Modern Vue applications are no longer built from hardcoded layouts alone. As products scale, UIs increasingly need to adapt to configuration, CMS content, feature flags, experiments, or backend-driven schemas.
This is where config-driven interfaces and Vue’s dynamic components (<component :is>) truly shine.
Instead of baking layout decisions into templates, you let configuration decide what gets rendered — and Vue handles how it’s rendered.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- What config-driven UI means in Vue
- How
<component :is>enables truly dynamic rendering - Patterns for CMS-driven and backend-driven interfaces
- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- When dynamic components are powerful — and when they’re not
Enjoy!
🤔 What Are Config-driven Interfaces in Vue?
A config-driven interface is one where structure, composition, or behavior is controlled by data, not hardcoded templates.
Instead of writing:
<Hero />
<Features />
<Testimonials />
You render UI based on configuration:
[
{ type: 'hero', props: { title: 'Hello' } },
{ type: 'features', props: { items: [...] } },
{ type: 'testimonials', props: { quotes: [...] } }
]
This approach is common in:
- CMS-driven websites
- Page builders
- Design systems
- A/B testing
- White-label products
- Dashboard builders
Vue’s <component :is> is the core primitive that makes this possible.
🟢 Dynamic Components with <component :is>
At its core, Vue allows you to dynamically choose which component to render:
<component :is="currentComponent" />
Where currentComponent can be:
- A component reference
- A registered component name
- A function that resolves a component
- A value from configuration
This makes Vue ideal for config-driven rendering — as long as you structure it correctly.
Mapping Config to Components (Recommended Pattern)
Avoid rendering arbitrary strings directly. Instead, define an explicit mapping:
import HeroBlock from '@/components/HeroBlock.vue'
import FeaturesBlock from '@/components/FeaturesBlock.vue'
const componentMap = {
hero: HeroBlock,
features: FeaturesBlock
}
Then render safely:
<component
:is="componentMap[block.type]"
v-bind="block.props"
/>
Benefits:
- Strong boundaries
- Better type safety
- Easier refactoring
- Clear ownership of what can be rendered
This pattern scales well with CMS-driven systems.
Rendering Lists of Dynamic Blocks
Most config-driven UIs involve iteration:
<template>
<component
v-for="block in blocks"
:key="block.id"
:is="componentMap[block.type]"
v-bind="block.props"
/>
</template>
This allows:
- Reordering content without code changes
- Enabling/disabling blocks via config
- Experimenting with layouts safely
The UI becomes data-driven, not template-driven.
CMS-driven Interfaces in Practice
A typical CMS payload might look like:
{
"blocks": [
{ "id": 1, "type": "hero", "props": { "title": "Welcome" } },
{ "id": 2, "type": "features", "props": { "items": [] } }
]
}
Vue consumes this naturally using dynamic components — no conditionals, no giant v-if chains.
This is significantly more maintainable than:
<Hero v-if="type === 'hero'" />
<Features v-else-if="type === 'features'" />
🟢 Common Pitfalls of Dynamic Components
Overusing Dynamic Rendering
Not every UI should be config-driven.
Avoid dynamic components when:
- The layout is static
- The structure rarely changes
- The complexity outweighs flexibility
Dynamic components introduce indirection — use them intentionally.
Leaking Logic into Configuration
Configuration should describe what, not how.
Bad:
{ "type": "hero", "showIf": "user.isAdmin && env === 'prod'" }
Good:
- Keep logic in code
- Keep config declarative
- Validate inputs before rendering
Performance Considerations
Dynamic components are still Vue components:
- They mount
- They update
- They re-render
Optimize with:
-
markRawfor component maps -
KeepAlivefor frequently toggled blocks -
defineAsyncComponentfor heavy CMS sections
Dynamic doesn’t mean free — measure when needed.
📖 Learn more
If you would like to learn more about Vue, Nuxt, JavaScript or other useful technologies, checkout VueSchool by clicking this link or by clicking the image below:
It covers most important concepts while building modern Vue or Nuxt applications that can help you in your daily work or side projects 😉
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✅ Summary
Config-driven interfaces are one of Vue’s quiet superpowers.
In this article you learned:
- What config-driven UI means in Vue
- How
<component :is>enables dynamic rendering - Patterns for CMS-driven and backend-driven layouts
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- When dynamic components are worth the complexity
Used intentionally, dynamic components turn Vue into a flexible UI runtime — not just a templating system.
Take care!
And happy coding as always 🖥️


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