Guide: How to Create Your First Vue.js App and Deploy to Up2Share

Vue.js is a popular JavaScript framework that allows you to build dynamic, single-page applications with ease. Whether you’re just getting started with web development or looking to explore a new framework, this guide will walk you through the process of creating your first Vue.js app from scratch.

1. Quick Start with Vue

If you want to quickly try out Vue.js without installing anything on your computer, you have a few options:

• Try Vue Online: Head over to the Vue Playground to experiment with Vue directly in your browser.
• Use a Simple HTML Setup: For a basic setup without any build steps, you can start with this JSFiddle as a foundation.
• Complete Build Setup in Browser: If you’re familiar with Node.js and build tools, you can try a complete Vue project setup using StackBlitz.

2. Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure that you have:

• Familiarity with the command line
• Node.js version 18.3 or higher installed

3. Scaffolding a New Vue Application

To create a Vue.js application on your local machine, follow these steps:

1. Install Vue with npm: Open your command line interface (CLI), navigate to the directory where you want to create your project, and run the following command:

   $ npm create vue@latest

This command installs and runs create-vue, the official Vue project scaffolding tool. You’ll be prompted to configure your project with optional features such as TypeScript, Vue Router, Pinia for state management, and more. If you’re unsure about an option, simply choose the default by pressing Enter.

2. Configure Your Project: After running the setup command, you’ll be prompted with questions to configure your project. These include:

• Project name
• Adding TypeScript, JSX Support, Vue Router, Pinia, Unit testing, and more.
• Code quality tools like ESLint and Prettier.

2. Install Dependencies: Once the project is created, navigate into your project directory and install the dependencies:

   $ cd vuejs-up2share
   $ npm install

4. Run the Development Server: Start the development server to see your app in action:

   $ npm run dev

Your new Vue app will be running locally, usually at http://localhost:5173/.

4. Building and Deploying Your Vue App

When you’re ready to deploy your Vue app to production:

Build for Production: Run the following command to create a production-ready build:

   $ npm run build

This will generate optimized files in the ./dist directory, which you can deploy to a web server.

5. Deploying Your Vue.js App to Up2Share

Once you have built your Vue.js app for production, deploying it to a hosting service is the next step. If you’re using Up2Share, a service that allows for seamless website deployments through its API, you can automate this process with a few simple commands. Here’s how you can deploy your Vue.js app to Up2Share.

Step 1: Build Your Vue.js App for Production

First, ensure that your Vue.js app is built for production. Run the following command to create an optimized build of your app:

$ npm run build

Step 2: Package Your App as a ZIP File

Next, package the contents of the dist directory into a ZIP file. This file will be uploaded to Up2Share.

$ cd dist
$ zip -r ../vuejs-up2share.zip .

This command creates a ZIP file named your-app.zip in the parent directory, containing all the files from the dist folder.

Step 3: Deploy Your App to Up2Share

To deploy your Vue.js app to Up2Share, you’ll need your API key, which you can obtain from your Up2Share account. You can then use the following cURL command to create a new website or update an existing one.

Create a New Website

If you are deploying your app for the first time, use this command:

curl -X POST -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" -F "file=@path/to/your-app.zip" https://api.up2sha.re/v1/static-websites

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key and path/to/your-app.zip with the path to your ZIP file.

Deploy Updates to an Existing Website

If you need to update an existing website, use the following command:

curl -X POST -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" -F "file=@path/to/your-app.zip" https://api.up2sha.re/v1/static-websites/{websiteId}/deployments

Replace {websiteId} with the ID of the website you wish to update.

Step 4: Verify Your Deployment

After running the appropriate cURL command, your Vue.js app will be deployed to Up2Share. You can verify the deployment by visiting the URL associated with your website.

Automation Tip

If you frequently deploy updates to your website, you can integrate these cURL commands into your CI/CD pipeline. This will automate the deployment process, ensuring that your app is always up-to-date with minimal effort and zero downtime.

6. Advanced Tips and Tools

• Recommended IDE: Use Visual Studio Code with the Vue.js Official Extension for the best development experience.
• Tooling and Backend Integration: Explore the Vue.js Tooling Guide for more details on integrating with backend frameworks.
• TypeScript Support: If you’ve chosen to use TypeScript, check out the TypeScript Usage Guide.

7. Using Vue from a CDN

For a simpler setup without a build process, you can use Vue directly from a CDN. This is ideal for enhancing static HTML pages or integrating with a backend framework.

<script src="https://unpkg.com/vue@3/dist/vue.global.js"></script>

<div id="app">{{ message }}</div>

<script>
  const { createApp, ref } = Vue

  createApp({
    setup() {
      const message = ref('Hello Vue!')
      return {
        message
      }
    }
  }).mount('#app')
</script>

This setup is convenient but lacks the advanced features like Single-File Components (SFCs) that a full build system provides.

Next steps

• https://vuejs.org/guide/introduction