Common Chakra UI Issues and Solutions

1. Styling Conflicts and Unexpected Behavior

Chakra UI components do not render correctly, or styles are overridden.

Root Causes:

  • Incorrect import order affecting CSS precedence.
  • Conflicts with external CSS frameworks (e.g., Tailwind, Bootstrap).
  • Theme provider not correctly wrapping the application.

Solution:

Ensure the Chakra provider is at the root of the application:

import { ChakraProvider } from "@chakra-ui/react";
import theme from "./theme";

function App() {
  return (
    
      
    
  );
}

Check if other global styles are overriding Chakra components:

body {
  all: unset; /* Reset conflicting styles */
}

2. Performance Issues and Render Lag

Chakra UI components cause slow rendering or performance degradation.

Root Causes:

  • Excessive re-renders due to unnecessary prop updates.
  • Overuse of inline styles slowing down rendering.
  • Heavy DOM nesting with complex Chakra components.

Solution:

Use the useMemo and useCallback hooks to optimize component re-renders:

const MemoizedComponent = React.memo(MyComponent);

Reduce inline style usage and use the sx prop for better performance:

<Box sx={{ bg: "blue.500", p: 4 }} />

Limit unnecessary DOM elements by flattening component structures.

3. Theming and Customization Not Applying

Custom themes do not override default Chakra UI styles.

Root Causes:

  • Theme is not correctly extended or imported.
  • CSS variables are not properly set.
  • Component styles override theme defaults.

Solution:

Ensure the theme is correctly extended:

import { extendTheme } from "@chakra-ui/react";

const customTheme = extendTheme({
  colors: {
    brand: {
      500: "#1A365D",
    },
  },
});

Apply the theme at the provider level:

<ChakraProvider theme={customTheme}> <App /> </ChakraProvider>

4. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Issues

Chakra UI components fail to render properly in Next.js or other SSR frameworks.

Root Causes:

  • Hydration mismatches causing React warnings.
  • Incorrect usage of ColorModeScript for dark mode.
  • Global styles not correctly injected in the server.

Solution:

Ensure ColorModeScript is included in _document.js:

import { ColorModeScript } from "@chakra-ui/react";
import theme from "../theme";

export default function Document() {
  return (
    <Html>
      <Head />
      <body>
        <ColorModeScript initialColorMode={theme.config.initialColorMode} />
        <Main />
        <NextScript />
      </body>
    </Html>
  );
}

Use Chakra’s SSR provider for Next.js:

import { ChakraProvider } from "@chakra-ui/react";
import { CacheProvider } from "@emotion/react";
import createCache from "@emotion/cache";

const emotionCache = createCache({ key: "css" });

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return (
    <CacheProvider value={emotionCache}>
      <ChakraProvider>
        <Component {...pageProps} />
      </ChakraProvider>
    </CacheProvider>
  );
}

5. Issues with Chakra UI and Third-Party Libraries

Chakra UI does not work correctly with other UI libraries or form validation libraries.

Root Causes:

  • Conflicts between Chakra’s styling system and external libraries.
  • Incompatible form control components with React Hook Form.
  • Styling overrides causing unexpected UI behaviors.

Solution:

For React Hook Form, ensure correct Chakra integration:

import { useForm } from "react-hook-form";
import { FormControl, FormLabel, Input } from "@chakra-ui/react";

function MyForm() {
  const { register, handleSubmit } = useForm();

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
      <FormControl>
        <FormLabel>Email


For integrations with Material-UI or Tailwind, ensure Chakra UI’s styles take precedence by wrapping components inside ChakraProvider.



Best Practices for Chakra UI Optimization


    

  • Use Chakra’s theme extension to customize components efficiently.
    • 

  • Reduce inline styles to improve rendering performance.
    • 

  • Leverage SSR-specific settings for Next.js applications.
    • 

  • Ensure form controls are correctly integrated with validation libraries.
    • 

  • Minimize unnecessary DOM nesting in Chakra component structures.
    • 




Conclusion



By troubleshooting styling conflicts, performance issues, theming inconsistencies, SSR challenges, and third-party library integrations, developers can ensure a smooth experience with Chakra UI. Implementing best practices helps maintain a scalable and performant front-end architecture.



FAQs



1. Why are my Chakra UI styles not applying?


Ensure the ChakraProvider wraps the application, and check for global style conflicts.



2. How do I improve performance in Chakra UI?


Reduce inline styles, use sx props, and optimize component re-renders with React hooks.



3. How do I fix SSR issues with Chakra UI in Next.js?


Include ColorModeScript in _document.js and use a CacheProvider for styles.



4. Why are my custom themes not working?


Ensure the theme is correctly extended using extendTheme and applied in ChakraProvider.



5. How do I integrate Chakra UI with React Hook Form?


Use register from React Hook Form inside Chakra’s FormControl and Input components.