Nuxt.js Cheat Sheet Cheatsheet

Nuxt.js Fundamentals

Project Setup

Create a new Nuxt.js project:

npx create-nuxt-app <project-name>

Follow the prompts to configure your project (e.g., UI framework, modules).

Navigate to the project directory:

cd <project-name>

Run the development server:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev

Directory Structure

`pages/`	Contains the application’s routes/views. Each `.vue` file becomes a route based on its filename.
`layouts/`	Defines the application’s layout. `default.vue` is the default layout.
`components/`	Reusable Vue components.
`store/`	Vuex store files (state management).
`nuxt.config.js`	Main configuration file for Nuxt.js.
`static/`	Files served directly (e.g., `favicon.ico`, `robots.txt`).

Key Concepts

Automatic Routing: Nuxt.js automatically generates routes based on the files in the pages/ directory.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Nuxt.js renders Vue components on the server before sending them to the client, improving SEO and initial load time.

Single Page Application (SPA): Nuxt.js can also be configured as a SPA application, creating only client side rendered apps.

Vuex Integration: Seamless integration with Vuex for state management.

Middleware: Custom functions that run before rendering a page. Useful for authentication, etc.

Modules: Extend Nuxt.js core functionality with pre-built modules (e.g., axios, vuetify).

Routing & Pages

Basic Routing

Create .vue files in the pages/ directory to define routes.

pages/index.vue becomes the root route /.
pages/about.vue becomes the /about route.

Use the <nuxt-link> component for client-side navigation:

<nuxt-link to="/about">About Us</nuxt-link>

Dynamic Routes

Create dynamic routes using a leading underscore in the filename.

pages/posts/_id.vue will match routes like /posts/1, /posts/2, etc.

Access the dynamic route parameter using this.$route.params.id in your component.

<template>
  <div>Post ID: {{ $route.params.id }}</div>
</template>

Programmatic Navigation

Use this.$router.push() to navigate programmatically.

this.$router.push('/about')

Navigate with a named route:

this.$router.push({ name: 'about' })

Navigate with parameters:

this.$router.push({ name: 'posts-id', params: { id: 123 } })

Middleware in Pages

Define middleware in your page component:

export default {
  middleware: 'auth',
  // ...
}

Create middleware files in the middleware/ directory (e.g., middleware/auth.js):

export default function ({ redirect }) {
  // If the user is not authenticated
  if (!isAuthenticated()) {
    return redirect('/login')
  }
}

Layouts & Components

Layouts

Create layouts in the layouts/ directory.

layouts/default.vue is the default layout applied to all pages.

Use <nuxt /> to render the page content within a layout.

<template>
  <div>
    <header>My App Header</header>
    <nuxt />
    <footer>My App Footer</footer>
  </div>
</template>

Define a custom layout for a page:

export default {
  layout: 'custom'
}

Components

Create reusable components in the components/ directory.

Import and use components in your pages and layouts.

<template>
  <div>
    <MyComponent />
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import MyComponent from '~/components/MyComponent.vue'

export default {
  components: {
    MyComponent
  }
}
</script>

Head Management

Manage the document <head> using the head property in your pages and layouts.

export default {
  head () {
    return {
      title: 'My Page Title',
      meta: [
        { hid: 'description', name: 'description', content: 'Page description' }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Data Fetching & API

Async Data

Use the asyncData method to fetch data before rendering a page (server-side).

export default {
  async asyncData ({ $axios, params }) {
    const { data } = await $axios.$get(`/posts/${params.id}`)
    return { post: data }
  }
}

asyncData is only available in pages.

Fetch Hook

Use the fetch hook to fetch data client-side or server-side.

export default {
  data() {
    return {
      posts: []
    }
  },
  async fetch() {
    this.posts = await this.$axios.$get('/posts')
  }
}

Nuxt Axios Module

The @nuxtjs/axios module simplifies making HTTP requests.

Install:

npm install @nuxtjs/axios
# or
yarn add @nuxtjs/axios

Add it to modules section in nuxt.config.js:

modules: [
  '@nuxtjs/axios'
],

axios: {
  baseURL: 'https://api.example.com'
}

Use $axios to make requests:

async mounted () {
  const { data } = await this.$axios.get('/users')
  this.users = data
}