VueJS: What You Need To Know!

If you're new to Vue development, you have heard terms like single-page applications, asynchronous components, server-side rendering, and more. You may have heard of tools and frameworks frequently cited alongside Vue, such as Vuex, Vue CLI, and Nuxt.

You may need clarification on the plethora of terms and tools. But you aren't alone in this; developers of all levels feel the constant strain of what they don't know and feel obligated to learn.

But with so much jargon, is VueJS hard to learn? In reality, it’s just the opposite. As developers put it, “With minimal library size, easy learning & community getting bigger and bigger daily, Vue can never be dead.” 

Today, we’ll tell you what to know before starting in VueJs. Let’s dive in!

What is VueJS?

Vue.js is now the highly prominent JS framework among software developers, with 190k GitHub stars. It is also popular with companies like Apple, Facebook, BMW, Adobe & GitLab. Evan You - a former Google developer, built the Vue.js framework as a side project.

The Vue.js community continues to grow due to the framework's huge popularity, with contributions from front-end developers worldwide.

As Evan You, the creator of Vue.js, explains - “It (Vue.js) has also grown from “yet another side project” into an ecosystem with over 300 contributors across the Vue.js organization & maintained by a core team of more than 20 active members worldwide”.

Vue is designed to be easy to learn and use, with syntax that lets developers swiftly build sophisticated applications. Vue.js was developed to make programming more pleasant.

Undoubtedly, 96% of developers & businesses are willing to implement it again!

The latest version of Vue is v3.3.0-alpha.4. With constant development & backing from its contributor community, the future of Vue is bright.

What makes VueJS special?

Vue.js offers various benefits over JavaScript frameworks or libraries, like React or Angular, making it a formidable option for creating web apps. Here are a few reasons why VueJS is famous among developers!

• Lightweight - Vue.js is a weightless framework that consumes tiny space or resources. 
• Easy to learn - Vue.js is intended for simpler understanding & usage. It offers an easy-to-understand syntax & a compact API.
• Customizable - Vue.js is adaptable & you can modify it to meet your project demands.
• Performance - Vue.js is quick & efficient due to its virtual DOM structure, which enables the efficient rendering of enormous volumes of data. 
• Community - As Evan You says, “Saying that Vue is a “one-man project” isn’t accurate & can be unethical to the excellent contributions from the team & the community.” Today, Vue.js has a vast community & you can get assistance anytime.

Vue.js: How does it work? 

Now that we have explained Vue let’s know how it functions. Vue.js elevates JavaScript to focus on layout & UI. It means that if you have a static web app that focuses on UI and is trying to decide whether you must include more functionalities, Vue.js can assist you in adding extra JavaScript functions & other features.

Furthermore, the Vue.js framework merges the View & the Model with 2-way data bindings, making it simple to integrate into various projects. Vue.js's built-in abilities include 2-way data binding, animation, virtual DOM, components & detailed documentation. 

VueJS presents a modern JavaScript framework for creating front-end apps, making it an excellent option for developers who focus on simplicity, flexibility & performance. As a result, various businesses look for skilled VueJS developers.

Features of VueJS

Many firms worldwide, like Adobe, GitLab & Codeship, incorporate VueJS in their offerings. But why? Since it has excellent features.

1. Virtual DOM

Vue.js employs a virtual DOM, a JavaScript data structure representation of the real DOM. When changes are made to the DOM, the virtual DOM is notified first, which is substantially faster than updating the real DOM directly.

2. Two-Way Data Binding

Two-way binding is a feature that allows you to connect your user interface (UI) to the data behind it easily. Updates made in the UI are automatically reflected in the data, and vice versa. It’s made feasible by the MVVM (Model-View-View-Model) architecture, which speeds up updating HTML blocks. It differs from other libraries, such as React.js, because it only supports one-way communication. i.e., one-way data binding.

3. Template System

In Vue.js, templates are declarative ways of specifying the structure and content of a user interface. These templates are HTML-like structures in which data and expressions can be bound to DOM elements.

4. Routing

Vue.js has a router that allows you to design a website with numerous pages that appear single when you click a link; the page swiftly and smoothly updates without completely reloading.

5. Components 

Vue.js is nothing without its components, which are essential aspects. Components are used to create reusable UI elements in Vue.js applications. Because Vue.js components are self-contained, you can reuse them across your application.

6. Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

The process of generating and delivering completely rendered pages on the server rather than in the client’s browser is called server-side rendering/SSR. This method is used for client-side JavaScript applications, resulting in faster loading times, improved search engine optimization & overall user performance. With its extensible templates, Vue.js offers robust SSR assistance.

Business Benefits of Using Vue JS

The commercial benefits of utilizing Vue JS extend to the technical aspect, which is a compelling argument for organizations to use it. Here are some examples:

• High performance - You don't need to hunt for other solutions with VueJS because the framework provides everything you'll ever need. If you need extra features, you can add libraries and make sure your app reacts promptly.
• Easy to Learn - Vue provides a straightforward API for developers to learn, read, and understand. Certain creators choose VueJS instead of competing frameworks due to its lower adaptability.
• Cross-platform in nature - VueJS is curated to be cross-platform. While creating an application using this framework, web developers won’t depend on any other framework or library. Without making changes, it enables them to design a single app that can be shared across many platforms, such as smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.
• Easy to Deploy - VueJS is a framework designed to make deployment easier than ever before. It is suggested for use with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, Heroku, and many more because of this functionality.
• User Experience - Another big advantage of adopting Vue JS for your next project is that it provides an outstanding user experience to your intended audience. You can create an easy-to-navigate landing page, an e-commerce buying site, or a blog.

