SB Admin

SB Admin is a free, open-source admin dashboard template built on the Bootstrap framework by Start Bootstrap, designed to give developers a fast starting point for building internal tools and back-office interfaces.

What is SB Admin?

SB Admin is an open-source admin dashboard template for Bootstrap created and maintained by Start Bootstrap, with development led by David Miller. It takes static HTML, SCSS, and JavaScript source files and compiles them into a ready-to-use dist directory containing the final HTML, CSS, and JS you deploy. The template is released under the MIT license, so it can be used for personal and commercial projects without restriction. It is hosted on GitHub and also distributed via npm as startbootstrap-sb-admin.

Key Features

• Built with Bootstrap — The template is based on the Bootstrap framework, so you get responsive grid, utility classes, and UI components that work across modern browsers.
• SCSS source files — Style customizations are done in SCSS files located in src/scss/, compiled by npm scripts into a single CSS file in dist.
• Pug templating — HTML is generated from Pug templates in src/pug/, allowing you to reuse partials and keep markup DRY during advanced development.
• Live preview workflow — Running npm start opens a local preview, watches for file changes, and live-reloads the browser, speeding up iterative development.
• Simple basic usage — For quick edits, you only need the dist directory: change the HTML and CSS there and open index.html in a browser.
• Multiple installation options — Download the latest release from Start Bootstrap, install via npm, or clone the GitHub repository.
• npm build system — A package.json provides scripts like build, build:scss, build:pug, and clean to automate production builds.
• Proven open-source adoption — The GitHub repository has over 3,300 stars, indicating a widely used template in the Bootstrap community.

Who is SB Admin for?

• Web developers who need a pre-styled dashboard shell so they can focus on wiring up their own backend and features instead of writing UI boilerplate.
• Startups and small teams that want a free, professional-looking admin interface for an MVP without spending design or front-end budget.
• Bootstrap users who want to learn how a professional template structures SCSS, Pug, and build tooling, since the source is fully open and documented.

What can you do with SB Admin?

• Build an admin dashboard: Use the included dashboard layout with navigation, panels, and Bootstrap components to display charts, tables, and stats.
• Prototype an internal tool: Rapidly set up a functional admin UI for a web app by editing the HTML in dist and opening it directly in a browser.
• Create a custom Bootstrap theme: Leverage the SCSS build pipeline to change colors and variables and output your own branded dashboard.

How does SB Admin work?

Download or clone the template. For basic use, edit the compiled files in dist and open index.html. For advanced customization, install the source with npm (npm install), run npm start to get a live preview and automatic reloads, and modify the Pug, SCSS, and JavaScript in src. When done, run npm run build to regenerate the dist folder.

Pros and cons

• Open source and free: Licensed under MIT, you can use and modify it for any project including commercial work.
• Familiar tech stack: Built on Bootstrap, the most widely used front-end framework, so most developers can start immediately.
• Simple deployment: The compiled dist folder contains static files that can be dropped onto any web server or CMS.
• Static-only front end: The template does not include backend logic or database connectivity; you must integrate your own server-side code to make data dynamic.

Pricing

SB Admin is free. The source code is released under the MIT license, and any Start Bootstrap templates are free to use. There is no paid tier for this specific template, though Start Bootstrap offers paid custom design services and premium themes.

Alternatives

• AdminLTE — a popular open-source Bootstrap admin template also distributed under the MIT license.
• CoreUI — a free Bootstrap admin template that extends the design with additional components and layout options.

FAQ

Is SB Admin free?

Yes, SB Admin is completely free and open source. It is released under the MIT license, which means you can use it for personal and commercial projects, modify it, and distribute your own version without paying a fee.

What does SB Admin include?

SB Admin is an admin dashboard template built for Bootstrap. It includes the HTML, SCSS, and JavaScript source files needed to create a responsive dashboard layout, along with a precompiled dist directory for quick use. The repository contains index.html as the main entry point.

How do I install SB Admin?

You can download the latest release from Start Bootstrap, install it via npm with the command npm i startbootstrap-sb-admin, or clone the GitHub repository directly. For source-based development, run npm install and then npm start to launch a live preview.

Does SB Admin work with Bootstrap 5?

The repository topics list support for both Bootstrap 4 and Bootstrap 5. The template's build tooling uses SCSS and Pug, so you can adapt it to either version by updating dependencies and recompiling via the included npm scripts.

Can I customize SB Admin?

Yes. For quick changes, edit the CSS and HTML files in the dist directory. For deeper customization, work with the source files in src — the SCSS variables and Pug partials — and rebuild using npm run build.