Vue Patterns
Vue.js 3 Composition API patterns, component architecture, reactivity best practices, Pinia state management, Vue Router navigation, and Nuxt SSR patterns. Activates for Vue, Nuxt, Vite, or Pinia projects. Use when building or reviewing Vue 3, Nuxt, or Pinia code — Composition API, reactivity, or router navigation.
affaan-m on GitHub
Curated by PromptsEdge from a public repo · MIT license. All credit goes to the author.
What is this skill?
Comprehensive guide for Vue.js 3 development using Composition API (<script setup>), covering component design, reactivity, state management, routing, testing, and SSR patterns. Nuxt-specific guidance is included where it differs from vanilla Vue.
When to use
- The project uses Vue.js (any version), Nuxt, Vite + Vue, or Pinia.
- The user asks about Vue component architecture, composables, reactivity, or state management.
- Reviewing Vue Single-File Components (.vue files).
- Setting up Vue Router, Pinia stores, or Vite/Vitest configuration.
- Discussing Vue-specific performance, security, or SSR patterns.
1. Project Structure
Recommended Layout (Feature-First)
src/
├── api/ # API client and endpoint definitions
├── assets/ # Static assets (images, fonts, icons)
├── components/ # Shared/reusable components
│ ├── base/ # Base UI primitives (Button, Input, Modal)
│ └── features/ # Feature-specific shared components
├── composables/ # Reusable Composition API logic
├── layouts/ # Page layouts (optional)
├── pages/ # Route-level page components
├── router/ # Vue Router configuration
├── stores/ # Pinia stores
├── types/ # TypeScript type definitions
├── utils/ # Pure utility functions
└── App.vue # Root component
File Naming
| Convention | When to Use |
|---|---|
PascalCase.vue | All components (enforced by vue/multi-word-component-names) |
useCamelCase.ts | Composables |
camelCase.ts | Utilities, API clients, types |
kebab-case directories | Route segments, feature folders |
2. Component Architecture
Single-File Component Order
<script setup lang="ts">
// 1. Imports (vue → ecosystem → absolute → relative)
// 2. Props & Emits & Slots
// 3. Composables
// 4. Local state (ref/reactive)
// 5. Computed properties
// 6. Methods
// 7. Watchers
// 8. Lifecycle hooks
</script>
<template>
<!-- Template content -->
</template>
<style scoped>
/* Scoped styles */
</style>
Presentational vs Container
- Container components: Own data fetching, state, and side effects. Render presentational components.
- Presentational components: Receive props, emit events. No API calls, no store access. Pure rendering.
Props Best Practices
// Type-based props with defaults
interface Props {
label: string;
variant?: "primary" | "secondary";
disabled?: boolean;
items: Item[];
}
const props = withDefaults(defineProps<Props>(), {
variant: "primary",
disabled: false,
});
- Always provide
type, andrequired/defaultwhere appropriate. - Boolean props:
isXxx,hasXxx,canXxx. - Never mutate props — emit events instead.
- For v-model binding, use
defineModel()(Vue 3.4+) ormodelValue+update:modelValue.
Events
const emit = defineEmits<{
submit: [];
"update:modelValue": [value: string];
select: [id: string, index: number];
}>();
- Use kebab-case in templates (
@update:model-value). - Use camelCase in script (
emit("update:modelValue", val)).
3. Composables (Reusable Logic)
Structure
// composables/useDebounce.ts
export function useDebounce<T>(value: MaybeRef<T>, delay: number): Ref<T> {
const debounced = ref(toValue(value)) as Ref<T>;
let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
watch(
() => toValue(value),
(newVal) => {
clearTimeout(timer);
timer = setTimeout(() => { debounced.value = newVal; }, delay);
}
);
onUnmounted(() => clearTimeout(timer));
return readonly(debounced);
}
Rules
- Must start with
useprefix. - Return reactive values (
ref,computed,reactive), never plain primitives. - Accept reactive inputs via
MaybeRef/toRef()/toValue(). - Clean up side effects in
onUnmountedor watcheronCleanup. - No module-scope side effects.
vs Mixins
Composables replace Vue 2 mixins entirely:
- Mixins: Opaque data flow, source-of-truth collisions, name conflicts.
