines global styles for colors, typography, and component behavior.

Creating a Custom Theme

import { createTheme, ThemeProvider } from '@mui/material/styles';
import Button from '@mui/material/Button';

const theme = createTheme({
  palette: {
primary: {
  main: '#00695c',
},
secondary: {
  main: '#ff7043',
},
  },
  typography: {
fontFamily: 'Poppins, sans-serif',
  },
});

function ThemedApp() {
  return (
<ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
  <Button variant="contained" color="primary">
    Custom Themed Button
  </Button>
</ThemeProvider>
  );
}

export default ThemedApp;

This global theming allows you to modify your application’s appearance without touching individual components.

---

MUI Styling Options

MUI provides multiple ways to apply custom styles:

1. sx Prop – Inline styles integrated with the theme.
2. styled Utility – Styled-components-like API for defining styled components.
3. makeStyles or useTheme – Legacy and hook-based approaches for more complex use cases.

Example: Using the styled API

import { styled } from '@mui/material/styles';
import Button from '@mui/material/Button';

const CustomButton = styled(Button)({
  backgroundColor: '#1976d2',
  color: 'white',
  '&:hover': {
backgroundColor: '#1565c0',
  },
});

function App() {
  return <CustomButton>Styled MUI Button</CustomButton>;
}

export default App;

---

MUI Advantages

1. Comprehensive Component Library – Hundreds of production-ready components.
2. Material Design Compliance – Based on Google’s guidelines.
3. Strong Theming Support – Global theming and customization.
4. Responsive System – Built-in grid and breakpoint utilities.
5. Accessibility and Performance – Components are optimized for accessibility.

---

MUI Limitations

1. Material Design Bias – Harder to use if your design language differs significantly.
2. Bundle Size – Can increase project size due to dependency footprint.
3. Learning Curve – Theming and customization syntax may be complex initially.
4. Overhead – For small projects, MUI can feel too heavy.

---

Chakra UI: Overview and Features

Chakra UI is another popular React component library known for its simplicity, accessibility, and flexibility. It provides composable, accessible, and themeable components out of the box.

Installing Chakra UI

npm install @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react @emotion/styled framer-motion

Using Chakra UI

import React from 'react';
import { ChakraProvider, Button } from '@chakra-ui/react';

function App() {
  return (
<ChakraProvider>
  <Button colorScheme="teal" size="lg">
    Chakra Button
  </Button>
</ChakraProvider>
  );
}

export default App;

---

Chakra UI Components

Chakra offers core building blocks for any interface:

• Box – A universal container similar to <div>.
• Flex – For creating flexible, responsive layouts.
• Button, Input, Modal, Tabs, Badge, Text, and many others.

Example: Chakra Card Layout

import React from 'react';
import { Box, Text, Button } from '@chakra-ui/react';

function ProfileCard() {
  return (
<Box
  borderWidth="1px"
  borderRadius="lg"
  p={5}
  boxShadow="md"
  maxW="300px"
  m="20px"
>
  <Text fontSize="xl" mb={3}>
    Chakra UI Card
  </Text>
  <Text color="gray.600">Easily create responsive layouts with Chakra.</Text>
  <Button colorScheme="blue" mt={4}>
    View More
  </Button>
</Box>
  );
}

export default ProfileCard;

Chakra’s design emphasizes composability—simple building blocks that combine to form complex layouts.

---

Theming in Chakra UI

The Chakra theme system is intuitive and flexible. You can extend or override default themes easily.

import { extendTheme, ChakraProvider, Button } from '@chakra-ui/react';

const theme = extendTheme({
  colors: {
brand: {
  100: '#f7c948',
  900: '#1a365d',
},
  },
});

function App() {
  return (
<ChakraProvider theme={theme}>
  <Button colorScheme="brand">Brand Button</Button>
</ChakraProvider>
  );
}

export default App;

Chakra themes also support breakpoints, spacing, and typography configuration through the theme object.

---

Chakra UI Advantages

1. Simplicity and Readability – Clean, readable syntax using props.
2. Accessibility by Default – Components follow ARIA standards.
3. Composability – Easy to combine smaller components into complex layouts.
4. Lightweight Theming – Easy customization with minimal configuration.
5. Responsive Props – Built-in responsive styling without media queries.

---

Chakra UI Limitations

1. Less Comprehensive than MUI – Fewer pre-built specialized components.
2. Design Flexibility – Does not follow a strict design system like Material Design.
3. Performance Overhead – The Emotion dependency adds runtime cost.

---

Ant Design: Overview and Features

Ant Design (AntD) is a robust and enterprise-grade React component library developed by Alibaba. It provides a design system suited for professional dashboards and admin interfaces.

Installing Ant Design

npm install antd

Using Ant Design

import React from 'react';
import { Button } from 'antd';
import 'antd/dist/reset.css';

function App() {
  return <Button type="primary">Ant Design Button</Button>;
}

export default App;

---

Ant Design Core Components

Ant Design offers more than 60 pre-built components for enterprise applications.

Commonly Used Components

• Button, Input, Form, Table, Modal, Menu, Layout, Tabs, Select, Pagination.

