Vue (pronounced /vjuː/, like view) is a progressive framework for building user interfaces. Unlike other monolithic frameworks, Vue is designed from the ground up to be incrementally adoptable. The core library is focused on the view layer only, and is easy to pick up and integrate with other libraries or existing projects. On the other hand, Vue is also perfectly capable of powering sophisticated Single-Page Applications when used in combination with modern tooling and supporting libraries (opens new window).

The easiest way to try out Vue.js is using the Hello World example (opens new window). Feel free to open it in another tab and follow along as we go through some basic examples.

The Installation page provides more options of installing Vue. Note: We do not recommend that beginners start with vue-cli, especially if you are not yet familiar with Node.js-based build tools.

#Declarative Rendering
At the core of Vue.js is a system that enables us to declaratively render data to the DOM using straightforward template syntax:

<div id=”counter”>
Counter: {{ counter }}
</div>
const Counter = {
data() {
return {
counter: 0
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(Counter).mount(‘#counter’)
We have already created our very first Vue app! This looks pretty similar to rendering a string template, but Vue has done a lot of work under the hood. The data and the DOM are now linked, and everything is now reactive. How do we know? Take a look at the example below where counter property increments every second and you will see how rendered DOM changes:

const Counter = {
data() {
return {
counter: 0
}
},
mounted() {
setInterval(() => {
this.counter++
}, 1000)
}
}

In addition to text interpolation, we can also bind element attributes like this:

<div id=”bind-attribute”>
<span v-bind:title=”message”>
Hover your mouse over me for a few seconds to see my dynamically bound
title!
</span>
</div>
const AttributeBinding = {
data() {
return {
message: ‘You loaded this page on ‘ + new Date().toLocaleString()
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(AttributeBinding).mount(‘#bind-attribute’)

Here we’re encountering something new. The v-bind attribute you’re seeing is called a directive. Directives are prefixed with v- to indicate that they are special attributes provided by Vue, and as you may have guessed, they apply special reactive behavior to the rendered DOM. Here, we’re basically saying “keep this element’s title attribute up-to-date with the message property on the current active instance.”

#Handling User Input
To let users interact with our app, we can use the v-on directive to attach event listeners that invoke methods on our instances:

<div id=”event-handling”>
<p>{{ message }}</p>
<button v-on:click=”reverseMessage”>Reverse Message</button>
</div>
const EventHandling = {
data() {
return {
message: ‘Hello Vue.js!’
}
},
methods: {
reverseMessage() {
this.message = this.message
.split(”)
.reverse()
.join(”)
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(EventHandling).mount(‘#event-handling’)

Note that in this method we update the state of our app without touching the DOM – all DOM manipulations are handled by Vue, and the code you write is focused on the underlying logic.

Vue also provides the v-model directive that makes two-way binding between form input and app state a breeze:

<div id=”two-way-binding”>
<p>{{ message }}</p>
<input v-model=”message” />
</div>
const TwoWayBinding = {
data() {
return {
message: ‘Hello Vue!’
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(TwoWayBinding).mount(‘#two-way-binding’)

#Conditionals and Loops
It’s easy to toggle the presence of an element, too:

<div id=”conditional-rendering”>
<span v-if=”seen”>Now you see me</span>
</div>
const ConditionalRendering = {
data() {
return {
seen: true
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(ConditionalRendering).mount(‘#conditional-rendering’)
This example demonstrates that we can bind data to not only text and attributes, but also the structure of the DOM. Moreover, Vue also provides a powerful transition effect system that can automatically apply transition effects when elements are inserted/updated/removed by Vue.

You can change seen from true to false in the sandbox below to check the effect:

There are quite a few other directives, each with its own special functionality. For example, the v-for directive can be used to display a list of items using the data from an array:

<div id=”list-rendering”>
<ol>
<li v-for=”todo in todos”>
{{ todo.text }}
</li>
</ol>
</div>
const ListRendering = {
data() {
return {
todos: [
{ text: ‘Learn JavaScript’ },
{ text: ‘Learn Vue’ },
{ text: ‘Build something awesome’ }
]
}
}
}

Vue.createApp(ListRendering).mount(‘#list-rendering’)

#Composing with Components
The component system is another important concept in Vue, because it’s an abstraction that allows us to build large-scale applications composed of small, self-contained, and often reusable components. If we think about it, almost any type of application interface can be abstracted into a tree of components: