What is the difference between Storybook and a Design System?
The question is about Storybook
The difference between Storybook and a Design System lies in their scope and purpose within a design and development workflow. Storybook is a development tool that enables you to design, test, and document UI components in isolation. It allows for the creation of a development environment where one can view and interact with, as well as make changes to, a component independently of the main application. A lot of people use Storybook to help in documenting how different states and props behave on a component to implement consistent UI components across an application.
Design System means standards that stipulate guidelines and reusable components that define both the aesthetic and behavioral qualities of a brand or application. A design system encompasses typography, color palettes, spacing guidelines, component patterns, and ensures a cohesive design language across all products. It gives way to norms and assets in the designs and developments by aligning everybody on a single visual language and interactive style.
Storybook is something used to create and document UI components, which are normally part of a design system, whereas a design system itself is a high-level system to define how an entire product or brand looks, feels, and behaves in general. Storybook can be part of a practical design system in which it houses all the component implementations; however, it does not replace the design system itself.