Introduction

This tutorial aims to guide you through the process of installing and setting up Nuxt.js on your local machine. Nuxt.js is a framework for creating Vue.js applications, which provides a higher level of abstraction and includes features like server-side rendering, static site generation, and a file-based routing system.

By the end of this tutorial, you will have Nuxt.js installed on your machine and you'll be ready to start building Nuxt.js applications.

Prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of JavaScript and Vue.js
• Node.js and npm installed on your machine

Step-by-Step Guide

Installation

First, open your terminal or command prompt. You can install Nuxt.js using the create-nuxt-app command. This command creates a new Nuxt.js application optimized for production. Run the following command:

npx create-nuxt-app <project-name>

Replace <project-name> with the name of your project. This command will prompt you to choose some options for your project (like the package manager, UI framework, Nuxt.js modules, etc).

Understanding the Directory Structure

Once the installation is done, navigate into the project directory. You will see a structure similar to this:

<project-name>
├── assets
├── components
├── layouts
├── middleware
├── pages
├── plugins
├── static
├── store
└── nuxt.config.js

Each of these has a specific function in a Nuxt.js application. Here's a brief rundown:

• assets: This directory contains your uncompiled assets such as Stylus or Sass files, images, or fonts.

• components: This directory contains your Vue.js Components.

• layouts: This directory contains your Application Layouts.

• middleware: This directory contains your Application Middleware.

• pages: This directory contains your Application Views and Routes.

• plugins: This directory contains JavaScript plugins that you want to run before instantiating the root Vue.js Application.

• static: This directory contains your static files. Each file inside this directory is mapped to the root path (/).

• store: This directory contains your Vuex Store files.

• nuxt.config.js: This file contains your Nuxt.js custom configuration.

Code Examples

Here's an example of how to create a simple page in Nuxt.js. First, create a new file in the pages directory named hello.vue. Then, put the following code in it:

<template>
  <h1>Hello Nuxt.js!</h1>
</template>

When you run your server (by running npm run dev), you should be able to see your page at localhost:3000/hello.

Summary

In this tutorial, we walked through the steps to install Nuxt.js using the create-nuxt-app command. We also briefly discussed the directory structure of a Nuxt.js application and how to create a simple page.

The next steps could be to learn more about the directories and how to use them, as well as exploring more complex features of Nuxt.js like its built-in Vuex store or server-side rendering capabilities.

Some resources to help you further:
- Nuxt.js Documentation
- Vue.js Documentation

Practice Exercises

1. Create a new Nuxt.js application with a different name.

   • Check if the application is running correctly by visiting localhost:3000.

2. Create a new page in your Nuxt.js application.

   • The page should display a message of your choice.
   • Check if the page is accessible by visiting its route (localhost:3000/your-route).

3. Create a new component and use it in a page.

   • The component should display a message of your choice.
   • The page should use the component and be accessible by visiting its route (localhost:3000/your-route).

For additional practice, try exploring the other directories and create more complex components and pages.