No,Category,Guideline,Description,Do,Don't,Code Good,Code Bad,Severity,Docs URL,Applies To,Status,Verified At
1,Routing,Use file-based routing,Create routes under the Nuxt 4 app pages directory,app/pages with index.vue,Configure ordinary routes manually,app/pages/dashboard/index.vue,Custom router setup,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/routing,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
2,Routing,Use dynamic route parameters,Create dynamic routes with bracket syntax under app/pages,[id].vue for dynamic params,Hardcode routes for dynamic content,app/pages/posts/[id].vue,app/pages/posts/post1.vue,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/routing,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
3,Routing,Use catch-all routes,Handle multiple path segments with [...slug] under app/pages,[...slug].vue for catch-all,Multiply nested dynamic files unnecessarily,app/pages/[...slug].vue,app/pages/[a]/[b]/[c].vue,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/routing,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
4,Routing,Define page metadata with definePageMeta,Set page-level configuration and middleware,definePageMeta for layout middleware title,Manual route meta configuration,"definePageMeta({ layout: 'admin', middleware: 'auth' })",router.beforeEach for page config,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/define-page-meta,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
5,Routing,Use validate for route params,Validate dynamic route parameters before rendering,validate function in definePageMeta,Manual validation in setup,definePageMeta({ validate: (route) => /^\d+$/.test(route.params.id) }),if (!valid) navigateTo('/404'),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/define-page-meta,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
6,Rendering,Use SSR by default,Server-side rendering is enabled by default,Keep ssr: true (default),Disable SSR unnecessarily,ssr: true (default),ssr: false for all pages,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/rendering,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
7,Rendering,Use .client suffix for client-only components,Mark components to render only on client,ComponentName.client.vue suffix,v-if with process.client check,Comments.client.vue,"<div v-if=""process.client""><Comments/></div>",Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/components,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
8,Rendering,Use .server suffix for server-only components,Mark components to render only on server,ComponentName.server.vue suffix,Manual server check,HeavyMarkdown.server.vue,"v-if=""process.server""",Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/components,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
9,DataFetching,Use useFetch for simple data fetching,Wrapper around useAsyncData for URL fetching,useFetch for API calls,$fetch in onMounted,const { data } = await useFetch('/api/posts'),onMounted(async () => { data.value = await $fetch('/api/posts') }),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
10,DataFetching,Use useAsyncData for complex fetching,Fine-grained control over async data,useAsyncData for CMS or custom fetching,useFetch for non-URL data sources,"const { data } = await useAsyncData('posts', () => cms.getPosts())",const { data } = await useFetch(() => cms.getPosts()),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-async-data,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
11,DataFetching,Use $fetch for non-reactive requests,$fetch for event handlers and non-component code,$fetch in event handlers or server routes,useFetch in click handlers,"async function submit() { await $fetch('/api/submit', { method: 'POST' }) }",async function submit() { await useFetch('/api/submit') },High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/dollarfetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
12,DataFetching,Use lazy option for non-blocking fetch,Defer data fetching for better initial load,lazy: true for below-fold content,Blocking fetch for non-critical data,"useFetch('/api/comments', { lazy: true })",await useFetch('/api/comments') for footer,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
13,DataFetching,Use server option intentionally,Use server:false only when data depends on browser-only state,server:false for localStorage or browser APIs,Disable SSR merely because data is user-specific,"useFetch('/api/preferences', { server: false }) for browser-only input",server:false for any authenticated request,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
14,DataFetching,Use pick to reduce payload size,Select only needed fields from response,pick option for large responses,Fetching entire objects when few fields needed,"useFetch('/api/user', { pick: ['id', 'name'] })",useFetch('/api/user') then destructure,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
15,DataFetching,Use transform for data manipulation,Transform data before storing in state,transform option for data shaping,Manual transformation after fetch,"useFetch('/api/posts', { transform: (posts) => posts.map(p => p.title) })",const titles = data.value.map(p => p.title),Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
16,DataFetching,Handle loading and error states,Always handle pending and error states,Check status pending error refs,Ignoring loading states,"<div v-if=""status === 'pending'"">Loading...</div>",No loading indicator,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/data-fetching,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
17,Lifecycle,Avoid side effects in script setup root,Move side effects to lifecycle hooks,Side effects in onMounted,setInterval in root script setup,onMounted(() => { interval = setInterval(...) }),<script setup>setInterval(...)</script>,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/nuxt-lifecycle,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
18,Lifecycle,Use onMounted for DOM access,Access DOM only after component is mounted,onMounted for DOM manipulation,Direct DOM access in setup,onMounted(() => { document.getElementById('el') }),<script setup>document.getElementById('el')</script>,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/on-mounted,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
