Nuxt

Meta-Frameworks

The intuitive Vue framework

weekly downloads1.2M

versionv4.3.1

licenseMIT

Vue 3 basedAuto-importsNitro server engine

Overview

Nuxt is a full-stack framework built on Vue.js that provides an opinionated structure for building production-ready web applications. It eliminates the manual configuration typically required for SSR setups by bundling Vue, a file-based router, server-side rendering capabilities, and a backend runtime (Nitro) into a single framework. With over 1.1 million weekly downloads, it's become the de facto standard for building Vue applications that require SEO optimization or improved initial load performance.

The framework addresses the complexity of configuring build tools, routing, SSR hydration, and backend APIs separately. Instead of setting up Vite, Vue Router, and a Node.js server independently, Nuxt provides these out-of-the-box with sensible defaults. It supports multiple rendering strategies—SSR, SSG, CSR, and edge-side rendering—that can be mixed on a per-route basis within the same application.

Nuxt targets developers building content-heavy websites, SaaS applications, e-commerce platforms, and any Vue project where SEO matters or where you want to colocate frontend and backend code. The framework has been adopted by companies like GitLab, Upwork, and NASA for production applications. Version 3+ introduced a complete rewrite with TypeScript-first development, Vite as the default bundler, and the Nitro engine for universal deployment across Node.js, serverless, and edge runtimes.

Quick Start

typescript

// pages/products/[id].vue - Dynamic product page with SSR and API route
<script setup lang="ts">
const route = useRoute()
const productId = route.params.id

const { data: product, error } = await useAsyncData(
  `product-${productId}`,
  () => $fetch(`/api/products/${productId}`)
)

if (error.value) {
  throw createError({
    statusCode: 404,
    statusMessage: 'Product not found'
  })
}

useSeoMeta({
  title: product.value?.name,
  description: product.value?.description
})
</script>

<template>
  <div v-if="product">
    <h1>{{ product.name }}</h1>
    <p>{{ product.description }}</p>
    <span>${{ product.price }}</span>
  </div>
</template>

// server/api/products/[id].ts - API route handler
export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
  const id = getRouterParam(event, 'id')
  
  const product = await $fetch(`https://api.example.com/products/${id}`)
  
  return {
    name: product.name,
    description: product.description,
    price: product.price
  }
})

Use Cases

E-commerce storefronts: Build product catalog pages with SSG for fast loading and SEO while using SSR for dynamic cart/checkout flows. API routes handle payment processing and inventory management without a separate backend.

Content management systems and blogs: Generate static pages at build time for articles while maintaining an admin dashboard with client-side rendering. Server middleware protects authenticated routes without additional server configuration.

SaaS application dashboards: Use SSR for the marketing site and authentication pages for better SEO and perceived performance, then switch to CSR for the interactive dashboard. Server routes provide a type-safe API layer between frontend and database.

Multi-language corporate websites: Leverage automatic code-splitting and i18n modules for internationalization. SSG pre-renders all language variants while middleware handles locale detection and redirection.

Progressive web applications: Combine service workers with SSR for offline-first experiences. Nuxt's automatic code splitting ensures small initial bundles while the PWA module handles caching strategies.

Pros & Cons

Pros

+Zero-config TypeScript support with automatic type generation for routes, composables, and API endpoints
+Flexible rendering modes (SSR/SSG/CSR/ESR) can be mixed per-route, optimizing performance and SEO based on content needs
+File-based routing and auto-imports eliminate boilerplate—components, composables, and pages work without manual import statements
+Nitro engine enables universal deployment to Node.js, Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Workers, and 15+ other platforms from the same codebase
+Built-in server API routes with hot reload allow full-stack development without separate backend setup or CORS configuration

Cons

−Smaller ecosystem than React/Next.js means fewer third-party modules and slower community support for edge cases
−Learning curve for developers unfamiliar with Vue's Composition API and Nuxt-specific patterns like useAsyncData vs useFetch
−SSR applications require careful memory management—improper async handling or global state can cause memory leaks in production
−Build times increase significantly on large projects with many pages when using SSG
−Breaking changes between Nuxt 2 and 3 required substantial rewrites for existing projects

Comparisons

next vs nuxtmeta-framework →nuxt vs @sveltejs/kitmeta-framework →

Install

bash

npm install nuxt

bash

pnpm add nuxt

bash

bun add nuxt

↗ View full npm package details