LayUI Closure and Its Features: An Overview of the Framework’s Strengths and Challenges

Recently the official LayUI website (https://www.layui.com/) announced its closure, which many found bittersweet.

The notice states that new downloads, documentation, and examples will continue to be available on GitHub and Gitee, but the original author’s focus is shifting away from LayUI development.

In the announcement the author encourages developers to embrace Vue.js and Element UI, suggesting that the era of jQuery‑based frameworks like LayUI may be ending.

# LayUI Features

Amid competition from Vue, React, Angular, Ant Design, and Element UI, LayUI survives because of its unique characteristics: it is simple and practical, originally designed for backend developers.

For example, adding class="layui-table" to a static HTML table instantly produces a clean, professional look, which is especially valuable for backend‑oriented projects such as those built with ASP.NET GridView.

Unlike Ant Design, which requires importing various JavaScript modules, LayUI’s components work out‑of‑the‑box with minimal setup.

# LayUI’s Biggest Strength Is Its Aesthetics

The author notes that visual fatigue often stems from overly rich or overly uniform colors; LayUI’s palette is fresh yet deep, providing a harmonious visual experience that remains pleasant over long periods.

He personally prefers LayUI’s layout for backend projects and has used it extensively in his own software.

# LayAdmin

LayUI also offers a commercial framework called LayAdmin. An analogy is used: LayUI is like individual car parts (tires, steering wheel), while LayAdmin assembles those parts into a complete vehicle, though its data is static.

# Problems with LayUI

LayUI’s module system does not conform to CMD or AMD standards, and before ES6 it lacked native import/export support, making module handling cumbersome.

Data binding can be tricky, and mobile‑device support is limited, which restricts its applicability.

# Why Did LayUI Close?

The exact reasons are unclear, but the article speculates that the original author may simply be exhausted.

LayAdmin’s two versions (iframe mode and single‑page mode) add complexity, and maintaining an open‑source front‑end framework is not financially rewarding.

The author suggests that commercializing LayAdmin could have helped, as users would likely pay for a polished product.

Regardless of the reasons, the article thanks the creator and wishes LayUI a bright future.