Coolify UI design system

This document defines Coolify's UI design system for its Livewire + Blade + Alpine + Tailwind v4 frontend. The visual system covers the global shell, project and environment pages, application navigation, settings surfaces, tables, modals, toasts, terminals, and metrics.

Use this file as the source of truth for frontend design work. Update it in the same change whenever a new shared visual pattern or component is introduced.

Onboarding validation and live server validation checkpoints share <x-checkpoint-item> (idle / pending / running / success / error) inside a compact divided list, not legacy green check SVGs or fixed-width status rows.

Maintainer rules

• Keep the work frontend-focused unless existing data must be exposed to the view.
• Preserve routes, Livewire bindings, permissions, confirmations, and working interactions while changing layout and presentation.
• Add or update tests when a UI change affects behavior. Follow the testing requirements in AGENTS.md.
• Validate Blade with docker exec coolify php artisan view:cache, then clear it with docker exec coolify php artisan view:clear.
• Build frontend assets in the Vite container with docker exec coolify-vite npm run build.
• Use existing components before adding another styling abstraction.

1. Visual direction

The interface is compact and product-focused:

• near-neutral layered surfaces instead of large bordered boxes;
• 13–14px UI typography and 32px controls;
• hairline rings instead of heavy borders;
• full-width data tables for dense collections;
• outline Reicon glyphs through <x-reicon>;
• the Coolify purple brand accent in light mode;
• the readable Coolify yellow accent in dark mode;
• solid active-item fills (neutral black/white opacity), not accent gradients; active state is the left accent rail plus a flat selected surface;
• sentence-case labels and headings;
• never use the em dash (—) in UI copy. Prefer a period, colon, comma, or ASCII hyphen (-) for empty cells and separators.

Avoid oversized titles, generic dashboard cards, strong shadows, thick dividers, native browser selects, and isolated colored buttons that do not match the current action styles.

2. Development and cascade notes

PHP runs in the coolify container. The development app is normally available at http://localhost:8000, with Vite on port 5173.

resources/css/app.css still contains unlayered global element rules for headings, labels, and tables. Tailwind utilities are layered, so the unlayered rules can win unexpectedly.

The settings and dense-surface CSS therefore lives as plain unlayered CSS near the end of resources/css/app.css, beginning at:

/* Coollabs layer-card settings surfaces */

Important consequences:

• scope settings forms with .application-settings-form or .application-settings-workspace;
• add shared surface overrides to the unlayered block instead of stacking !important utilities;
• listbox panels require ancestors with overflow: visible;
• anchored cards use scroll-margin-top: 7rem to clear both fixed navigation layers;
• modal shells reuse the layer-card classes but keep content-width sizing on desktop;
• Alpine code inside quoted Blade attributes must not introduce conflicting quote characters.

3. Tokens and color behavior

The surface ladder is defined in resources/css/app.css.

Accent behavior is intentionally theme-aware:

• Light mode: Coolify purple (coollabs) for active controls, focus, primary actions, and navigation accents.
• Dark mode: Coolify yellow (warning) for the same states because the original purple did not provide sufficient text and ring contrast.

Do not hard-code blue focus rings or leave yellow accent utilities active in light mode. Primary action patterns should normally follow:

bg-coollabs/10 text-coollabs ring-coollabs/25
dark:bg-warning/15 dark:text-warning dark:ring-warning/25

The filled top-level action/tab treatment uses the same palette at a restrained opacity rather than a fully saturated fill.

4. Page shells and navigation

Global shell

• Main sidebar groups are compact, use outline Reicons, and keep a 32px row height.
• Active sidebar rows are rounded pills (rounded-md) with an accent rail on the left plus a solid neutral selected fill (bg-black/5 light, bg-white/6 dark). Hover rows use the same radius. Do not use accent-tinted gradients on nav rows; yellow washes look muddy on dark UI.
• Nested items use a thin guide line with a visible active segment, not a thick box border.
• The update badge sits on the version row and uses a tiny fully rounded primary-action pill.

Layer-2 navigation

Application and server pages use the same fixed second navigation layer directly below the global topbar. Do not keep a large in-flow resource heading or legacy .navbar-main tabs on one resource type while using the compact layer-2 bar on another. Active tabs are a light brand fill:

• purple tint in light mode;
• yellow tint in dark mode;
• no fully saturated tab background.

Keep route-derived active state in Blade/Livewire. Do not rely only on Alpine state because it can disappear after polling or a Livewire morph.

