Chapter 113: Vue Study Plan

Study Plan This is not a random list copied from vuejs.org or a Udemy outline.

This is the exact path I would personally give to a motivated student in Hyderabad / Telangana / India who wants to go from “I know basic JS” → “I can build real, clean, maintainable, production-ready Vue 3 apps in 2026 and be confident in interviews / freelance / job applications”.

I divided it into clear phases with:

• realistic time estimate (assuming 8–14 hours/week)
• must-master topics in order
• recommended free & paid resources (updated for 2026)
• concrete mini-projects / exercises at the end of each phase
• checkpoints (what you should be able to do before moving on)
• common traps & how to avoid them

Phase 0 – Prerequisites (1–4 weeks)

Goal: No point starting Vue if JS foundation is shaky.

Must be comfortable with (self-assess honestly):

• ES6+ syntax (arrow functions, destructuring, spread/rest, modules, optional chaining, nullish coalescing)
• let vs const, hoisting, scope
• Promises + async/await (very important for Pinia & API work)
• Basic array methods (map, filter, find, reduce, includes, some, every)
• Object destructuring + property shorthand
• Basic TypeScript (types, interfaces, generics — you don’t need mastery yet, but : string should not scare you)
• npm / pnpm basics (install, devDependencies, scripts)
• VS Code + Volar extension + Vue Devtools browser extension

Project / Checkpoint:

• Create a Vite + Vue 3 + TypeScript project (pnpm create vite)
• Make a simple page that fetches users from JSONPlaceholder and shows them in a list
• Use async/await + error handling + loading state

Resources (free):

• JavaScript.info (ES6+ sections)
• You Don’t Know JS Yet (free on GitHub)
• TypeScript official handbook (first 5 chapters)

If you already know 80% of this → skip to Phase 1.

Phase 1 – Vue Core & Reactivity (4–7 weeks)

Goal: Master the mental model of Vue 3 reactivity and template syntax.

Must-master topics (do in this order):

1. Vite + Vue 3 + TypeScript project setup
2. <script setup> syntax (forget Options API for now)
3. ref() vs reactive() — golden rule: primitives → ref, objects/arrays → reactive
4. .value unwrapping rules & pitfalls
5. computed() — when it re-computes, why it’s cached
6. watch() vs watchEffect() — flush, immediate, deep, onCleanup
7. Template basics: :, @, v-model, modifiers (.trim, .number, .lazy)
8. v-if vs v-show — DOM presence & performance
9. v-for + mandatory :key (why index is dangerous)
10. Class & style bindings (object syntax, array syntax)
11. Event modifiers (.stop, .prevent, .once, .self, .passive)
12. Template refs + onMounted access

Mini-projects / acceptance criteria:

1. Counter with even/odd label + high-score memory + limit 20
2. Todo list with add/toggle/delete/filter + <TransitionGroup> animations
3. Simple form (name, email, password) with live validation messages

Resources (free):

• Official Vue 3 docs → Essentials section (read fully)
• Vue Mastery → “Vue 3 Essentials” (first few free)
• Daniel Kelly – Vue 3 Reactivity Deep Dive (YouTube)
• Mayashavin – Vue 3 Composition API series (YouTube)

Checkpoint before moving on: You should be able to build a todo app with filtering & animations without looking at docs every 5 minutes.

Phase 2 – Components, Communication & Architecture (5–9 weeks)

Must-master:

1. defineProps<…>() + TypeScript props (required, default, validator)
2. defineEmits<…>() + type-safe events (payload types!)
3. v-model on custom components (modelValue + update:modelValue)
4. Multiple v-model (v-model:title, v-model:body)
5. defineExpose({ … }) — when parent needs to call child methods
6. Slots — default, named, scoped (#item=”{ item, index }”), shorthand #header
7. <slot> fallback content + $slots checks (v-if=”$slots.header”)
8. Provide / Inject (avoid prop drilling for deep nesting)
9. toRef / toRefs / toValue helpers
10. readonly / shallowReadonly — protecting state
11. shallowRef / shallowReactive — manual reactivity control
12. Component registration & naming (defineOptions({ name: ‘…’ }))

Mini-projects:

1. Reusable Modal with v-model + defineExpose({ open, close }) + slots + Teleport + Transition
2. Custom input component with v-model + validation + error message slot
3. Tabbed interface with <KeepAlive> + state preservation (onActivated / onDeactivated)

Resources:

• Vue Mastery → “Real World Vue 3” (paid but excellent)
• Vue School → “Vue 3 Components & Composition” (many free)
• Anthony Fu – VueUse docs (use as reference)

Checkpoint: You should be able to build a modal + form + tabs system without feeling lost.

