Ash Inno

Posted on Mar 4

I Tried 21st.dev, and Here Are My Thoughts: A Developer’s Honest Review

#webdev #programming #ai #productivity

I’m super excited to dive into my experience with 21st.dev, a platform that’s been popping up on my radar lately. If you’re anything like me—always hunting for tools to streamline your workflow—you’re in for a treat!

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through what 21st.dev is all about, how I got started with it, and my thoughts on its API for generating beautiful UI components. Plus, I’ll share how I teamed up with Apidog to test it all out.

So, grab a coffee, settle in, and let’s chat about my adventure with 21st.dev. I’ll cover everything from signing up to testing the API, weigh the pros and cons, and let you know if it’s worth your time. Spoiler: There’s plenty to like, but it’s not without its quirks. Ready? Let’s jump right in!

What is 21st.dev? A Quick Rundown

First off, let’s tackle the big question: What exactly is 21st.dev?

In a nutshell, 21st.dev is an MCP (Microservice Communication Protocol) server that lets you generate UI components through an API. Think buttons, forms, navigation bars, and cards, all created with just a few lines of code. Instead of spending hours designing and tweaking these elements yourself, 21st.dev delivers them via API calls—pretty cool, right?

How It Works

Sign up on their site and grab an API key.
Start with five free requests to test it out.
If you need more, upgrade to a paid plan for $20/month for increased usage limits.

Why does this matter? Imagine you’re racing against a deadline, and your client needs a sleek interface ASAP. Or maybe you’re building a side project and want professional-looking UI elements without hiring a designer. That’s where 21st.dev shines!

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move on to how I actually got started with it.

Signing Up for 21st.dev: My First Steps

Alright, I decided to give 21st.dev a try, and the sign-up process was a total breeze:

Visited the website (21st.dev) and clicked “Sign Up.”
Entered my email and password—no long forms, no extra steps.
Confirmed my email, and boom! I was officially in.

First Impressions

Once inside, I landed on a clean, user-friendly dashboard with:

My API key front and center.
Quick-start guides for using the API.
Documentation links with API details.

I immediately checked out their API documentation, which was well-organized, listing parameters for buttons, forms, nav bars, and more. I loved how easy it was to follow, though I wished for more advanced examples and best practices.

Testing the 21st.dev API with Apidog

Now, this is where the real fun began! I decided to pair 21st.dev’s API with Apidog, and it was a game-changer.

Why Use Apidog?

Apidog is a fantastic tool for API documentation, testing, and debugging—like a Swiss Army knife for developers.

Here’s how I set it up:

Created a new project in Apidog: 21st.dev UI Playground.

Imported the API specs from 21st.dev (since Apidog supports OpenAPI).

Set up my API key as an environment variable to avoid pasting it manually.

This setup made it easy to test endpoints, tweak parameters, and view responses all in one place.

Generating UI Components with the API

I started with a simple button request:

Endpoint: /api/v1/components/button
Parameters: text, style, size
JSON request body:

{
  "text": "Click Me",
  "style": "primary",
  "size": "large"
}

The Result?

I hit send, and boom! The response came back in under 100ms with clean HTML and CSS for a modern, stylish button—ready to drop into any project.

Next, I tested:

A form with input fields and a submit button.
A navigation bar for easy UI navigation.
A card component with an image placeholder.

Each time, the API delivered fast and polished components. I loved the customization options—changing background colors, font sizes, and borders was a breeze!

The Downside: Free Tier Limits

The biggest downside? The free plan only allows five requests, which I burned through way too quickly. While the $10/month paid plan is reasonable, I wish they offered at least 10 free requests for better testing.

My Experience with the 21st.dev API: The Good, the Bad & the Beautiful

✅ The Good

Super fast response times (under 100ms!).
Beautiful, modern UI components.
Easy API integration (returns HTML & CSS ready to use).
Clear documentation with useful examples.
Pairs well with Apidog for seamless testing.

❌ The Not-So-Great

Free tier is very limited (only five requests).
Lack of advanced customization (no full-page templates yet).
Error messages could be more helpful (e.g., missing parameters).

💡 My Suggestions for Improvement

Increase free requests to at least 10.
Provide more advanced examples (e.g., combining multiple components).
Improve error handling with clearer messages.

Final Thoughts: Is 21st.dev Worth It?

Absolutely! If you need quick, elegant UI components via API, 21st.dev is worth checking out. It’s fast, user-friendly, and saves tons of design time.

However, the free tier is a bit restrictive, so if you’re planning to use it regularly, you might need to upgrade.

Would I recommend it? Yes—especially if you pair it with Apidog for testing!

Have you tried 21st.dev? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🚀

DEV Community