Getting Started with SGDS

New to SGDS? See [sgds-workflow](../sgds-workflow/SKILL.md) for the full skill map and reading order before continuing.

When building any application with the SGDS web component library, complete these four steps in order before writing any component or page code.

Step 1 — Set the Font

SGDS foundation styles use the Inter typeface by default. Add the Google Fonts import to the <head> of your HTML document before any SGDS CSS. The URL below loads only the four weights defined by the SGDS design tokens (300, 400, 600, 700) in both normal and italic styles.

<head>
  <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
  <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
  <link
    href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:ital,opsz,wght@0,14..32,300;0,14..32,400;0,14..32,600;0,14..32,700;1,14..32,300;1,14..32,400;1,14..32,600;1,14..32,700&display=swap"
    rel="stylesheet"
  />
</head>

Step 2 — Import Foundation and Utility CSS

Import these files in your project's main CSS entry point (the file processed by your build tool):

/* e.g. globals.css, index.css, main.css */

/* 1. Theme tokens — must come first */
@import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component/themes/day.css";
/* Optional — add only if supporting dark/night mode */
@import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component/themes/night.css";

/* 2. Foundation styles (typography, headings, body, grid) */
@import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component/css/sgds.css";

/* 3. Utility classes (sgds: prefix) — must be processed by Tailwind */
@import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component/css/utility.css";

utility.css contains Tailwind v4 directives and must be processed by your Tailwind pipeline — it cannot be imported as a plain JS import.

For full details on utility class setup, see [sgds-utilities](../sgds-utilities/SKILL.md).

Step 3 — Register SGDS Web Components

Import the component library once at your app entry point (JS/TS):

import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component";

This registers all <sgds-*> custom elements globally.

For React, Vue, Angular, and Next.js-specific integration details, see [sgds-components](../sgds-components/SKILL.md).

Step 4 — Use an SGDS App Layout

Every SGDS application should be structured using one of the two recommended layout templates. Choose based on your app type:

App type	Layout	Container class
Public-facing, general-purpose	Simple App	`.sgds-container`
Internal tool, dashboard, transactional	Sidebar App	`.sgds-container-sidebar`

Simple App (public-facing):

<div>
  <sgds-masthead fluid></sgds-masthead>
  <sgds-mainnav fluid>
    <strong slot="brand">My App</strong>
  </sgds-mainnav>
</div>
<div class="sgds:flex sgds:flex-col sgds:w-full">
  <div class="sgds-container sgds:py-2-xl">
    <!-- Page content -->
  </div>
  <sgds-footer></sgds-footer>
</div>

Sidebar App (dashboards / internal tools):

<div class="sgds:sticky sgds:top-0">
  <sgds-masthead fluid></sgds-masthead>
  <sgds-mainnav fluid>
    <strong slot="brand">My App</strong>
  </sgds-mainnav>
</div>
<div class="sgds:flex sgds:flex-row">
  <div class="sgds:sticky sgds:h-[calc(100vh-108px)] sgds:overflow-y-scroll sgds:top-27 sgds:w-68 sgds:border-r sgds:border-muted">
    <!-- Sidebar navigation -->
  </div>
  <div class="sgds:flex sgds:flex-col sgds:w-full">
    <div class="sgds-container-sidebar sgds:py-2-xl">
      <!-- Page content -->
    </div>
    <sgds-footer></sgds-footer>
  </div>
</div>

For full layout details and responsive container breakpoints, see [Application Shell](../sgds-blocks/reference/application-shell.md).

For AI agents

Component-first rule: Before building any UI element with plain HTML and utility classes, always check whether an SGDS web component already covers the need. Consult the components-* skills first. Only fall back to custom markup when no SGDS component exists for the use case.

Always complete all four steps before generating any component or page code for a new SGDS project.
The font <link> tags must go in the HTML <head> — not in CSS or JS imports. For font customisation or theming, refer to [sgds-theming](../sgds-theming/SKILL.md).
CSS import order matters: themes/day.css → css/sgds.css → css/utility.css. The theme file must come first so CSS variable tokens are available when foundation and utility styles are processed.
css/utility.css must be imported inside a CSS file processed by Tailwind v4 — importing it directly in JavaScript will not generate the sgds: utility classes.
The single JS import import "@govtechsg/sgds-web-component" registers all components. Do not import individual components unless explicitly doing tree-shaking.
Always wrap page content in .sgds-container (simple app) or .sgds-container-sidebar (sidebar app) — never use raw sgds:max-w-* utilities to replicate container behaviour.
When in doubt about app type: public-facing digital services → simple app; internal tools, dashboards, admin portals → sidebar app.

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