Crash Guide to Vue 2 in 2025 (Part 1)

Of course, Vue has been around for a while and you may not even have used it before. So if you’re trying to get started with Vue 2 (yes, not Vue 3), let me tell you this:

1. You’re not “late.”
2. It’s not outdated.
3. It’s still powering enterprise-grade production apps that won’t magically disappear because a new version exists.

Vue 2 still rocks, especially if you’re joining a team maintaining an existing product, or you want to understand the foundations behind Vue 3’s improvements.

So let’s get started, you’ll understand how Vue 2 works, how to think like a Vue developer, and how to build scalable structure using Vuex and TailwindCSS.

Step 1: Understand Vue’s Mindset (Not Just Syntax)

Now Vue isn’t just a framework, it’s a philosophy:

1. Data-driven UI
   The DOM doesn’t dictate UI — your state does.

2. Declarative → Not Imperative
   Instead of writing document.querySelector(...), you write:

data() {
return { count: 0 }
}

…and your UI reacts automatically.

1. Component First Architecture Everything becomes reusable, maintainable blocks.

If you never internalize this mindset, everything else will feel like mechanical copying. And I mean that.

Step 2: Setup Your First Vue 2 Project (With CLI)

If you haven’t installed Vue CLI:

npm install -g @vue/cli

Create your project:

vue create vue-starter

Choose options like:

Babel
Router (optional)
Vuex
Linter

Then start the dev server:

npm run serve

Boom: Vue is alive.

Step 3: Understand the Vue 2 Component Anatomy

Every Vue component has three core parts:

<template>
<button @click="increment">Clicked {{ count }} times</button>
</template>

<script>
export default {
data() {
return { count: 0 }
},
methods: {
increment() {
this.count++
}
}
}
</script>

<style scoped>
button { padding: 10px; }
</style>

Concepts to truly understand:

1. data():
   This must return a function in components and it prevents shared state between instances.

2. methods vs computed:
   Computed caches results while methods re-run always.

3. props:
   The communication channel from parent → child.

4.$emit():
Child → parent communication.

Once these click, Vue stops being “syntax” and becomes a “lifestyle.” lol

Step 4: Project Structure That Scales

Avoid dumping components in one folder like a todo list gone wrong.

Use this structure pattern:

src/
┣ components/
┣ views/
┣ store/
┣ assets/
┣ router/
┗ utils/

Observe that in ReactJS, a pages folders is created instead of a views folder in VueJS.

Why structure it this way?

Because the future you and even the future of other developers, deserves mercy. lol.

Step 5 — State Management With Vuex

When components start sharing data, props become a mess and event emitting starts to look like spaghetti code.

That’s where Vuex steps in.

Install if you didn’t enable during setup:

npm install vuex@3

Create src/store/index.js:

import Vue from "vue";
import Vuex from "vuex";

Vue.use(Vuex);

export default new Vuex.Store({
state: {
count: 0
},
getters: {
getCount: state => state.count
},
mutations: {
INCREMENT(state) {
state.count++
}
},
actions: {
incrementCount({ commit }) {
commit("INCREMENT")
}
}
});

Now use it in a component:
<template>
<div>
<p>{{ count }}</p>
<button @click="incrementCount">Add</button>
</div>
</template>

<script>
import { mapGetters, mapActions } from "vuex";
export default {
computed: {
...mapGetters(["getCount"]),
count() {
return this.getCount
}
},
methods: {
...mapActions(["incrementCount"])
}
};
</script>

Why Vuex matters:

• Predictable state transitions
• Debuggable via devtools
• Scales to teams and large apps
• Separation of concerns is clean

Learn more in the Vuex

vuex.vuejs.org

Step 6: Styling With TailwindCSS (Without Wrestling CSS)

Tailwind is perfect with Vue because it encourages component-driven styling.

Install:

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init

In tailwind.config.js:

module.exports = {
purge: ["./index.html", "./src/**/*.{vue,js}"],
};

Create src/assets/tailwind.css:

@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;

Import in main.js:

import "@/assets/tailwind.css"

Use immediately:

<button class="bg-blue-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded shadow hover:bg-blue-700">
Click Me
</button>

Tailwind makes UI iteration fast, consistent, and scalable without worrying about CSS conflicts.

Advanced Tips (That Make You a Real Vue Developer)

• Use computed for anything derived from state. Don’t duplicate logic in multiple places.
• Modularize Vuex when the app grows. Split store into modules.
• Use watchers carefully. Watchers are useful, but if you're overusing them, it usually means your computed properties or mutations aren't structured right.

My Final Thoughts

Learning Vue isn’t just learning a framework, it’s learning how modern frontend works:

• Reactive thinking
• State-driven UI
• Component-based architecture
• Scalable styling and state management

Vue 2 gives you the solid foundation to transition effortlessly later to Vue 3, Nuxt, and more advanced patterns.