Example: Ant Design Form

import React from 'react';
import { Form, Input, Button } from 'antd';

function LoginForm() {
  const onFinish = (values) => {
console.log('Form Data:', values);
  };

  return (
<Form
  name="login"
  layout="vertical"
  onFinish={onFinish}
  style={{ maxWidth: 300, margin: 'auto' }}
>
  <Form.Item label="Username" name="username" rules={[{ required: true }]}>
    <Input />
  </Form.Item>
  <Form.Item label="Password" name="password" rules={[{ required: true }]}>
    <Input.Password />
  </Form.Item>
  <Form.Item>
    <Button type="primary" htmlType="submit" block>
      Login
    </Button>
  </Form.Item>
</Form>
  );
}

export default LoginForm;

This demonstrates how Ant Design streamlines form handling with built-in validation and layout control.

---

Ant Design Theming

Ant Design supports theme customization through Less variables or CSS-in-JS configuration.

Example: Custom Theme Using Less

@primary-color: #722ed1;
@border-radius-base: 8px;
@font-size-base: 16px;

You can configure these overrides in your build setup (e.g., webpack) or by using CSS variables.

---

Ant Design Advantages

1. Enterprise-Level Components – Perfect for dashboards and management systems.
2. Advanced Data Components – Includes tables, charts, lists, and pagination.
3. Comprehensive API – Rich set of props and event handlers.
4. Professional Look – Suitable for business-focused apps.
5. Internationalization (i18n) – Built-in multilingual support.

---

Ant Design Limitations

1. Complex Theming – Customizing Less variables requires additional setup.
2. Large Bundle Size – Includes heavy dependencies.
3. Strict Design Language – Less flexibility for non-enterprise UIs.
4. Overhead for Small Apps – Too feature-rich for basic websites.

---

Comparing MUI, Chakra UI, and Ant Design

Feature	MUI	Chakra UI	Ant Design
Design System	Material Design	Minimal, flexible	Enterprise / Ant Design
Ease of Use	Moderate	Easy	Moderate
Theming	Advanced	Simple	Complex
Accessibility	High	High	Medium
Component Variety	Very High	Medium	Very High
Ideal For	General-purpose apps	Startups, portfolios	Enterprise dashboards
Styling Approach	CSS-in-JS (Emotion)	Props-based, Emotion	Less, CSS variables
Performance	Good	Good	Moderate

Each library serves a unique audience:

• MUI: Best for modern, consumer-facing applications.
• Chakra UI: Great for quick prototypes, portfolios, or small projects.
• Ant Design: Ideal for enterprise applications and admin panels.

---

When to Use Component Libraries

Use a UI Library When:

1. You need a consistent, responsive design quickly.
2. You want built-in accessibility and cross-browser support.
3. You’re building a large or collaborative project.
4. You want to save time on CSS and layout work.

Avoid or Limit Library Use When:

1. Your app requires a unique, custom design language.
2. You want minimal dependencies or small bundle size.
3. You’re optimizing for performance in lightweight projects.

---

Combining Component Libraries with Custom Styles

You can blend component libraries with your own custom styles or CSS modules for greater flexibility.

Example using MUI with custom CSS:

import './App.css';
import Button from '@mui/material/Button';

function CustomButton() {
  return <Button className="my-button">Custom Styled Button</Button>;
}

export default CustomButton;

.my-button {
  background-color: #8e24aa;
  color: white;
  border-radius: 10px;
}

This hybrid approach allows developers to enjoy the efficiency of libraries while maintaining brand-specific design control.

---

Performance and Optimization Tips

1. Tree Shaking – Import components individually to reduce bundle size. import Button from '@mui/material/Button';
2. Lazy Loading – Load components or pages on demand using React.lazy.
3. Custom Themes – Define global themes instead of inline styles for scalability.
4. Minimize Overrides – Avoid deeply nested style overrides for maintainability.
5. Bundle Analysis – Use tools like webpack-bundle-analyzer to monitor dependency impact.

---

Accessibility and Localization

All three libraries focus on accessibility and internationalization.

• MUI and Chakra provide ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation.
• Ant Design includes ready-to-use localization support through the ConfigProvider.

Example: Localizing Ant Design

import { ConfigProvider } from 'antd';
import enUS from 'antd/locale/en_US';

function App() {
  return (
<ConfigProvider locale={enUS}>
  {/* App Components */}
</ConfigProvider>
  );
}

---

Real-World Example: Dashboard with MUI

import React from 'react';
import { Grid, Card, CardContent, Typography } from '@mui/material';

function Dashboard() {
  return (
<Grid container spacing={2} sx={{ padding: 2 }}>
  <Grid item xs={12} md={4}>
    <Card>
      <CardContent>
        <Typography variant="h6">Users</Typography>
        <Typography variant="h4">1,245</Typography>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  </Grid>
  <Grid item xs={12} md={4}>
    <Card>
      <CardContent>
        <Typography variant="h6">Orders</Typography>
        <Typography variant="h4">530</Typography>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  </Grid>
  <Grid item xs={12} md={4}>
    <Card>
      <CardContent>
        <Typography variant="h6">Revenue</Typography>
        <Typography variant="h4">$25,300</Typography>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  </Grid>
</Grid>
  );
}

export default Dashboard;

This demonstrates how quickly MUI components can be combined to create professional dashboards.