19,Lifecycle,Use nextTick for post-render access,Wait for DOM updates before accessing elements,await nextTick() after state changes,Immediate DOM access after state change,count.value++; await nextTick(); el.value.focus(),count.value++; el.value.focus(),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/next-tick,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
20,Lifecycle,Use onPrehydrate for pre-hydration logic,Run code before Nuxt hydrates the page,onPrehydrate for client setup,onMounted for hydration-critical code,onPrehydrate(() => { console.log(window) }),onMounted for pre-hydration needs,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/on-prehydrate,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
21,Server,Use server/api for API routes,Create API endpoints in server/api directory,server/api/users.ts for /api/users,Manual Express setup,server/api/hello.ts -> /api/hello,app.get('/api/hello'),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/server,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
22,Server,Use defineEventHandler for handlers,Define server route handlers,defineEventHandler for all handlers,export default function,export default defineEventHandler((event) => { return { hello: 'world' } }),"export default function(req, res) {}",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/server,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
23,Server,Use server/routes for non-api routes,Routes without /api prefix,server/routes for custom paths,server/api for non-api routes,server/routes/sitemap.xml.ts,server/api/sitemap.xml.ts,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/server,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
24,Server,Use getQuery and readBody for input,Access query params and request body,getQuery(event) readBody(event),Direct event access,const { id } = getQuery(event),event.node.req.query,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/server,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
25,Server,Validate server input,Always validate input in server handlers,Zod or similar for validation,Trust client input,const body = await readBody(event); schema.parse(body),const body = await readBody(event),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/server,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
26,State,Use useState for serializable shared state,Share SSR-safe values whose contents can be serialized,useState for JSON-serializable cross-component state,Store classes functions or symbols,"const count = useState('count', () => 0)",useState('service' () => new Service()),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-state,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
27,State,Use unique keys for useState,Prevent state conflicts with unique keys,Descriptive unique keys for each state,Generic or duplicate keys,"useState('user-preferences', () => ({}))",useState('data') in multiple places,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-state,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
28,State,Use Pinia for complex state,Pinia for advanced state management,@pinia/nuxt for complex apps,Custom state management,useMainStore() with Pinia,Custom reactive store implementation,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/state-management,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
29,State,Use callOnce for one-time async operations,Ensure async operations run only once,callOnce for store initialization,Direct await in component,await callOnce(store.fetch),await store.fetch() on every render,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/call-once,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
30,SEO,Use useSeoMeta for SEO tags,Type-safe SEO meta tag management,useSeoMeta for meta tags,useHead for simple meta,"useSeoMeta({ title: 'Home', ogTitle: 'Home', description: '...' })","useHead({ meta: [{ name: 'description', content: '...' }] })",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-seo-meta,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
31,SEO,Use reactive values in useSeoMeta,Dynamic SEO tags with refs or getters,Computed getters for dynamic values,Static values for dynamic content,useSeoMeta({ title: () => post.value.title }),useSeoMeta({ title: post.value.title }),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-seo-meta,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
32,SEO,Use useHead for non-meta head elements,Scripts styles links in head,useHead for scripts and links,useSeoMeta for scripts,useHead({ script: [{ src: '/analytics.js' }] }),useSeoMeta({ script: '...' }),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-head,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
33,SEO,Include OpenGraph tags,Add OG tags for social sharing,ogTitle ogDescription ogImage,Missing social preview,"useSeoMeta({ ogImage: '/og.png', twitterCard: 'summary_large_image' })",No OG configuration,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-seo-meta,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
34,Middleware,Use defineNuxtRouteMiddleware,Define route middleware under app/middleware,defineNuxtRouteMiddleware wrapper in app/middleware,Put route middleware in server/middleware,"export default defineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to, from) => {})","export default function(to, from) {}",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/app/middleware,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
35,Middleware,Use navigateTo for redirects,Redirect in middleware with navigateTo,return navigateTo('/login'),router.push in middleware,if (!auth) return navigateTo('/login'),if (!auth) router.push('/login'),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/navigate-to,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
36,Middleware,Reference middleware in definePageMeta,Apply app/middleware entries to specific pages,middleware array in definePageMeta,Use global middleware for a page-specific concern,definePageMeta({ middleware: ['auth'] }),Global auth check for one page,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/app/middleware,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