Phase 3 – State Management, Routing & Real App Structure (6–12 weeks)

Must-master:

1. Pinia (setup stores, $patch, actions, getters, useUserStore() pattern)
2. Vue Router 4 (dynamic routes, nested routes, navigation guards, <RouterView> + <KeepAlive>)
3. Pinia + router integration (store user/auth state, protect routes)
4. useAsyncData / useFetch style patterns (even without Nuxt)
5. <Suspense> + defineAsyncComponent + loading/error states
6. Custom composables (useForm, useDebounce, useInfiniteScroll, useDarkMode)
7. Global error handling (app.config.errorHandler + <ErrorBoundary>)
8. onErrorCaptured + fallback UI
9. nextTick() — when & why
10. markRaw — when to use (third-party libs)

Mini-project: Mini SaaS dashboard

• Auth (login/logout) using Pinia
• Protected routes
• Sidebar + tabs (KeepAlive)
• Data table + chart (fake API)
• Modal form + validation
• Error boundary around chart

Resources:

• Pinia official docs
• Vue Router docs
• Daniel Kelly – Pinia course (YouTube)
• Vue Mastery – Vue Router & Pinia series

Checkpoint: You should be able to build a protected dashboard with auth, tabs, and data fetching without major confusion.

Phase 4 – Advanced Patterns & Production-Grade Code (8–16 weeks)

Must-master:

1. v-memo — surgical re-render skipping
2. customRef — debounce/throttle refs
3. shallowRef + triggerRef — manual trigger
4. Reactivity debugging (onRenderTracked / onRenderTriggered)
5. useTemplateRef (Vue 3.5+)
6. <script setup> + defineOptions (name, inheritAttrs, etc.)
7. Global provide/inject + InjectionKey + type safety
8. Testing (Vitest + Vue Test Utils + Testing Library)
9. Storybook for Vue 3
10. Tailwind + UnoCSS / Headless UI / Radix Vue / VueUse

Mini-project: Real-time dashboard

• Infinite scroll feed
• Live updates (WebSocket simulation)
• v-memo on heavy chart
• Testing for 2–3 components
• Storybook stories for modal & card

Resources:

• Anthony Fu – VueUse docs
• Vue Mastery – Advanced Vue 3
• Testing Vue 3 apps (Vue School / Laracasts)

Checkpoint: You should be able to explain why a component re-renders unnecessarily and fix it with v-memo / shallowRef.

Phase 5 – Ecosystem & Specialization (ongoing)

Must-master:

1. Nuxt 3 basics (pages, layouts, composables, server routes, useAsyncData)
2. i18n (vue-i18n)
3. PWA / offline support
4. Deployment (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, Node server)
5. Performance profiling (Vue Devtools Timeline + Chrome Performance tab)
6. Accessibility basics (ARIA, focus management)

Mini-project: Portfolio / SaaS starter

• Nuxt 3 or Vite + Vue Router
• Auth (Pinia + localStorage or Supabase)
• Multi-language support
• Deployed to Vercel/Netlify
• Basic tests + Storybook

Suggested Timeline (8–14 hours/week)

• Phase 0 → 1–4 weeks
• Phase 1 → 4–7 weeks
• Phase 2 → 5–9 weeks
• Phase 3 → 6–12 weeks
• Phase 4 → 8–16 weeks
• Phase 5 → ongoing (parallel with real work)

Total realistic timeline to reach confident mid-level → senior-ready: 6–14 months (depending on prior experience & weekly hours)

Which phase are you currently in? Tell me your current level (beginner / done basic counter / already built a few apps?) and I’ll give you a personalized 4–8 week plan with exact next steps & resources.

Want to start with Exercise 1 together right now (counter with high-score + limit + double preview)?

Just say the word — we’ll code it live, step by step 🚀