BootstrapVue was once the go-to library for using Bootstrap with Vue 2, but it has become outdated and stuck with Bootstrap 4. With the rise of Vue 3 and Bootstrap 5, the community created BootstrapVueNext as a modern alternative.
In this article I’ll explore why BootstrapVue is considered obsolete, what BootstrapVueNext brings to the table, its current limitations, and how adoption has grown before version 1.0.
Why BootstrapVue is outdated in 2025
- Supports Vue 2 only – incompatible with modern Vue 3 projects.
- No Bootstrap 5 support – stuck with Bootstrap 4.
- Development has stalled – no bugfixes, no new features for years.
- Increasing security & compatibility risks.
And yet… BootstrapVue still shows ~176,000 weekly downloads on npm. Why?
- Many legacy projects are still running on Vue 2 and won’t migrate anytime soon.
- Some companies prefer the stability of “old but proven” libraries.
BootstrapVue may be outdated, but it’s not dead in practice.
Why BootstrapVueNext matters for Vue 3 + Bootstrap 5
The community created BootstrapVue Next to bring Bootstrap + Vue into the modern world:
- Vue 3 compatible (Composition API, Teleport, Suspense).
- Bootstrap 5 support – including the new grid, forms, offcanvas.
- Active development on GitHub.
- Familiar API for easier migration from BootstrapVue.
From a developer’s perspective, this is important: it ensures continuity for teams who already rely heavily on Bootstrap.
The limitations of BootstrapVueNext
But let’s be honest: it’s not all perfect.
- Still in 0.x versions → API may change, not guaranteed stable.
- Not feature-complete compared to the old BootstrapVue – some components are still missing.
- Documentation gaps – less polished than bigger frameworks.
- Smaller ecosystem – fewer blog posts, tutorials, StackOverflow answers.
- Lower adoption – still far behind BootstrapVue’s 176k weekly downloads.
In short: promising, but not risk-free.
BootstrapVueNext adoption and npm download trends
bootstrap-vue-next hasn’t even reached version 1.0 yet – but adoption is growing fast:
For comparison:
- bootstrap-vue → ~176,000 weekly downloads
Even before 1.0, BootstrapVue Next already attracts tens of thousands of developers.
That shows demand for a modern solution.
My experience as a BootstrapVueNext contributor
I’ve recently made my first contribution to BootstrapVueNext. What stood out to me was how active the project feels: the maintainers are open, the community is welcoming, and contributions of any size are genuinely valued.
From this perspective, BootstrapVueNext feels like a project with a future — not a finished one, but one that is steadily moving forward.
🙏 Thanks for reading,
Marxon
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