37,Middleware,Use .global suffix for global middleware,Apply named route middleware globally with .global and keep it idempotent because initial SSR middleware can run again during hydration,app/middleware/auth.global.ts with repeat-safe logic,Assume it runs exactly once,app/middleware/auth.global.ts,Increment state unconditionally on every middleware run,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/app/middleware,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
38,ErrorHandling,Use createError for errors,Create errors with proper status codes,createError with statusCode,throw new Error,"throw createError({ statusCode: 404, statusMessage: 'Not Found' })",throw new Error('Not Found'),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/create-error,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
39,ErrorHandling,Use NuxtErrorBoundary for local errors,Handle errors within component subtree,NuxtErrorBoundary for component errors,Global error page for local errors,"<NuxtErrorBoundary @error=""log""><template #error=""{ error }"">",error.vue for component errors,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/error-handling,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
40,ErrorHandling,Use clearError to recover from errors,Clear error state and optionally redirect,clearError({ redirect: '/' }),Manual error state reset,clearError({ redirect: '/home' }),error.value = null,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/clear-error,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
41,ErrorHandling,Use short statusMessage,Keep statusMessage brief for security,Short generic messages,Detailed error info in statusMessage,"createError({ statusCode: 400, statusMessage: 'Bad Request' })",createError({ statusMessage: 'Invalid user ID: 123' }),High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/getting-started/error-handling,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
42,Link,Use NuxtLink for internal navigation,Client-side navigation with prefetching,<NuxtLink to> for internal links,<a href> for internal links,"<NuxtLink to=""/about"">About</NuxtLink>","<a href=""/about"">About</a>",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/components/nuxt-link,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
43,Link,Configure prefetch behavior,Control when prefetching occurs,prefetchOn for interaction-based,Default prefetch for low-priority,"<NuxtLink prefetch-on=""interaction"">",Always default prefetch,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/components/nuxt-link,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
44,Link,Use useRouter for programmatic navigation,Navigate programmatically,useRouter().push() for navigation,Direct window.location,const router = useRouter(); router.push('/dashboard'),window.location.href = '/dashboard',Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-router,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
45,Link,Use navigateTo in composables,Navigate outside components,navigateTo() in middleware or plugins,useRouter in non-component code,return navigateTo('/login'),router.push in middleware,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/navigate-to,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
46,AutoImports,Use Nuxt auto-imports intentionally,Use auto-imported Nuxt composables and Vue APIs or explicit imports consistently,Direct use of useFetch and ref where auto-imports are enabled,Treat valid explicit Vue imports as an error,const count = ref(0),Mix unresolved globals after disabling imports,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/auto-imports,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
47,AutoImports,Use #imports for explicit Nuxt imports,Import Nuxt-provided composables from #imports when an explicit import is useful,import useRuntimeConfig from #imports,Import Nuxt virtual composables from arbitrary package paths,import { useRuntimeConfig } from '#imports',import { useRuntimeConfig } from 'nuxt',Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/auto-imports,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
48,AutoImports,Configure third-party auto-imports,Add external package auto-imports,imports.presets in nuxt.config,Manual imports everywhere,"imports: { presets: [{ from: 'vue-i18n', imports: ['useI18n'] }] }",import { useI18n } everywhere,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/auto-imports,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
49,Plugins,Use defineNuxtPlugin,Define plugins properly,defineNuxtPlugin wrapper,export default function,export default defineNuxtPlugin((nuxtApp) => {}),export default function(ctx) {},High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/plugins,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
50,Plugins,Use provide for injection,Provide helpers across app,return { provide: {} } for type safety,nuxtApp.provide without types,return { provide: { hello: (name) => `Hello ${name}!` } },"nuxtApp.provide('hello', fn)",Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/plugins,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
51,Plugins,Use .client or .server suffix,Control plugin execution environment,plugin.client.ts for client-only,if (process.client) checks,analytics.client.ts,if (process.client) { // analytics },Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/plugins,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
52,Environment,Use runtimeConfig for env vars,Access environment variables safely,runtimeConfig in nuxt.config,process.env directly,"runtimeConfig: { apiSecret: '', public: { apiBase: '' } }",process.env.API_SECRET in components,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/going-further/runtime-config,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
