What is Vite?

Vite is a modern frontend build tool created by Vue.js creator Evan You. It delivers exceptional cold start performance, instant hot module replacement, and native support for ES modules, with a streamlined, flexible configuration workflow that simplifies Vue 3 project setup.

Step 1: Create a New Vue 3 Project

First, confirm you have a recent Node.js version installed. You can install the Vite scaffolding tool globally, or use the npm create command without global installation:

# Global installation option
npm install -g create-vite
# Alternatively with Yarn
yarn global add create-vite

# Scaffold a new Vue 3 project
create-vite vue-vite-demo --template vue

This command creates a new project directory named vue-vite-demo using the official Vue 3 template.

Step 2: Install Project Dependencies

Navigate into the newly created project directory and install required dependencies:

cd vue-vite-demo
npm install
# Or use Yarn
yarn

Step 3: Understand the Project Structure

The generated project directory has this standard structure:

vue-vite-demo/
├── index.html          # Main entry HTML file for the application
├── package.json        # Lists project dependencies and run scripts
├── src/                # Core source code directory
│   ├── assets/         # Static assets such as images and fonts
│   ├── components/     # Reusable Vue single-file components
│   ├── App.vue        # Root application component
│   └── main.js        # Application entry point script
└── vite.config.js      # Vite configuration file

Each file and directory serves a dedicated purpose:

• index.html: Serves as the entry point for the browser, loading the compiled Vue application
• package.json: Contains metadata about the project, including dependencies and predefined run commands
• src/: Houses all application source code
• vite.config.js: Allows customization of Vite's behavior for the project

Step 4: Launch the Development Server

Start the local development server to preview your application:

npm run dev
# Or with Yarn
yarn dev

By default, the server runs at http://localhost:5173, where you can view your live Vue 3 application.

Step 5: Review Core Example Code

Application Entry Point (src/main.js)

import { createApp } from 'vue'
import RootApp from './App.vue'

createApp(RootApp).mount('#app')

This script imports Vue's createApp API, imports the root appplication component, and mounts the app to the DOM element with ID app.

Root Component (src/App.vue)

<template>
  <div id="root-app">
    <img alt="Vue Logo" src="./assets/vue-logo.svg">
    <GreetingCard message="Welcome to Your Vue 3 + Vite App"/>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import GreetingCard from './components/HelloWorld.vue'

export default {
  name: 'RootApp',
  components: {
    GreetingCard
  }
}
</script>

<style>
#root-app {
  font-family: Avenir, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
  -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
  text-align: center;
  color: #2c3e50;
  margin-top: 60px;
}
</style>

This root component imports and uses a reusable greeting component, with a template, script section, and global styles.

Step 6: Customize Vite Configuration

Edit vite.config.js to adjust Vite's behavior. For example, add a path alias to simplify imports:

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import vuePlugin from '@vitejs/plugin-vue'
import { resolve } from 'node:path'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vuePlugin()],
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': resolve(__dirname, './src')
    }
  }
})

This configuration adds a alias @ that points directly to the src directory, letting you import files using concise paths like @/components/GreetingCard.vue instead of long relative paths.

Step 7: Generate Production Build

Once development is complete, run the production build command to create optimized static assets:

npm run build
# Or with Yarn
yarn build

This command compiles and minifies the application code, outputting the final production-ready files to the dist directory.