Businesses could also profit from the advantages provided by this platform. You can easily embed video players, maps, and other interactive features.

Getting started with VueJS

According to Evan You: “Today, I envision Vue aims to assist developers in enjoying creating apps on the Web.” And that’s what Vue does!

VueJS is a robust & versatile JavaScript framework that offers numerous benefits to developers, such as ease of learning and use, reusability, high performance & friendly community.

But how to get started with it? 

Installation of VueJS

The 1st step to using Vue is installing it. Vue requires Node.js to be downloaded on your system. It includes a versioning system, a package manager & IDE.

Once NodeJS is installed, implement the below steps:

• Launch the command line/terminal.
• Create a new project or shift to an existing one. 
• Using the npm, run the below command to install VueJS:

Components

Components are reusable & modular code pieces that can create massive & complex VueJS applications. A component in Vue is often created using 3 parts:

• Template

The Template is HTML-based and determines the component's model & visuals. It has Vue.js directives & expressions for data binding & dynamic behavior.

A div container with an h1 & p tag can portray the title & data properties. In addition, an ul tag stresses over an array of items & builds a list item for using the v-for directive.

The: key property can offer each item in the list with a unique identifier. Vue must update the list if the items are rearranged, added, or removed.

• Script

It is a JS-oriented script that highlights the component's logic. Data, computed properties, methods & lifecycle hooks can be defined.

    export default {
        data() {
            return {
                title: 'This is a sample Script!',
                message: 'Welcome to this Vue.js Script',
                items: [
                    {id:1, text: 'Item 1'},
                    {id:2, text: 'Item 2'},
                    {id:3, text: 'Item 3'}
                ]
            }
        },
        methods: {
            handleClick() {
                alert('Button Clicked!')
            }
        }
    }

Here, a Vue component is made with a data method that returns an object with 3 features: title, items & message in this script. In addition, a methods object is a solo way known as handleClick, which points to an alert when a button is pressed.

The data function mentions the initial state of the component's data properties. In this example, the title & message attributes are set to textual values, while the items property is set to an array of objects.

The methods object can define the component methods. In this example, a handleClick method creates an alert when a button is pressed. Vue concepts are linked to the component Vue instance & gain the component's data properties & other properties.

• Style

The Style is CSS-oriented, mentioning the component's appearance & structure. Vue.js components can be intertwined, enabling an adaptable UI with a flexible & reusable code framework. 

Components can be instantly shared with various app(s) regions, allowing code to be reused and enhancing development efficiency. Vue.js has various built-in components for creators to build common UI elements like dropdowns, buttons & input fields. 

It allows developers to concentrate on developing the app's unique features rather than recreating the wheel with conventional UI elements. Vue.js's components are a major feature, making it a strong and adaptable front-end framework.

VueJS Best Practices

As Startech Up puts it, “The goal of VueJS is to make developers’ lives easier by writing fewer lines of code and still getting awesome results.” 

Although you can use Vue.js however you see fit, following some industry best practices can help maintain an orderly code base throughout the project.

Here are some best practices for VueJS.

• Use Components: Because Vue.js is a component-based framework, it is advised that you use components when developing your application. If you separate your code into smaller, reusable components, it will be easier to manage and maintain.

• Avoid Direct DOM Manipulation: Because Vue.js provides a declarative approach to connect data to the DOM, direct DOM manipulation with JavaScript is best avoided. It can result in clearer, more maintainable code.

• Consider Vuex for State Management: If your application requires complex state management, Vuex is the best choice. Vuex is a Vue.js state management package with a centralized store for managing your application's state.

• Give up mutating props: Props in Vue.js are supposed to be one-way data flows from parent to child components. Changes to properties in child components should be avoided because they can make your code more difficult to understand.

• Keep your codebase simple: Don't overdo your Vue.js app simultaneously. Maintain a simple code structure & solve one issue at a time. 

• Test code: Testing your code is vital to any development process. Testing your code in Vue.js development is critical to ensure it operates as planned.

• Create an organized project structure: The Vue.js project structure is logical & scalable. Group the related components, assets & utilities together to make it further. You can also use “components, views, services & store” directories to keep things structured.

The Way Ahead

Many people assume that Vue will be the most sought-after JS framework quickly & the recent StackOverflow survey got React & Vue as the most desired JavaScript frameworks among developers.

In web development, Vue.js has it all. There are various reasons for the rapid growth of Vue.js, as it is developer-friendly, with a short learning curve, a curated environment & meaningful conventions.

Ultimately, VueJS is a robust framework that provides developers with many capabilities and allows them to explore freely. Ready to build your next project with VueJS? Reach out to MarsDevs to discover what Vue has to offer! 

FAQs

1. Is Vue good for beginners?

Vue is significantly easier to understand than JavaScript frameworks like Angular and React & you can get started quickly with your first Vue application. 

2. Which is easier, Vue or Angular?

Vue is easier to use than Angular since it includes app templates and provides more flexibility. Furthermore, as Vue, it is simple to integrate Angular or React-based mobility solutions.

3. Is VueJS client or server?

Vue.js is a client-side application development framework. By default, Vue components create and manipulate DOM in the browser.

4. Is VueJS a scripting language?

Vue is a unique dynamic tracing language, both a programming and a scripting language. Vue offers a subset of C and scripting syntax that is useful for dynamic tracing.

5. Does Vue need HTML?

Vue incorporates an HTML-oriented template syntax that offers to declaratively merge the rendered DOM to the data of the core component instance.