Lazy loading routes in Vue - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Lazy Loading Routes in Vue

📖 Scenario: You are building a Vue app with multiple pages. To make the app faster, you want to load each page only when the user visits it. This is called lazy loading routes.

🎯 Goal: Create a Vue router setup that lazy loads two routes: Home and About. Each route should load its component only when visited.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a routes array with two routes: / for Home and /about for About

Use dynamic import syntax to lazy load the Home and About components

Create a Vue router instance using createRouter and createWebHistory

Export the router instance as default

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Lazy loading routes helps make Vue apps faster by loading pages only when needed, improving user experience especially on slow networks.

💼 Career

Understanding lazy loading routes is important for frontend developers working with Vue to optimize app performance and scalability.

1

Set up the routes array

Create a constant called routes that is an array with two objects. The first object has path: '/' and name: 'Home'. The second object has path: '/about' and name: 'About'.

Vue

# Your code here
// Create the routes array with two route objects

Hint

Think of routes as a list of pages. Each page has a path and a name.

2

Add lazy loading to route components

Update the routes array so that each route has a component property. Use dynamic import syntax: for Home, use () => import('./components/Home.vue'). For About, use () => import('./components/About.vue').

Vue

const routes = [
  // Add component property with lazy loading for Home
  // Add component property with lazy loading for About
]

Hint

Use arrow functions with import() to load components only when needed.

3

Create the Vue router instance

Import createRouter and createWebHistory from 'vue-router'. Then create a constant called router by calling createRouter with an object that has history: createWebHistory() and routes.

Vue

// Import createRouter and createWebHistory from 'vue-router'
// Create the router instance with history and routes

Hint

Vue Router needs a history mode and the routes list to work.

4

Export the router instance

Add a line to export the router constant as the default export.

Vue

export default router
// Your code here

Hint

Exporting the router lets your Vue app use it.

Practice

1. What is the main benefit of using lazy loading for routes in Vue?

easy

A. It automatically caches all components in the browser.

B. It preloads all components at app start for faster navigation.

C. It loads components only when the route is visited, reducing initial load time.

D. It disables routing and shows all components on one page.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand lazy loading concept

   Lazy loading means loading something only when it is needed, not before.

2. Step 2: Apply to Vue routes

   In Vue, lazy loading routes means components load only when their route is visited, reducing initial app size and speeding start time.

3. Final Answer:

   It loads components only when the route is visited, reducing initial load time. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Lazy loading = load on demand [OK]

Hint: Lazy loading means load components only when needed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking lazy loading preloads all components
• Confusing lazy loading with caching
• Believing lazy loading disables routing

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to lazy load a route component in Vue Router?

easy

A. component: import('./MyComponent.vue')

B. component: './MyComponent.vue'

C. component: () => require('./MyComponent.vue')

D. component: () => import('./MyComponent.vue')

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Vue Router lazy loading syntax

   Vue Router uses dynamic import with arrow function: () => import('path').

2. Step 2: Check each option

   component: () => import('./MyComponent.vue') matches correct syntax. component: import('./MyComponent.vue') misses arrow function. component: () => require('./MyComponent.vue') uses require which is not standard for lazy loading in Vue 3. component: './MyComponent.vue' is just a string, not a function.

3. Final Answer:

   component: () => import('./MyComponent.vue') -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Lazy load syntax = arrow function + import() [OK]

Hint: Lazy load uses arrow function returning import() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting arrow function
• Using require() instead of import()
• Assigning component to string path directly

3. Given this Vue Router route config, what will happen when the user visits '/dashboard' for the first time?

const routes = [
  {
    path: '/dashboard',
    component: () => import('./Dashboard.vue')
  }
]

medium

A. The Dashboard component is loaded immediately when the app starts.

B. The Dashboard component is loaded only when the '/dashboard' route is visited.

C. The Dashboard component is never loaded.

D. The Dashboard component is loaded twice.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the route config

   The component is assigned as a function returning import(), which means lazy loading.

2. Step 2: Understand lazy loading behavior

   The component will load only when the route '/dashboard' is visited, not before.

3. Final Answer:

   The Dashboard component is loaded only when the '/dashboard' route is visited. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Lazy load means load on visit [OK]

Hint: Lazy loaded components load on route visit, not app start [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming component loads at app start
• Thinking component never loads
• Believing component loads multiple times automatically

4. Identify the error in this Vue Router lazy loading route config:

const routes = [
  {
    path: '/profile',
    component: import('./Profile.vue')
  }
]

medium

A. Missing arrow function wrapping the import call.

B. The path should be '/profiles' instead of '/profile'.

C. The import path must be absolute, not relative.

D. Lazy loading is not supported in Vue Router.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check lazy loading syntax

   Lazy loading requires component to be a function returning import(), like () => import('...').

2. Step 2: Identify the error

   Here, import() is called directly without arrow function, causing immediate import and syntax error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing arrow function wrapping the import call. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Lazy load needs () => import() [OK]

Hint: Lazy load must use arrow function wrapping import() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling import() directly without arrow function
• Changing path unnecessarily
• Believing lazy loading is unsupported

5. You want to lazy load two nested routes in Vue Router: '/settings' and '/settings/profile'. Which is the correct way to configure lazy loading for both routes?

hard

A. Use component: () => import() for both routes inside children array.

B. Lazy load only the parent route; child routes load immediately.

C. Use static imports for both routes to avoid delays.

D. Define child routes outside the parent route config.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand nested route lazy loading

   Each route can lazy load its component independently using () => import().

2. Step 2: Apply to nested routes

   Both '/settings' and '/settings/profile' should have component properties with arrow functions returning import() to lazy load separately.

3. Step 3: Check other options

   Lazy load only the parent route; child routes load immediately. is wrong because child routes won't lazy load automatically. Use static imports for both routes to avoid delays. disables lazy loading. Define child routes outside the parent route config. is unrelated to lazy loading.

4. Final Answer:

   Use component: () => import() for both routes inside children array. -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Lazy load each nested route with () => import() [OK]

Hint: Lazy load each nested route with arrow function import() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Lazy loading only parent route
• Using static imports for lazy loading
• Separating child routes incorrectly