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Introduction to Vuex

Introduction​

Vuex is a state management pattern and library for Vue.js applications. It serves as a centralized store for all the components in an application, with rules ensuring that the state can only be mutated in a predictable manner. It also integrates with Vue's official devtools extension to provide advanced features such as zero-config time-travel debugging and state snapshot export/import.

In this tutorial, we will provide a comprehensive introduction to Vuex, covering its core concepts, installation process, and basic usage.

Why Vuex?​

Managing state in large-scale applications can be challenging. State can be changed by various actions, and it can become difficult to trace which action has mutated the state. Vuex helps to maintain consistency, making state management easier and more predictable.

Core Concepts of Vuex​

Vuex is composed of four main parts: State, Getters, Mutations, and Actions.

  • State: Vuex uses a single state tree - that is, this single object contains all your application level state and serves as the "single source of truth".

  • Getters: Sometimes we may need to compute derived state based on store state. Vuex allows us to define "getters" in the store. You can think of them as computed properties for stores.

  • Mutations: The only way to actually change state in a Vuex store is by committing a mutation. Vuex mutations are very similar to events: each mutation has a string type and a handler.

  • Actions: Actions are similar to mutations, the differences being that instead of mutating the state, actions commit mutations. Actions can contain arbitrary asynchronous operations.

Installing Vuex​

Before we can start working with Vuex, we need to install it. Vuex requires Vue.js version 2.0.0 or later.

You can install Vuex via npm:

npm install vuex --save

After installing Vuex, the next step is to import it and use it in your Vue application:

import Vue from 'vue'
import Vuex from 'vuex'

Vue.use(Vuex)

const store = new Vuex.Store({
  // your state, mutations and actions go here
})

Creating a Vuex Store​

Vuex stores are where you will define your state, mutations, actions, and getters. Here's a simple example:

import Vue from 'vue'
import Vuex from 'vuex'

Vue.use(Vuex)

const store = new Vuex.Store({
  state: {
    count: 0
  },
  mutations: {
    increment(state) {
      state.count++
    }
  },
  actions: {
    increment(context) {
      context.commit('increment')
    }
  },
  getters: {
    count: state => state.count
  }
})

This is a basic Vuex store with a simple count state, an increment mutation, an increment action, and a count getter.

In conclusion, Vuex is a powerful tool for managing state in Vue.js applications. It provides a centralized store for all the components in an application, with rules ensuring that the state can only be mutated in a predictable manner. This tutorial has introduced you to the core concepts of Vuex, and showed you how to install it and create a Vuex store. With these basics under your belt, you're ready to start integrating Vuex into your own Vue.js projects.