Day 2: Setting Up the Vue.js Environment
Table of Contents
Welcome back, fellow coders, to the second day of our Vue.js voyage. Today, we’re going to prepare our development environment for the journey ahead. We’ll be installing Node.js, npm, and the Vue CLI, and setting up our first Vue.js project.
Installing Node.js and npm
Before we delve into Vue.js, we must first set up the environment it thrives in. Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) form the backbone of many JavaScript environments, Vue.js included.
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows us to run JavaScript on our server. It’s essential for using many of the tools we’ll need in our Vue.js development.
npm, the default package manager for Node.js, allows us to install and manage packages that we’ll use in our project.
To install Node.js and npm, navigate to the official Node.js website and download the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version. The installation process is straightforward – just follow the prompts and agree to the terms of service. By installing Node.js, npm will also be installed as it comes packaged with Node.js.
You can verify the installation by opening a terminal or command prompt and typing the following commands:
node -v
npm -v
These commands should display the versions of Node.js and npm you installed.
Introducing the Vue CLI
With Node.js and npm in place, we can now move on to installing the Vue CLI. The Vue CLI, or Command Line Interface, is a powerful tool that helps us create and manage Vue.js projects.
To install Vue CLI globally, use the following command in your terminal:
npm install -g @vue/cli
You can verify the installation by checking the Vue CLI version:
vue --version
Setting up a Vue.js Project
Now that we have our tools installed, it’s time to create our first Vue.js project. Using the Vue CLI, this can be done with just a few commands.
In your terminal, navigate to the directory where you want your project to be located. Then, use the following command to create a new project:
vue create my-vue-project
Replace “my-vue-project” with the name you want for your project. The Vue CLI will then take you through a series of prompts to configure your project.
Once the setup process is complete, navigate into your new project folder:
cd my-vue-project
To start the local development server, use:
npm run serve
With that, your Vue.js project is up and running! You can view your application by opening your browser and going to http://localhost:8080/.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully set up your Vue.js development environment and created your first Vue.js project! In our next installment, we’ll dive into the fundamental building blocks of Vue.js: the Vue instance and Vue components. See you on Day 3!