- Composables: Explicit imports, clear return values, composable and tree-shakable.
4. State Management
When to Use What
| Pattern | Use Case |
|---|---|
ref() / reactive() | Local component state |
| Props + Emits | Parent-child communication |
| Provide / Inject | Theme, config, plugin API |
| Pinia store | Global, shared, complex state |
| Server state composable | API data with caching (wrap fetch/TanStack Query) |
Pinia Setup Store (Preferred)
// stores/useCartStore.ts
export const useCartStore = defineStore("cart", () => {
const items = ref<CartItem[]>([]);
const isLoading = ref(false);
const totalPrice = computed(() =>
items.value.reduce((sum, i) => sum + i.price * i.quantity, 0)
);
const itemCount = computed(() =>
items.value.reduce((sum, i) => sum + i.quantity, 0)
);
async function addItem(productId: string) {
isLoading.value = true;
try {
const item = await fetchProduct(productId);
const existing = items.value.find(i => i.id === item.id);
if (existing) existing.quantity++;
else items.value.push({ ...item, quantity: 1 });
} finally {
isLoading.value = false;
}
}
return { items, isLoading, totalPrice, itemCount, addItem };
});
- Use Setup Store syntax (not Options Store).
- Prefer actions for business-level mutations and
$patch()for grouped updates. - Every async action: handle loading + success + error.
5. Vue Router
Route Definitions
const routes = [
{
path: "/users/:id",
name: "user-detail",
component: () => import("@/pages/UserDetail.vue"), // lazy
props: true, // pass params as props
meta: { requiresAuth: true },
},
];
Navigation Guards
router.beforeEach((to, from) => {
const { isLoggedIn } = useAuthStore();
if (to.meta.requiresAuth && !isLoggedIn) {
return { name: "login", query: { redirect: to.fullPath } };
}
});
Reactive Route Params
When a component stays mounted but route params change:
const route = useRoute();
const id = computed(() => route.params.id as string);
watch(id, (newId) => fetchItem(newId));
6. Template Patterns
Template Syntax
<!-- v-if/v-else-if/v-else -->
<div v-if="isLoading">Loading...</div>
<div v-else-if="error">Error: {{ error }}</div>
<div v-else>{{ content }}</div>
<!-- v-show for frequent toggles -->
<div v-show="isOpen">Toggled content</div>
<!-- v-for with stable keys -->
<div v-for="item in items" :key="item.id">{{ item.name }}</div>
<!-- Computed filtered list (not v-if + v-for on same element) -->
<div v-for="item in activeItems" :key="item.id">{{ item.name }}</div>
<!-- Event handling -->
<form @submit.prevent="handleSubmit">
<button type="submit">Save</button>
</form>
<!-- v-model -->
<input v-model="name" />
<CustomInput v-model="value" v-model:title="title" />
7. Performance
| Technique | When to Use |
|---|---|
v-memo | List items that rarely change |
v-once | Content rendered once and static forever |
shallowRef() | Large data structures replaced wholesale |
shallowReactive() | Only top-level properties are reactive |
v-show over v-if | Frequent visibility toggles |
<KeepAlive :max="10"> | Cache toggled views |
| Lazy routes | () => import(...) for non-critical routes |
Suspense | Async component loading with fallback |
8. Testing
Stack
- Vitest for unit and component tests
- Vue Test Utils for mounting and interaction
- @pinia/testing for store mocking
- Playwright for E2E
Component Test Pattern
import { mount } from "@vue/test-utils";
import { createPinia, setActivePinia } from "pinia";
import UserCard from "./UserCard.vue";
beforeEach(() => { setActivePinia(createPinia()); });
it("renders and emits", async () => {
const wrapper = mount(UserCard, {
props: { user: { id: "1", name: "Alice" } },
});
expect(wrapper.text()).toContain("Alice");
await wrapper.find("button").trigger("click");
expect(wrapper.emitted("select")![0]).toEqual(["1"]);
});
9. Nuxt-Specific Patterns
Auto-Imports
Nuxt auto-imports ref, computed, watch, useFetch, useAsyncData, etc. Use them directly without importing. For non-Nuxt projects, always import explicitly.
