mui-styles

Type-safe JSS styling helpers for Material UI: makeStyles, withStyles, styled, theming, and SSR.

This package is a compatibility layer. It restores the classic JSS APIs on Material UI 5 and later. For new applications, prefer Emotion, sx, and MUI System. Use mui-styles when you already rely on the JSS styling API and need to keep it.

The package ships ESM and CommonJS builds with TypeScript declarations.

Table of contents

• Requirements
• Installation
• Quick start
• API
  • makeStyles
  • createStyles
  • withStyles
  • withTheme
  • styled
  • ThemeProvider
  • useTheme
  • StylesProvider
  • ServerStyleSheets
  • getThemeProps
  • useThemeVariants
  • mergeClasses
  • propsToClassKey
  • createGenerateClassName
  • createGenerateClassNameHash
• TypeScript
• Troubleshooting
• Compatibility
• Development
• Sponsor
• License

Requirements

| Runtime | Versions | | --- | --- | | Node.js | >= 18 | | React | >= 17 | | Material UI | >= 5 (@mui/material and @mui/utils) |

react-dom is required only for server rendering with ServerStyleSheets.

Installation

pnpm add mui-styles

npm install mui-styles

yarn add mui-styles

Peer dependencies, if they are not already installed:

npm install react @mui/material @mui/utils

For SSR, also install react-dom.

Quick start

import { makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const useStyles = makeStyles({
  root: {
    padding: 16,
    borderRadius: 12,
    backgroundColor: '#fff',
  },
  title: {
    margin: 0,
    fontWeight: 700,
  },
});

export function Page() {
  const classes = useStyles();

  return (
    <section className={classes.root}>
      <h1 className={classes.title}>Overview</h1>
    </section>
  );
}

API

makeStyles(styles, options?)

Creates a hook that returns generated class names.

import { makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const useStyles = makeStyles({
  card: {
    padding: 24,
    borderRadius: 16,
  },
});

function Card() {
  const classes = useStyles();
  return <div className={classes.card}>Card</div>;
}

Theme

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import { ThemeProvider, makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const theme = createTheme({
  palette: {
    primary: { main: '#2563eb' },
  },
});

const useStyles = makeStyles((theme) => ({
  button: {
    color: theme.palette.primary.main,
    padding: theme.spacing(1.5, 2),
  },
}));

export function Example() {
  const classes = useStyles();

  return (
    <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
      <button className={classes.button}>Save</button>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

Props

import { makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';

type StyleProps = {
  color: string;
  dense?: boolean;
};

const useStyles = makeStyles<unknown, StyleProps>({
  root: {
    color: (props) => props.color,
    padding: (props) => (props.dense ? 8 : 16),
  },
});

function Message() {
  const classes = useStyles({ color: '#16a34a', dense: true });
  return <p className={classes.root}>Ready</p>;
}

Class overrides

const useStyles = makeStyles({
  root: { padding: 16 },
});

function Panel({ classes: classesProp }: { classes?: { root?: string } }) {
  const classes = useStyles({ classes: classesProp });
  return <div className={classes.root}>Panel</div>;
}

Options

const useStyles = makeStyles(
  { root: { display: 'flex' } },
  {
    name: 'MyComponent',
    classNamePrefix: 'MyComponent',
    flip: false,
  },
);

| Option | Description | | --- | --- | | name | Component name used for theme overrides and variants. | | classNamePrefix | Prefix used in development class names. | | defaultTheme | Theme used when no theme exists in context. | | flip | Enables or disables RTL flipping. | | Component | Component reference used in development warnings. |

createStyles(styles)

Identity helper that improves TypeScript inference for style objects.

import { createStyles, makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const useStyles = makeStyles(
  createStyles({
    root: {
      display: 'grid',
      gap: 12,
    },
  }),
);

withStyles(styles, options?)(Component)

Higher-order component that injects a classes prop.

import { withStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const styles = {
  root: {
    padding: 16,
    borderRadius: 12,
  },
};

function View(props: { classes: Record<'root', string>; label: string }) {
  return <div className={props.classes.root}>{props.label}</div>;
}

export default withStyles(styles)(View);

