What is Vue 3?

In this topic, we'll dive into the wonderful world of Vue 3, a powerful JavaScript framework that has captured the hearts of front-end developers worldwide.

We'll take you on a journey through the core aspects of Vue 3, exploring its origin, creator, and key features that make Vue 3 an enjoyable framework to work with. As part of The Vue 3 Ecosystem, we'll also introduce you to essential supportive tools.

So, let's go!

What is Vue 3?

Vue is the brainchild of Evan You, a talented developer who wanted to create a progressive JavaScript framework that combined the best features of Angular and React while being simpler and more approachable. Evan initially developed Vue as a personal project while working at Google, and it quickly gained popularity due to its elegant design and ease of use. The great thing is that it's an open-source project therefore each developer can participate in the Vue development.

The purpose of creating Vue was to design an approachable, flexible, and scalable framework, making it an excellent choice for building modern web applications and user interfaces. Vue is there to make life easier for all developers.

The core features

Now let's take a look at the main core features of Vue 3. The core features make Vue 3 an enjoyable framework to work with, giving you the tools and flexibility to build beautiful and reactive user interfaces.

1. Component-based architecture. Vue 3 is all about simplicity and efficiency. It embraces a component-based architecture, allowing you to build reusable and modular UI elements. These components can be easily composed together to create complex user interfaces in a clean and maintainable manner. Let's take a look at a simple Vue 3 component:

   <template>
     <div>
       <h1>{{ message }}</h1>
     </div>
   </template>
   
   <script>
   export default {
     data() {
       return {
         message: 'Hello, Vue 3!',
       };
     },
   };
   </script>
   

   Here, we have a Vue component Message with a template and a script section. The template contains the HTML structure with a placeholder {{ message }}, and the script section defines the component's behavior and data. It will render a div element on your webpage with the title value 'Hello, Vue 3!.'

   Then you can take this component and put it into your app. Here is an example of how you can use it in your app:

   <template>
     <Message />
   </template>
   
   <script>
   import Message from "./components/Message";
   export default {
     name: "App",
     components: { Message },
   };
   </script>
   

2. Virtual DOM. Vue 3 utilizes a Virtual DOM, which is a lightweight copy of the actual DOM. When data changes, Vue compares the Virtual DOM with the real DOM and efficiently updates only the necessary parts, reducing the number of expensive DOM manipulations. This process results in faster rendering and improved performance.

3. Reactivity. With this feature, you can enjoy the power of reactive programming, which means any changes made to your data automatically update the corresponding parts of your application. This reactivity is achieved through a clever system that efficiently tracks dependencies, making your code more intuitive and less error-prone.

   <template>
     <div>
       <h1>{{ message }}</h1>
       <button @click="changeMessage">Change Message</button>
     </div>
   </template>
   
   <script>
   import { ref } from 'vue';
   
   export default {
     setup() {
       const message = ref('Hello, Vue 3!');
   
       const changeMessage = () => {
         message.value = 'Hello, World!';
       };
   
       return {
         message,
         changeMessage,
       };
     },
   };
   </script>
   

   In this example, we have a Vue 3 component that uses the ref function from Vue's Composition API to define a reactive data property called 'message'. The reactive message property is displayed in the template using double curly braces {{}}. When the "Change Message" button is clicked, the changeMessage function is called, updating the value of the message. As a result, the UI automatically reflects the updated value, thanks to Vue's reactivity system.

4. Composition API. Vue 3 introduces the Composition API, which provides a more flexible and organized way to define component logic by grouping related code together.

   <template>
     <div>
       <h1>{{ fullName }}</h1>
     </div>
   </template>
   
   <script>
   import { ref, computed } from 'vue';
   
   export default {
     setup() {
       const firstName = ref('John');
       const lastName = ref('Doe');
   
       const fullName = computed(() => `${firstName.value} ${lastName.value}`);
   
       return {
         fullName,
       };
     },
   };
   </script>
   

   In this code snippet, we use ref to define two reactive variables, firstName and lastName. Then, we create a computed property called fullName, which depends on firstName and lastName. When either firstName or lastName changes, the fullName computed property automatically updates. The Composition API allows us to organize related logic together, making it easier to maintain and read.

