Shadcn UI Alert Components
A React alert component for displaying important messages, notifications, and user feedback. Built with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS, featuring semantic HTML and accessibility compliance.
The Value of Alerts
Alerts serve as visual communication tools that guide users through your application’s feedback system. Rather than burying critical information in paragraphs of text, alerts provide immediate, contextual messaging that users can quickly understand and act upon.
Think of alerts as visual signposts—they draw attention to important information without disrupting the user’s workflow. This approach creates clearer communication patterns that work especially well when users need to understand system status, validation errors, or success confirmations.
Built with semantic HTML and ARIA attributes, our alert components ensure proper accessibility. Screen reader support, proper role attributes, and semantic structure work automatically—no additional configuration needed.
Common Use Cases
- Success notifications - Confirm successful actions like form submissions or data saves
- Error messages - Display validation errors or system failures clearly
- Warning notices - Alert users to potential issues or important considerations
- Information banners - Share general updates or helpful tips
- Status updates - Communicate system states or process progress
- Form validation - Show field-level or form-level error messages
Component Capabilities
The alert component includes everything you need for production-ready implementations:
- Multiple variants - Default and destructive styles for different message types
- Icon support - Seamlessly integrate icons from Lucide React or custom SVGs
- Flexible composition - Combine title and description components as needed
- Semantic structure - Proper HTML roles and ARIA attributes built-in
- Customizable styling - Tailwind CSS classes for full design control
- TypeScript support - Built with TypeScript, works perfectly in JavaScript projects too
Component Props
Alert
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
variant | ”default” | “destructive" | "default” | Determines the visual style of the alert |
className | string | undefined | Additional CSS classes for custom styling |
children | ReactNode | undefined | Content of the alert (icon, title, description) |
AlertTitle
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
className | string | undefined | Additional CSS classes for custom styling |
children | ReactNode | undefined | Title text content |
AlertDescription
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
className | string | undefined | Additional CSS classes for custom styling |
children | ReactNode | undefined | Description content (text, lists, links) |
Usage Guidelines
Message clarity drives effectiveness. Keep alert messages concise and actionable—users should immediately understand what happened and what they need to do next. Avoid technical jargon when possible.
Choose variants thoughtfully. Use the default variant for informational messages and success states. Reserve the destructive variant for errors and critical warnings that require immediate attention.
Structure content logically. Always include a title for quick scanning, and use the description for additional context. Icons help users identify message types at a glance.
Consider dismissibility. For non-critical alerts, provide a way for users to dismiss them. This improves the user experience by giving users control over their interface.
Integration Notes
Alerts work seamlessly with other shadcn/ui components. Combine with Button components to add action buttons within alerts, use with Form components to display validation messages, and integrate with Dialog components to provide feedback on user actions. The design system makes these integrations smooth across JavaScript and TypeScript applications.