Theme default props

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import { ThemeProvider, withStyles } from 'mui-styles';

const theme = createTheme({
  components: {
    MyBadge: {
      defaultProps: {
        label: 'Default label',
      },
    },
  },
});

const Badge = withStyles(
  { root: { fontWeight: 700 } },
  { name: 'MyBadge' },
)(({ classes, label }: { classes: { root: string }; label?: string }) => (
  <span className={classes.root}>{label}</span>
));

export function App() {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
      <Badge />
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

Inject theme

const Enhanced = withStyles(
  { root: { padding: 8 } },
  { withTheme: true },
)(({ classes, theme }: { classes: { root: string }; theme: { palette: { mode: string } } }) => (
  <div className={classes.root}>{theme.palette.mode}</div>
));

withTheme(Component)

Injects theme as a prop. Prefer useTheme() in function components.

import { withTheme } from 'mui-styles';

function Palette({ theme }: { theme: { palette: { mode: string } } }) {
  return <span>{theme.palette.mode}</span>;
}

export default withTheme(Palette);

styled(Component)(styles, options?)

JSS-based styled helper.

import { Button } from '@mui/material';
import { styled } from 'mui-styles';

const PrimaryButton = styled(Button)({
  borderRadius: 999,
  padding: '10px 18px',
  textTransform: 'none',
});

export function Example() {
  return <PrimaryButton>Continue</PrimaryButton>;
}

Theme and props

import type { Theme } from 'mui-styles';
import { styled } from 'mui-styles';

type Props = {
  danger?: boolean;
};

const AlertBox = styled<Theme, Props>('div')((props) => ({
  padding: 16,
  borderRadius: 12,
  color: props.danger ? '#991b1b' : props.theme.palette.text.primary,
  backgroundColor: props.danger ? '#fee2e2' : props.theme.palette.background.paper,
}));

component, clone, and render function

const Box = styled('div')({ padding: 16 });

<Box component="section">Section</Box>;

<Box clone>
  <button type="button">Cloned button</button>
</Box>;

<Box>{({ className }) => <main className={className}>Content</main>}</Box>;

ThemeProvider

Re-export of Material UI's ThemeProvider from @mui/material/styles.

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import { ThemeProvider } from 'mui-styles';

const theme = createTheme();

export function Root({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>{children}</ThemeProvider>;
}

useTheme()

Returns the current Material UI theme.

import { useTheme } from 'mui-styles';

function Toolbar() {
  const theme = useTheme();
  return <div style={{ color: theme.palette.primary.main }}>Toolbar</div>;
}

StylesProvider

Controls the JSS instance, class name generator, SSR sheet registry, and injection order.

import { StylesProvider } from 'mui-styles';

export function App({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <StylesProvider injectFirst>{children}</StylesProvider>;
}

Custom class name generator

import { StylesProvider, createGenerateClassName } from 'mui-styles';

const generateClassName = createGenerateClassName({
  productionPrefix: 'app',
  seed: 'tenant-a',
});

export function App({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <StylesProvider generateClassName={generateClassName}>
      {children}
    </StylesProvider>
  );
}

ServerStyleSheets

Collects generated JSS styles during server-side rendering. Requires react-dom.

import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server';
import { ServerStyleSheets } from 'mui-styles';
import App from './App';

export function render() {
  const sheets = new ServerStyleSheets();
  const html = renderToString(sheets.collect(<App />));
  const css = sheets.toString();

  return `<!doctype html>
<html>
  <head>
    <style id="jss-server-side">${css}</style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div id="root">${html}</div>
  </body>
</html>`;
}

You can also render the style element:

const styleElement = sheets.getStyleElement({ nonce: 'nonce-value' });

getThemeProps({ theme, name, props })

Applies theme.components[name].defaultProps to a props object.

import { getThemeProps, useTheme } from 'mui-styles';

function MyComponent(inProps: { size?: 'sm' | 'md' }) {
  const theme = useTheme();
  const props = getThemeProps({ theme, name: 'MyComponent', props: inProps });

  return <div>{props.size}</div>;
}

useThemeVariants(props, name)

Returns matching variant class names from theme.components[name].variants.

