Setting up your first Nuxt.js project

Tutorial 3 of 5

1. Introduction

Goal:

This tutorial aims to help you set up your first Nuxt.js project.

Learning Outcome:

By the end of this guide, you will be able to create a new Nuxt.js project and configure it according to your needs.

Prerequisites:

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

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Nuxt.js is a framework for creating Vue.js applications. It simplifies the development process by handling tasks such as asynchronous data, middleware, layouts, and routing.

2.1. Install Nuxt.js

First, we need to install Nuxt.js. Open your terminal or command line interface and run the following command:

npx create-nuxt-app my-nuxt-app

Replace 'my-nuxt-app' with the name of your project. This command will create a new directory with your project name and install all necessary packages.

2.2. Configure your project

After running the command, it will ask you a series of questions to set up your project:

Project name: Enter your project's name.
Programming language: Choose JavaScript.
Package manager: You can choose either npm or Yarn.
UI framework: For this tutorial, choose 'None'. But you can choose any according to your needs.
Nuxt.js modules: Select 'Axios' and 'Progressive Web App (PWA) Support'.
Linting tools: Choose 'ESLint'.
Testing framework: Select 'None'.
Rendering mode: Select 'Universal (SSR / SSG)'.
Deployment target: Choose 'Static (Static/JAMStack hosting)'.
Development tools: Select 'jsconfig.json (Recommended for VS Code)' if you are using VS Code.

Once you've answered these questions, your Nuxt.js project will be set up.

3. Code Examples

After the setup, navigate to your project directory and start the server:

cd my-nuxt-app
npm run dev

Open your browser and go to http://localhost:3000. You should see your Nuxt.js application up and running.

Let's explore some of the files and directories in your Nuxt.js project:

pages directory: This directory contains your application views and routes. Nuxt.js reads all the .vue files inside this directory and creates the application router.
components directory: This directory is for Vue.js components which you'll import into your page components.
nuxt.config.js: This file is for customizing Nuxt.js configurations, like adding modules, plugins, CSS libraries, etc.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we have set up a new Nuxt.js project and explored its structure. We have also learned how to start the development server and access it in the browser.

5. Practice Exercises

Create a new Nuxt.js project with a different name and configuration.
Add a new page to your Nuxt.js application. Create a new .vue file in the pages directory and access it in your browser.
Add a new Vue component and use it in a page.

Next Steps

Further, you can explore more about Nuxt.js from its official documentation.