Babel Plugins for Nuxt.js

Introduction

Nuxt.js is a popular server-side rendering framework for building web applications using Vue.js. One of the key benefits of Nuxt.js is that it comes with built-in support for writing universal (isomorphic) JavaScript code that works both on the client and the server. However, to achieve this, Nuxt.js also uses Babel plugins that transform the code during the build process.

This article will introduce you to some of the most useful Babel plugins for Nuxt.js that can help you further optimize, extend, or customize your web application.

Plugins

@babel/plugin-proposal-optional-chaining

This plugin allows you to use the optional chaining operator (?.) in your code, which is useful when you need to access a property of an object that may be null or undefined. With this plugin, you can simplify your code and avoid unnecessary null-checks.

const foo = {
  bar: {
    baz: 'hello'
  }
}

// Without optional chaining
const value = foo && foo.bar && foo.bar.baz // 'hello'

// With optional chaining
const value = foo?.bar?.baz // 'hello'

@babel/plugin-proposal-nullish-coalescing-operator

Similar to the optional chaining plugin, this plugin allows you to use the nullish coalescing operator (??) in your code. The nullish coalescing operator returns the right-hand side value if the left-hand side value is null or undefined, otherwise it returns the left-hand side value.

const foo = null
const bar = 'hello'

// Without nullish coalescing
const value = foo || bar // 'hello'

// With nullish coalescing
const value = foo ?? bar // 'hello'

@babel/plugin-syntax-dynamic-import

This plugin adds support for dynamic imports in your code, which allows you to load modules on-demand. By using dynamic imports, you can reduce the initial loading time of your application and improve its performance.

import(`./${path}`)
  .then((module) => {
    // Do something with the module
  })

@babel/plugin-syntax-import-meta

This plugin adds support for the import.meta syntax in your code, which allows you to access the meta information of the module. You can use this information to retrieve the URL of the module, or to check if the module is the main entry point for your application.

console.log(import.meta.url) // 'http://localhost:3000/_nuxt/pages/index.js'
console.log(import.meta.main) // true or false

@babel/plugin-transform-runtime

This plugin allows you to use newer syntax features in your code, such as async/await, generators, or Object.values, without having to include the corresponding polyfills in your code. Instead, this plugin uses the runtime version of the babel helpers, which are included in a separate module.

// Without plugin-transform-runtime
async function fetchData() {
  // ...
}

// With plugin-transform-runtime
import { async } from '@babel/runtime-corejs3'
async function fetchData() {
  // ...
}

@babel/preset-env

This preset allows you to target specific versions of JavaScript and automatically include the necessary plugins to support those features. By using this preset, you can ensure that your code runs on a wide range of browsers and platforms, while still taking advantage of the latest language features.

// With @babel/preset-env
module.exports = {
  presets: [
    [
      '@babel/preset-env',
      {
        targets: {
          chrome: '58',
          ie: '11'
        }
      }
    ]
  ]
}

// Without @babel/preset-env
module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    '@babel/plugin-proposal-optional-chaining',
    '@babel/plugin-proposal-nullish-coalescing-operator',
    '@babel/plugin-syntax-dynamic-import',
    '@babel/plugin-syntax-import-meta',
    '@babel/plugin-transform-runtime'
  ]
}

Conclusion

These are just a few of the Babel plugins that you can use with Nuxt.js to further optimize, extend, or customize your web application. By carefully selecting the plugins and presets that you use, you can improve the performance, compatibility, and maintainability of your code.