The global topbar owns the current resource identity and its compact status badges. Layer 2 owns route tabs, resource links, and contextual action buttons only. If a resource is missing from x-top-breadcrumb, extend the global topbar instead of repeating its name or status summary in layer 2. Mobile resource navigation may repeat this context because the desktop global topbar is hidden there.

Only add layer-2 tabs when they represent real sibling routes inside one context. Never repeat main-sidebar destinations such as Dashboard, Projects, Terminal, Servers, Sources, Destinations, or Storage as a second tab row. A single collection page does not need a tab just to fill the bar; keep its primary action in the page header instead. When tabs are useful, their left edge uses the same compact pl-2 alignment as application navigation rather than the content container's wide horizontal padding.

The dashboard is a compact overview, not a metrics wall. Use two full-width sections that follow the projects-page grid pattern: projects first, then servers. Keep one New action in the page header and let its modal choose the resource type. Place active deployments above the resource grids as a compact, live-updating table rather than a metric card. Communicate server health with the shared status badge.

Top-level dashboard destinations

Every page opened directly from the main sidebar uses the same compact content shell:

• 24px page title and a 13px muted summary;
• the primary action at the top right using the restrained brand fill;
• no legacy coolbox, .navbar-main, or oversized subtitle block;
• four-column compact cards for small browsable collections;
• a dense table instead of cards when the collection is expected to grow;
• x-empty anatomy for empty states;
• x-status-badge for state and x-reicon for all interface icons.

Collection cards are min-h-28 or min-h-32, use a 32px icon tile, and keep secondary metadata at 11px. They must not grow into dashboard-sized summary cards. Sources, destinations, S3 storage, private keys, and shared-variable scopes use this pattern.

Top-level settings families such as Team, Notifications, Keys & Tokens, and instance Settings use a compact header followed by a small route-derived tab strip. The active tab uses the same purple-light/yellow-dark tint as resource tabs. Do not nest <button> elements inside tab links.

Route-family consistency

Treat every route family as one cohesive experience rather than styling only its index or most visible route:

• index, create, detail, settings, logs, metrics, backup, execution, and danger routes must share the same navigation hierarchy and surface language;
• main-sidebar collection routes use the global shell without duplicating those destinations in a layer-2 tab row;
• resource detail families use resource identity and status in the global topbar, route tabs and actions in layer 2, and the grouped settings sidebar only for the third level;
• create and edit routes stay inside the same layer-2 family instead of falling back to an isolated legacy page;
• reusable partials, empty states, confirmation flows, and row editors must be updated with the page that exposes them;
• audit the whole family for native selects, legacy heading blocks, old Save buttons, old status chips, and coolbox/navbar-main/sub-menu-wrapper to keep the family consistent.

Do not leave a sibling route using old tabs, a large in-flow title, a browser select, or a different modal anatomy.

The New Resource page keeps its filter controls in the top layer card, then renders Applications, Databases, and Services as separate layer-card sections. Do not leave category headings and resource grids floating as uncontained content below the filter card.

Settings workspace

Application and server configuration pages use the same 210px grouped, icon-led sidebar and a full-width content column. The workspace is capped at 1180px, the sidebar becomes sticky at xl, and the sidebar label and first content card start on the same visual line. Do not use the legacy sub-menu-wrapper, native mobile page selects, or an in-flow row of top-level tabs. Only show nested section anchors when a page has at least four useful sections.

The shared workspace grid is:

<div
    class="application-settings-workspace mt-8 grid min-w-0 gap-8
        xl:mt-0 xl:grid-cols-[210px_minmax(0,1fr)] xl:gap-10">
    <aside class="application-settings-navigation min-w-0 xl:sticky xl:top-26 xl:self-start">
        ...
    </aside>
    <div class="min-w-0 xl:mt-3">
        ...
    </div>
</div>

Instance Settings constrains both x-settings.navbar and the workspace to the same max-w-[1180px] shell.

Page titles (global): family H1s (x-dashboard.navbar with titleOnDesktop="false", the default) hide at lg+, the same breakpoint as the desktop shell (main sidebar + fixed layer-2 tabs). Below lg the mobile topbar is used and the page title stays visible. Collection indexes (Servers, Projects, …) always keep their H1; stack title above actions on narrow widths so they never overlap. Resource in-flow names only render below md (when the fixed resource tab bar is hidden). Fixed layer-2 spacers must be lg:h-12 to match the bar height. Do not put the H1 beside the settings sidebar.

Standard content stack:

<div class="application-settings-workspace flex flex-col gap-6">
    <x-application.settings-section ... />
    <x-application.settings-section ... />
</div>

The current cross-page section gap is gap-6. Do not introduce extra top padding on an individual page unless its toolbar is intentionally separated from the first card.

