Do you still use Bootstrap in your projects? If so, why? If not, why not

Discussion
1

Hey everyone,

I’m the creator and maintainer of a Bootstrap fork, and I’m curious about how the webdev community currently feels about Bootstrap.

  • Do you still use it in your projects?
  • If yes, what keeps you using it?
  • If no, what made you move away from it?
  • What would you like to see changed or improved?

I’ve seen a lot of discussions over the years about whether Bootstrap is still relevant, especially with utility-first CSS frameworks like Tailwind gaining popularity. But Bootstrap still powers a huge number of websites.

Would love to hear your thoughts—both from those who love Bootstrap and those who have moved on!

2

Yes I still use it because I’m a full stack developer which means I’m expected to handle front end work but I don’t have much time for it and I’m not good at it. So building everything with Bootstrap ensures that it works and looks fine.

We’re just a small team of two If I had someone dedicated to the front end, I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t use Bootstrap.

3

@Niko
Lol are we living the same life I can make the front end do anything you want I will make that UI sing and have a solid backend supporting your dreams!

But it’s going to look like Shrek took a dump in your browser.

4

@Niko
This is why I hate companies that only look for full-stack devs when the work should be done by two people.

5

Reid said:
@Niko
This is why I hate companies that only look for full-stack devs when the work should be done by two people.

My company started that way. We had a graphics person, me handling front end, and a backend guy. But we didn’t have enough work for the graphics person, and I learned backend work instead because I was often just sitting around.

6

@Niko
Same here small team and full stack responsibilities Bootstrap saves me a lot of time on the front end which isn’t my strong suit I can focus on functionality knowing the UI won’t look bad. For teams without dedicated front-end devs, Bootstrap is still extremely useful.

7

@Niko
I couldn’t agree more

8

@Niko
The life of a Fullstack Web Dev in a nutshell lol I really dislike front end work so I use the tools available to make my life easier

9

Yes but mainly because our old apps still work and we never updated (still on v3)

10

Rin said:
Yes but mainly because our old apps still work and we never updated (still on v3)

How do you handle security I’m in the process of rewriting all my v3 apps to remove it

11

Avery said:

Rin said:
Yes but mainly because our old apps still work and we never updated (still on v3)

How do you handle security I’m in the process of rewriting all my v3 apps to remove it

The security concerns with Bootstrap are pretty niche in most cases

12

Avery said:

Rin said:
Yes but mainly because our old apps still work and we never updated (still on v3)

How do you handle security I’m in the process of rewriting all my v3 apps to remove it

We do periodic updates for third-party libraries and keep jQuery recent But most issues were related to PHP or other server components we didn’t use. There aren’t many security issues in the UI space

13

@Rin

We’ve upgraded our security and have faced multiple attacks that seem state-sponsored These are hard to exploit but I’m worried about unknown vulnerabilities from powerful nations.

14

@Avery
This list just covers XXS issues which are the responsibility of the rendering engine on the backend and not the Bootstrap library itself.

15

It’s still my go-to for projects without a dedicated designer After 10+ years, it’s very familiar and lets me build things quickly while maintaining some level of visual appeal.

I’ve tried Tailwind a bit and can’t say I’m a fan… but that might just be my reluctance to change.

16

@Jesse
Exactly!

I also love using Bootstrap Studio It makes layout creation simple and is my go-to when I start a new project.

Edit: I also still use jQuery

17

I use a lightly customized version of Bootstrap for the SaaS I’m building I really like it The utilities provide just the right functionality for me.

I’ve never tried other frameworks because Bootstrap just works for me.

For those who say Bootstrap looks generic:

  • you can customize it in just a few lines of code
  • more importantly no user has ever complained about this It’s just designers who complain
18

Yes I use it constantly It’s still one of the best libraries out there and has solutions for almost any UI challenge.

19

I still use Bootstrap because it’s much easier and faster than other UI libraries.

I’ve tried Tailwind and others but when I need to build something like a modal, I wish I was using Bootstrap instead.

It’s also pretty easy to make a Bootstrap site look unique these days.

20

It’s funny to compare Bootstrap and Tailwind They both serve different needs.

For example, Bootstrap, while sometimes generic, provides pre-built components like tabs and accordions while Tailwind focuses on UI features like colors and sizes which are used to compose elements.

So for a blue button, you can just use class ‘btn btn-primary’ and be done with it but with Tailwind, you’ll need a long list of classes.

If you need a UI fast, Bootstrap can actually get you started quicker than Tailwind.