For a first Vue app, use the official create-vue scaffold. It creates a Vue 3 project powered by Vite, with a standard Single-File Component workflow. You’ll need a supported Node.js version and basic familiarity with the command line, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
What Vue.js is—and what you need to know first
Vue is a JavaScript framework for building user interfaces. The Vue.js Introduction describes it as “a JavaScript framework for building user interfaces.” It builds on standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; prior framework experience is useful but not required. The official learning material expects basic web-language knowledge.
For a conventional new app with reusable .vue files, start with the local Vite-based setup below. A CDN setup is useful for adding modest interactivity to an existing static or backend-rendered page, but it is not the normal path for a new Single-File Component app.
Create your first Vue app with Vite
1. Check the prerequisites
The current Vue Quick Start lists Node.js ^22.18.0 || >=24.12.0 and familiarity with the command line. Install a version in that range, then use the package manager you prefer. This walkthrough uses npm.
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2. Run the scaffold and start the development server
npm create vue@latest- When prompted, enter a project name or accept the suggested one. The scaffold will ask about optional features.
cd <project-name>npm installnpm run dev
Open the local address printed by the development server in your browser. Leave the server running while you work; stop it with Ctrl+C in the terminal.
3. Choose scaffold options without overconfiguring
create-vue can set up TypeScript, JSX, Vue Router, Pinia, Vitest, an end-to-end test solution, ESLint, Prettier, and Vue DevTools. If you are unsure what these are for, accepting the defaults is a sensible start. Add capabilities when your app has a clear need for them rather than choosing options simply because they are available.
Learn the project’s core Vue concepts
The generated project uses Vite and Vue Single-File Components, with Composition API demonstrated through <script setup>. A component puts its template, JavaScript logic, and styles together in a .vue file. Start by finding the app’s entry component and changing its template and styles, then follow how data in the script appears in the template.
- Templates: Vue templates extend HTML with bindings and directives so the interface can reflect application data.
- Reactivity: Reactive state lets Vue update the rendered interface when that state changes.
- Components: Break an interface into reusable parts, then compose those parts into a page.
A low-friction learning sequence is to try the browser tutorial or playground, make a small local app, and learn templates, reactivity, and components as you edit it. Then use the full guide and examples to deepen your understanding. The official hands-on tutorial is not comprehensive and assumes basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Vue’s Quick Start also links to an optional interactive Scrimba tutorial for running, editing, and deploying a first app.
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| Your situation | Good starting point | Trade-off or caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Building a new Vue app locally | create-vue with Vite |
Requires Node.js and package-manager setup; provides the normal Single-File Component workflow. |
| Adding light interactivity to static HTML or a backend-rendered page | Vue from a CDN | No build step, but this setup does not support Single-File Component syntax. |
| Considering Vue CLI for a new project | Prefer Vite and create-vue |
Vue CLI is in maintenance mode; use it when a project constraint specifically calls for its webpack-based setup. |
| Not sure whether the app needs TypeScript, tests, routing, or state management | Start with scaffold defaults | Choose optional capabilities later when the project’s needs are clearer. |
For server-side rendering or other framework features, Vue’s general guidance is to consider a framework such as Nuxt. If you do not need SSR, a direct Vite setup is simpler. Vue’s Quick Start also names Vike, Astro, and Quasar as Vue framework options; choose one to meet a specific need, not as a prerequisite for learning Vue.
Set up your editor and debugging tools
For Visual Studio Code, install the Vue – Official extension for Vue language support. The Vue tooling guide also notes WebStorm support. Vue DevTools is optional: it can help inspect component trees and state, track state-management events, and profile performance.
If you select TypeScript for Vue Single-File Components, the tooling guide recommends IDE feedback and identifies vue-tsc for command-line type checking and declaration generation. Vite transpiles TypeScript, but that transpilation does not itself type-check your code.
Build the app for production
When you are ready for a deployable build, run npm run build from the project directory. The generated output goes into dist. This creates the production build; it does not publish the site. Use Vue’s deployment guide for the steps to ship it.
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Add a browser screenshot to your workflow
If you need to capture a page while developing, a browser-based screenshot workflow is one option. For example, a developer can open the page in a browser and save a screenshot manually. For automated website captures, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server; it removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture, and only clean shots are billed.
Or skip the browser setup:
Make one GET request to capture a URL as an image or PDF. The following cURL example saves a WebP capture:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
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See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card required.
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