Use a flex or grid stack with gap-6; do not use space-y-* between layer cards. The layer-card root intentionally resets its own margin, so margin-based spacing utilities can silently collapse.

5. Layer cards

Use resources/views/components/application/settings-section.blade.php. Older manual shells may use .application-settings-section-header and .application-settings-section-body; both must retain the same padded, action-aligned anatomy as the component. Use the component for new work and replace a manual shell when modifying it instead of creating another variant.

<x-application.settings-section
    id="public-access-section"
    title="Public access"
    helper="How this section affects the resource.">
    <x-slot:actions>
        <x-forms.button>Action</x-forms.button>
    </x-slot:actions>

    ...
</x-application.settings-section>

Anatomy:

• 8px shell radius;
• elevated header strip;
• no divider below the header;
• nested base-color body with its own fill ring;
• 16px body padding;
• optional flush mode for full-bleed tables;
• card-level actions belong in the header slot.

Header actions use an 8px top/right inset while the title keeps its 16px left inset. Do not leave a larger empty strip between the final action and the card's top-right corner.

Do not split one collection into a summary card followed by a table or log card. Keep its status/action in the header, its view switcher or toolbar at the top of a flush body, and its data in that same layer card. Repeated file editors are the opposite case: each file gets its own titled layer card so its content and actions remain clearly associated.

Nested radii

Concentric boxes must follow:

outer radius = inner radius + visible inset

Examples:

• a 6px tab or listbox option inside 4px padding uses a 10px outer well;
• an 8px button inside the unsaved pill's 8px padding uses a 16px outer pill.

Do not give visibly inset parent and child boxes the same radius. Flush or edge-to-edge children are exempt because there is no visible inset to add.

Use an empty state when the section has no usable controls:

<x-empty size="sm" title="Nothing here" description="Explain what enables it.">
    <x-slot:icon>
        <x-reicon name="layers" class="size-8" />
    </x-slot:icon>
</x-empty>

6. Controls

All normal controls are 32px high with an 8px radius.

Field grids

The grid must match the controls visible in the current state:

• two visible peer controls use two columns, not a three-column grid with an empty track;
• three visible peer controls may use three columns when their content stays readable;
• conditional fields remain in the same grid when they are part of that field group, so a URL or text input does not become wider than its peer column;
• collapse to one column at smaller breakpoints.

Do not pick a column count from the maximum possible state if the normal state shows fewer controls.

Inputs

Use x-forms.input and x-forms.textarea. Fields need visible vertical spacing between the label and control. Password visibility uses the outline Reicon eye/eye-off treatment from the shared input component.

Dropdowns

Do not use native <select> on application routes, including mobile fallbacks. Use:

<x-forms.listbox id="property" label="Setting" :options="[
    ['value' => true, 'label' => 'Enabled'],
    ['value' => false, 'label' => 'Disabled'],
]" onChange="instantSave" />

Boolean checkboxes should normally become descriptive two-option listboxes. Use .live behavior only when the selection needs an immediate server rerender.

Keep checkboxes for compact permission matrices and multi-select lists. Those controls must use the shared x-forms.checkbox anatomy: an 18px rounded custom box, purple checked fill in light mode, yellow checked fill in dark mode, and a high-contrast check mark. Never expose the browser or Tailwind Forms default checkbox on application pages.

The popup panel uses a 10px radius around 6px options with a 4px inset. Keep the option content left-aligned and size the panel to its content or trigger; do not create an unnecessarily wide menu.

Toolbar filter and sort buttons keep static labels (Filter, Sort). The selected option is indicated inside the menu, not repeated on the trigger.

Livewire dropdown state synchronization

Instant-save listboxes must not flash back to an older value while Livewire is saving or morphing the DOM. Treat the Alpine selection as the current visual state until its request finishes:

• await the Livewire change handler and prevent overlapping selections while it is running;
• when a client-managed listbox can be rerendered by an unrelated or stale Livewire response, use the listbox's preserveValue option so the morph does not replace its newer Alpine value;
• scope preserveValue to controls whose value is owned by that interaction; do not use it when external server events must replace the displayed value;
• after saving through a related model, refresh the parent component's loaded relationship before rendering the response. A database write alone does not update an already-loaded Eloquent collection;
• use stable wire:key values for rows containing listboxes. Do not include the selected value in the key, because recreating the Alpine component causes a visible reset;
• remember that a portalled options panel is teleported outside its visual wrapper. Guard selection in the Alpine handler itself rather than relying only on pointer-events or a disabled wrapper.

The failure mode to avoid is: selection B is shown optimistically, selection A is chosen next, the response for B morphs the listbox back to B, then the later response finally shows A. The control should remain on the newest accepted selection throughout the save sequence.

Multi-select filter dropdowns

Toolbar filters that can combine criteria use one multi-select listbox rather than separate dropdowns or a single selected value. Follow the deployment history filter in resources/views/livewire/project/application/deployment/index.blade.php:

• set aria-multiselectable="true" on the listbox;
• group related options under compact uppercase labels;
• keep the dropdown open while options are toggled;
• use the shared 16px custom checkbox treatment: purple checked fill in light mode, yellow checked fill in dark mode, and a high-contrast check mark;
• show the number of active selections in a small count pill on the static Filter trigger;
• combine selections within one group with OR logic and combine different groups with AND logic;
• constrain only the options area with max-h-80 overflow-y-auto;
• place a persistent Reset filters action in a separate footer below the scrollable options, divided by a top border;
• disable the reset action when no filter is active, and close the dropdown after resetting.

Do not represent the empty state as a selectable All option. The footer reset action is the single way to return the multi-select to its unfiltered state.

Standard table controls

Dense tables use the shared x-table.* components so search, filters, sorting, and backend loading states remain visually and behaviorally consistent:

• <x-table.toolbar> owns the responsive search-left/actions-right layout;
• <x-table.search> owns the search icon, optional loading indicator, clear action, sizing, and input anatomy;
• <x-table.filter> owns the static Filter trigger, active-count pill, multi-select panel, scrollable options area, and Reset filters footer;
• <x-table.sort> owns the static Sort trigger and single-select panel;
• <x-table.loading> overlays only the changing table data for backend search, filter, sort, and pagination requests.

Tables continue to own their filter options, sort choices, headers, rows, queries, permissions, and empty states. Backend-filtered or paginated tables must use x-table.loading; frontend-only Alpine tables reuse the same toolbar and control anatomy but do not show an artificial loading state.

Buttons

• neutral actions use the shared .button;
• primary actions use the theme-aware purple/yellow tint;
• destructive actions use the existing error treatment;
• use outline Reicons where a matching glyph exists;
• avoid raw browser-default buttons and old dark-mode purple fills.

Unsaved changes

resources/views/components/unsaved-bar.blade.php is a compact floating bottom-center pill. It contains:

• “You have changes that haven't been saved yet.”
• a subtle Reset action;
• a theme-aware Save changes button matching the tab accent.

On small viewports the pill is inset (inset-x-3) and stacks: full label on the first line, Reset / Save on the second (right-aligned). From sm up it returns to the centered single-row nowrap pill.

Do not restore the old full-width footer.

Deferred fields in one Livewire component use one floating unsaved bar and one submit action. Do not add a separate “Save configuration” button to every card. Selectors that are safe to persist independently should use the existing instant-save pattern.

7. Dense tables

Collections with many rows should use the Cloudflare-inspired table pattern:

• toolbar above the table;
• search on the left;
• filters, sort, view toggles, and Add on the right;
• 40px header row and roughly 48px data rows;
• subtle row hover;
• plain text or the shared status badge rather than large colored chips;
• compact action at the far right;
• no separate layer card for each item.

Do not add a summary card above a table when it only repeats the row count, current page, or refresh interval. Keep counts and pagination in the footer. Background polling stays silent unless its state is actionable; do not add a “Live updates” badge just to explain that a table refreshes. Filters only render meaningful values; use the shared listbox instead of a number input or browser-native control.

The footer is always inside the table shell:

• Showing X–Y of Z on the left;
• first, previous, current page, next, and last controls on the right.

Hide the entire pagination footer when there is only one page (totalPages > 1). A lone “1–2 of 2” bar with disabled controls adds noise and is unnecessary.

Use x-status-badge for resource and execution state. It is a small neutral pill with a semantic dot, not a full colored rectangle.

Relevant classes:

• .data-table
• .data-table-header
• .data-table-row
• .table-badge

Create a page-specific grid class when columns differ. Add responsive rules that hide secondary columns before allowing horizontal overflow.

8. Modals, confirmations, and toasts

Modals

x-modal-input and confirmation dialogs reuse the layer-card shell:

• compact elevated header;
• nested base-color body;
• content-width desktop sizing;
• shared 32px controls;
• no redundant description below a self-explanatory title;
• custom listboxes instead of native browser selects;
• listbox and dropdown panels must render above the modal body and escape its scroll container. Never clip a panel at the modal boundary or make users scroll the modal to see its options;
• when there is not enough viewport space below the trigger, open the panel above it while keeping the panel visually on top of the modal;
• right-aligned footer actions below a divider;
• compact action buttons, never a submit button stretched by a column layout.