53,Environment,Declare keys before NUXT_ overrides,Declare every runtimeConfig key in nuxt.config before overriding it with a matching NUXT_ environment variable,Declared apiSecret and public.apiBase keys plus NUXT_API_SECRET or NUXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE,Expect an undeclared environment variable to create config,NUXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE=https://api.example.com after declaring public.apiBase,API_BASE=https://api.example.com,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/going-further/runtime-config,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
54,Environment,Access public config with useRuntimeConfig,Get public config in components,useRuntimeConfig().public,Direct process.env access,const config = useRuntimeConfig(); config.public.apiBase,process.env.NUXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-runtime-config,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
55,Environment,Keep secrets in private config,Server-only secrets in runtimeConfig root,runtimeConfig.apiSecret (server only),Secrets in public config,runtimeConfig: { dbPassword: '' },runtimeConfig: { public: { dbPassword: '' } },High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/going-further/runtime-config,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
56,Performance,Use Lazy prefix for code splitting,Lazy load components with Lazy prefix,<LazyComponent> for below-fold,Eager load all components,"<LazyMountainsList v-if=""show""/>",<MountainsList/> for hidden content,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/components,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
57,Performance,Use useLazyFetch for non-blocking data,Alias for useFetch with lazy: true,useLazyFetch for secondary data,useFetch for all requests,const { data } = useLazyFetch('/api/comments'),await useFetch for comments section,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-lazy-fetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
58,Performance,Use lazy hydration for interactivity,Delay component hydration until needed,LazyComponent with hydration strategy,Immediate hydration for all,<LazyModal hydrate-on-visible/>,<Modal/> in footer,Low,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/going-further/experimental-features,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
59,DataFetching,Use enabled for conditional async data,Gate execution reactively with the enabled option instead of branching around the composable,"enabled: computed(() => Boolean(userId.value))",Call useFetch conditionally after setup,"useFetch('/api/user', { enabled: () => Boolean(userId.value) })",if (userId.value) await useFetch('/api/user'),Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-async-data,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
60,DataFetching,Keep async-data handlers pure,Keep useAsyncData handlers side-effect free and use stable explicit keys,Return a value from a pure handler with consistent options,Mutate shared state or vary options for one key,"useAsyncData('posts', () => $fetch('/api/posts'))","useAsyncData('posts', async () => { store.count++; })",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-async-data,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
61,DataFetching,Respect SSR request boundaries,Use relative useFetch URLs to proxy safe request headers and cookies; forward only an explicit allowlist to external origins,useFetch for an internal relative URL,Assume raw $fetch forwards request context or forward every incoming header,const { data } = await useFetch('/api/profile'),"$fetch(externalUrl, { headers: useRequestHeaders() })",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/dollarfetch,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
62,State,Use useCookie for SSR-safe cookies,Read and write cookies through the SSR-aware useCookie ref with explicit security options,useCookie with sameSite secure and httpOnly where server-only,Read document.cookie during SSR,"useCookie('session', { sameSite: 'lax', secure: true })",document.cookie,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-cookie,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
63,Rendering,Use routeRules for per-route rendering,Configure prerender SSR SPA redirects headers or cache behavior per route in nuxt.config,routeRules with explicit path patterns,Scatter rendering decisions through components,"routeRules: { '/blog/**': { isr: 3600 } }",process.client checks for route rendering,High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/concepts/rendering#route-rules,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
64,Configuration,Separate app config from runtime config,Use app.config for public reactive build-time app values and runtimeConfig for environment or secrets,defineAppConfig for theme and runtimeConfig for API secrets,Put secrets in app.config,"defineAppConfig({ theme: { primary: 'blue' } })","defineAppConfig({ apiSecret: process.env.API_SECRET })",High,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/guide/directory-structure/app/app-config,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
65,State,Refresh externally changed cookies,Call refreshCookie when a cookie changes outside the useCookie ref,refreshCookie after an external auth refresh,Assume the ref observes every external change,await refreshCookie('session'),Keep stale session.value after external refresh,Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/utils/refresh-cookie,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
66,State,Replace shallow-watched cookie values,When cookie watch is shallow replace the top-level value to trigger serialization,Assign a new object or array,Mutate a nested property in place with watch:'shallow',"prefs.value = { ...prefs.value, theme: 'dark' }",prefs.value.theme = 'dark',Medium,https://nuxt.com/docs/4.x/api/composables/use-cookie,nuxtjs 4.5,active,2026-08-13
67,Migration,Migrate Nuxt 3 before adding Nuxt 4 features,Nuxt 3 is end-of-life; use Nuxt 4 compatibility mode to surface directory app-config runtime-config and API changes,Enable compatibilityVersion 4 and resolve migration warnings,Keep an unmaintained Nuxt 3 app while adopting Nuxt 4-only guidance,"future: { compatibilityVersion: 4 }","// Nuxt 3 retained without an upgrade plan",High,https://nuxt.com/blog/v4-5,nuxtjs legacy 3.x,deprecated,2026-08-13