Foreword

Frontend web development has become astoundingly complex. If you’ve never used a modern JavaScript framework, building your first app that only displays “Hello” can take a whole week! That might sound ridiculous—and I would agree, it is. The problem is that most frameworks assume knowledge of the terminal, advanced JavaScript, tools such as the Node Package Manager (NPM), Babel, Webpack, and often more.

Vue, refreshingly, doesn’t assume. We call it the “progressive” JavaScript framework because it scales down as well as up. If your app is simple, you can use Vue the same way you use jQuery: by dropping in a <script> tag. But as your skills and needs grow more advanced, Vue grows with you to make you more powerful and productive.

Something else typically stands out. Vue is built not only by computer scientists, but also by designers, educators, and others from more people-focused trades. As a result, our documentation, guides, and devtools are world-class. The experience of using Vue is as important to us as its performance, reliability, and versatility.

Erik has carried that people-focused spirit into this book. First, it’s remarkably visual. The many detailed illustrations and annotated screenshots firmly ground his examples in the workflow of real developers. As a result, you actually learn how to use the browser and Vue’s devtools to confirm what you’re learning—and more importantly, troubleshoot when something goes wrong.

For those without a strong background in frontend development, JavaScript, or even programming, Erik also carefully explains the foundational concepts for understanding what Vue is doing and why. That, combined with his project-centered approach to introducing new features, means the book is ideal for relatively new developers looking to expand their skills with Vue as their first modern, frontend framework.

—CHRIS FRITZ, Vue core team member and docs curator