5. Teleport. The Teleport feature in Vue 3 allows you to render a component's template at a different location in the DOM, outside of its current parent component. It's useful for creating overlays, modals, and tooltips.

   <template>
     <div>
       <button @click="showModal">Show Modal</button>
       <Teleport to="body">
         <Modal v-if="isModalVisible" @close="closeModal" />
       </Teleport>
     </div>
   </template>
   
   <script>
   import { ref } from 'vue';
   import Modal from './Modal.vue';
   
   export default {
     components: {
       Modal,
     },
     setup() {
       const isModalVisible = ref(false);
   
       const showModal = () => {
         isModalVisible.value = true;
       };
   
       const closeModal = () => {
         isModalVisible.value = false;
       };
   
       return {
         isModalVisible,
         showModal,
         closeModal,
       };
     },
   };
   </script>
   

   The Teleport feature allows us to render the Modal component at a different location in the DOM, outside of its current parent component. This is achieved using the teleport element with the to attribute set to "body". When the "Show Modal" button is clicked, the isModalVisible variable becomes true, and the Modal component is teleported to the body element, rendering it outside of the parent component's template.

Benefits of using Vue 3

Speed: Thanks to its Virtual DOM and optimized reactivity system, Vue 3 offers impressive performance. It only updates what needs to be changed, making it one of the fastest frontend frameworks out there.

Size: Vue 3 is impressively lightweight, keeping your application's bundle size small. This is a big win for users since smaller bundles mean quicker load times, especially on slower networks and devices.

Ease of Use: One of the most significant advantages of Vue 3 is its gentle learning curve. With its intuitive API and clear documentation, developers can quickly grasp the framework's concepts and start building awesome applications in no time.

Great Community Support: The Vue community is vibrant and friendly! Whether you're a beginner or a pro, you'll find plenty of resources, tutorials, and helpful developers ready to assist you along your Vue 3 journey.

The Vue 3 ecosystem

The Vue 3 Ecosystem refers to a collection of supportive tools, libraries, and plugins that complement the core Vue 3 framework and enhance its capabilities. These additions make Vue a better choice for building sophisticated frontend applications. Let's take a look at some of the essential elements of the ecosystem:

1. Vue Router. Vue Router is the official routing library for Vue.js. It provides a seamless way to handle navigation in single-page applications (SPAs). With Vue Router, you can define routes, associate them with components, and navigate between different pages of your application without full page reloads.

2. Pinia. Pinia is the official state management solution for Vue 3 applications. It supports features like state management through stores, getter and setter functions for accessing the state, actions for modifying the state, and module-based store organization. It encourages a modular and maintainable approach to state management, allowing developers to create separate stores for different parts of the application. Please note some users may be familiar with Vuex, the previous official state management library for Vue. Now it still works but doesn't get updates or new features.

3. Vue Devtools. This is a browser extension that provides a set of helpful debugging and inspection tools for Vue applications. It allows developers to inspect components, check component props and data, track reactivity, inspect the Vuex state, and monitor performance to ensure smooth application behavior.

4. Vue Test Utils. This is an official testing utility library for Vue components. It provides a set of methods and helpers to write unit tests and perform component testing in isolation, ensuring that your Vue components work as expected. Using it, you can mount Vue components, trigger events, and assert the expected behavior of your components in various test scenarios.

5. Vue CLI. A command-line interface that automates the setup process, offers a rich plugin system, and provides a smooth development experience. Using Vue CLI, you can quickly scaffold a new Vue project with the necessary configuration, folder structure, and build tools.

These are just some of the essential elements within The Vue 3 Ecosystem. There are many other third-party libraries, plugins, and tools that have been developed by the vibrant Vue community, catering to various developers' needs and use cases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Vue 3 is a great JavaScript framework created by Evan You to build delightful user interfaces and web applications. Its component-based architecture, Virtual DOM, and reactivity system make it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced developers. With its impressive speed, small size, ease of use, and fantastic community, Vue 3 has become a favorite in the frontend development world.

So, why wait? Dive into Vue 3, and start crafting awesome user experiences with ease! Happy coding!