useAsyncData / useFetch
const { data: user, pending, error, refresh } = await useAsyncData(
"user", // unique key for caching
() => $fetch(`/api/users/${id}`),
);
const { data: posts } = await useFetch("/api/posts", {
query: { page: 1 },
key: "posts-page-1", // dedupes requests
});
Server Routes
// server/api/users/[id].ts
export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
const { id } = await getValidatedRouterParams(event, z.object({
id: z.string().uuid(),
}).parse);
// ... fetch and return
});
Runtime Config
// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
runtimeConfig: {
// server-only
apiSecret: "",
// public (exposed to client)
public: {
apiBase: "https://api.example.com",
},
},
});
10. Vue 3.5+ New APIs
Reactive Props Destructure
Vue 3.5 stabilized reactive props destructure — destructured variables from defineProps() are automatically reactive:
// Vue 3.5+: destructured props are reactive (no need for toRefs)
const { count = 0, msg = "hello" } = defineProps<{
count?: number;
msg?: string;
}>();
// Limitation: cannot watch destructured prop directly
watch(() => count, (newVal) => { ... }); // PASS getter required
useTemplateRef()
Replace name-matched plain refs with useTemplateRef() for template references:
import { useTemplateRef } from "vue";
const inputEl = useTemplateRef<HTMLInputElement>("input");
// "input" matches the ref="input" attribute in template, not the variable name
Supports dynamic ref IDs: useTemplateRef(dynamicRefId).
onWatcherCleanup()
Globally importable watcher cleanup API (Vue 3.5+). It must be called synchronously inside the watcher callback:
import { watch, onWatcherCleanup } from "vue";
watch(userId, async (newId) => {
const controller = new AbortController();
onWatcherCleanup(() => controller.abort());
// ... fetch with signal
});
useId()
SSR-stable unique ID generation for form elements and accessibility:
import { useId } from "vue";
const id = useId();
defer Teleport
<Teleport defer> allows teleporting to targets rendered in the same cycle:
<Teleport defer to="#container">Content</Teleport>
<div id="container"></div>
Lazy Hydration (SSR)
defineAsyncComponent() now supports hydrate strategy:
import { defineAsyncComponent, hydrateOnVisible } from "vue";
const AsyncComp = defineAsyncComponent({
loader: () => import("./Comp.vue"),
hydrate: hydrateOnVisible(),
});
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Wrong | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
Destructuring defineProps() (Vue < 3.5) | Captures snapshot, loses reactivity | Access via props.xxx or use toRefs() |
watch() on destructured prop (Vue 3.5+) | Compile-time error — destructured props can't be watched directly | Use getter wrapper: watch(() => count, ...) |
v-if + v-for on same element | Ambiguous execution order | Use computed filtered array |
v-for key = index | Broken state on reorder | Use stable database IDs |
| Mutating props | Violates one-way data flow | Emit events or use v-model |
v-html with user content | XSS vulnerability | Sanitize with DOMPurify |
| Mixins in Vue 3 | Opaque, collision-prone | Replace with composables |
| Module-scope side effects in composable | Shared across instances | Scope in onMounted + onUnmounted |
reactive() for replaceable state | Replacement breaks reactivity | Use ref() instead |
| Watcher without cleanup | Memory leaks, race conditions | Use onCleanup or onWatcherCleanup() (Vue 3.5+) |
| Options API in new Vue 3 code | Ecosystem move to Composition API | Use <script setup> |
| Plain ref for template references | No dynamic ref support, name-matching fragile | Use useTemplateRef() (Vue 3.5+) |
Related Skills
accessibility— ARIA, semantic HTML, focus managementfrontend-patterns— Cross-framework frontend architecturetypescript— TypeScript best practices applied to Vue projectscoding-standards— General code quality standards
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--- name: vue-patterns description: Vue.js 3 Composition API patterns, component architecture, reactivity best practices, Pinia state management, Vue Router navigation, and Nuxt SSR patterns. Activates for Vue, Nuxt, Vite, or Pinia projects. Use when building or reviewing Vue 3, Nuxt, or Pinia code — Composition API, reactivity, or router navigation. ---
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