Edit modals should use the same field layout and option set as their matching create modal.

Command palette

The global search command palette (livewire:global-search) is a compact top-anchored overlay:

• elevated shell with hairline ring and modal shadow (not a heavy floating card);
• recessed-neutral header strip with outline search glyph and 14px input;
• compact OS-aware mod+K (⌘K on macOS, Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux) / / / ESC kbd chips matching the sidebar search trigger;
• nested base-color results body with group labels in sentence case;
• dense result rows as inset 6px-radius pills (listbox anatomy), not full-bleed bars with global focus rings;
• hover uses neutral fill; keyboard focus uses a soft accent wash plus a 2px left rail — never the global ring-2 / ring-offset treatment;
• create rows use a neutral plus tile that only picks up the accent when the row is focused;
• type pills and quickcommand chips stay recessed; they tint with the accent only on the focused row;
• neutral thin scrollbar inside the results body (not brand-colored);
• create-resource modals opened from the palette reuse the standard application-settings-section layer-card shell.

Preserve keyboard navigation (arrow keys, Enter via focused links, Escape to clear then close), / and mod+K (⌘K / Ctrl+K by OS) open shortcuts, and the multi-step server → destination → project → environment create flow.

Toasts

resources/views/components/toast.blade.php provides the global window.toast(message, options) API and Livewire event handling.

Current toast behavior:

• compact layered card, maximum width 26rem;
• Reicon status tile for success, info, warning, danger, or default;
• title plus optional description;
• dismiss and copy-details actions;
• up to four stacked notifications;
• four-second dismissal, paused while hovered;
• support for all six screen positions and sanitized custom HTML.

Do not bring back the old oversized dark rectangle.

9. Terminals, logs, and metrics

Terminals

Application and server browser terminals use the same browser-oriented console shell, theme picker, compact header controls, and outline browser-terminal Reicon. Hide a container switcher when only one container exists.

Logs

Runtime and deployment logs should feel like a clean terminal surface:

• keep a single log stream inside one layer card instead of adding an introductory card above it;
• one compact toolbar;
• a recessed monospace log viewport;
• search and line-count controls aligned with icon actions;
• clear live/follow state;
• fullscreen support without changing the control language;
• custom listbox-style menus instead of browser dropdowns.

Metrics

Metrics pages use separate layer cards for range selection, CPU, and memory. Charts follow the application metrics implementation:

• 240px area chart;
• smooth 2px stroke and restrained gradient fill;
• dashed neutral grid;
• no ApexCharts toolbar;
• tooltip positioned at the hovered point;
• UTC on both axes and tooltip;
• 20% headroom above observed values;
• downsample long time ranges before rendering.

Only add a metric if Sentinel exposes historical data for it. Current Sentinel history endpoints store CPU and memory. Root filesystem usage is included in the periodic push payload for threshold notifications, but it is not stored as a historical Sentinel metric and has no history endpoint, so it cannot power a disk-usage graph yet.

10. Current reference surfaces

Use these as implementation references:

HTTP error pages (400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 419, 429, 500, 503) use the shared <x-error-page> component on the public auth-style canvas: theme-aware status code, compact title and muted description, neutral .button actions, and an auth-text-link-style Contact support link. Keep copy sentence-case and avoid oversized 200px status numbers.

11. UI implementation checklist

1. Inventory every route and reusable partial in the family before editing.
2. Read the current Blade and Livewire class before changing presentation.
3. Preserve every existing action, authorization check, loading state, and confirmation.
4. Add the correct dual navigation and scoped workspace/form class.
5. Convert meaningful groups to layer cards and use gap-6.
6. Make the responsive column count match the controls visible in every state.
7. Replace native selects and checkbox-style configuration with listboxes.
8. Use one save model per component: instant-save or one floating dirty bar.
9. Check nested radii using outer = inner + inset.
10. Keep modal descriptions purposeful and footer actions compact/right-aligned.
11. Use tables for dense collections and cards for forms or summaries.
12. Use x-status-badge, x-empty, and x-reicon.
13. Confirm light and dark accent behavior.
14. Check fixed-nav anchor offsets and responsive stacking.
15. Sweep every sibling route for legacy controls and shells.
16. Run git diff --check.
17. Compile Blade views in the coolify container.
18. Build assets in coolify-vite.
19. Hard-refresh and inspect the family routes in both themes.