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import { makeStyles, useThemeVariants } from 'mui-styles';

const useStyles = makeStyles(
  {
    root: {},
    outlinedPrimary: {
      border: '1px solid currentColor',
    },
  },
  { name: 'MyButton' },
);

function MyButton(props: { variant?: string; color?: string }) {
  const classes = useStyles(props);
  const variantsClassName = useThemeVariants({ ...props, classes }, 'MyButton');

  return <button className={`${classes.root} ${variantsClassName}`}>Button</button>;
}

const theme = createTheme({
  components: {
    MyButton: {
      variants: [
        {
          props: { variant: 'outlined', color: 'primary' },
          style: { borderWidth: 2 },
        },
      ],
    },
  },
});

mergeClasses({ baseClasses, newClasses, Component? })

Merges generated classes with user-provided overrides.

import { mergeClasses } from 'mui-styles';

const classes = mergeClasses({
  baseClasses: { root: 'root-generated' },
  newClasses: { root: 'root-custom' },
});

// { root: 'root-generated root-custom' }

propsToClassKey(props)

Builds deterministic class keys for variant props.

import { propsToClassKey } from 'mui-styles';

propsToClassKey({ variant: 'outlined', color: 'primary' });
// outlinedPrimary

propsToClassKey({ size: 'small', color: 'secondary' });
// secondarySizeSmall

createGenerateClassName(options?)

Creates the default class name generator.

import { createGenerateClassName } from 'mui-styles';

const generateClassName = createGenerateClassName({
  productionPrefix: 'app',
  seed: 'admin',
  disableGlobal: false,
});

| Option | Description | | --- | --- | | disableGlobal | Disables global Mui-* class names. | | productionPrefix | Prefix used in production class names. | | seed | Prefix used to isolate multiple apps on the same page. |

createGenerateClassNameHash(options?)

Creates a hash-based class name generator.

import { StylesProvider, createGenerateClassNameHash } from 'mui-styles';

const generateClassName = createGenerateClassNameHash();

export function App({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <StylesProvider generateClassName={generateClassName}>
      {children}
    </StylesProvider>
  );
}

Global CSS mode (use only when you need stable global class names):

const generateClassName = createGenerateClassNameHash({
  dangerouslyUseGlobalCSS: true,
});

TypeScript

import { makeStyles } from 'mui-styles';
import type { Theme } from 'mui-styles';

type ClassKey = 'root' | 'label';
type StyleProps = { active: boolean };

const useStyles = makeStyles<Theme, StyleProps, ClassKey>((theme) => ({
  root: {
    display: 'flex',
    opacity: (props) => (props.active ? 1 : 0.5),
  },
  label: {
    fontWeight: 600,
    color: theme.palette.text.primary,
  },
}));

function Item() {
  const classes = useStyles({ active: true });
  return (
    <div className={classes.root}>
      <span className={classes.label}>Item</span>
    </div>
  );
}

Theme is an alias of Material UI's theme type. makeStyles overloads infer class keys from the style object when you do not pass explicit generics.

Troubleshooting

makeStyles returns empty classes

Ensure StylesProvider is not using disableGeneration. The component must render in the browser, or styles must be collected with ServerStyleSheets on the server.

Theme is empty inside makeStyles((theme) => …)

Wrap the tree with ThemeProvider:

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import { ThemeProvider } from 'mui-styles';

const theme = createTheme();

<ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
  <App />
</ThemeProvider>;

Styles are injected after MUI / Emotion styles

Use injectFirst:

<StylesProvider injectFirst>
  <App />
</StylesProvider>

Server-side styles are missing

Use ServerStyleSheets and inject the collected CSS into the server-rendered HTML.

Duplicate styles in development

React Strict Mode may mount components more than once. Sheet cleanup is designed to avoid stale sheets. Keep custom JSS instances stable across renders.

Compatibility

mui-styles preserves the JSS API on purpose. Material UI's current styling stack is Emotion, sx, and MUI System. This package reduces the cost of keeping existing JSS code while remaining type-safe and SSR-capable.

Development

This repository uses pnpm 10 (Node.js >= 18.12). Corepack can activate the version pinned in package.json.

pnpm install
pnpm test
pnpm build

Sponsor

Sponsored by MultiBase Studio, a desktop client for SQL, NoSQL, and cloud databases.

License

MIT © Blencm