Configuration
By default, Nuxt is configured to cover most use cases. The nuxt.config.ts file can override or extend this default configuration.
Nuxt Configuration
The nuxt.config.ts file is located at the root of a Nuxt project and can override or extend the application's behavior.
A minimal configuration file exports the defineNuxtConfig function containing an object with your configuration. The defineNuxtConfig helper is globally available without import.
export default defineNuxtConfig({
// My Nuxt config
})
This file will often be mentioned in the documentation, for example to add custom scripts, register modules or change rendering modes.
.ts extension for the nuxt.config file. This way you can benefit from hints in your IDE to avoid typos and mistakes while editing your configuration.Environment Overrides
You can configure fully typed, per-environment overrides in your nuxt.config
export default defineNuxtConfig({
$production: {
routeRules: {
'/**': { isr: true }
}
},
$development: {
//
}
})
$meta key to provide metadata that you or the consumers of your layer might use.Environment Variables and Private Tokens
The runtimeConfig API exposes values like environment variables to the rest of your application. By default, these keys are only available server-side. The keys within runtimeConfig.public are also available client-side.
Those values should be defined in nuxt.config and can be overridden using environment variables.
export default defineNuxtConfig({
runtimeConfig: {
// The private keys which are only available server-side
apiSecret: '123',
// Keys within public are also exposed client-side
public: {
apiBase: '/api'
}
}
})
These variables are exposed to the rest of your application using the useRuntimeConfig() composable.
<script setup lang="ts">
const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig()
</script>
App Configuration
The app.config.ts file, located in the source directory (by default the root of the project), is used to expose public variables that can be determined at build time. Contrary to the runtimeConfig option, these can not be overridden using environment variables.
A minimal configuration file exports the defineAppConfig function containing an object with your configuration. The defineAppConfig helper is globally available without import.
export default defineAppConfig({
title: 'Hello Nuxt',
theme: {
dark: true,
colors: {
primary: '#ff0000'
}
}
})
These variables are exposed to the rest of your application using the useAppConfig composable.
<script setup lang="ts">
const appConfig = useAppConfig()
</script>
runtimeConfig vs app.config
As stated above, runtimeConfig and app.config are both used to expose variables to the rest of your application. To determine whether you should use one or the other, here are some guidelines:
runtimeConfig: Private or public tokens that need to be specified after build using environment variables.app.config: Public tokens that are determined at build time, website configuration such as theme variant, title and any project config that are not sensitive.
| Feature | runtimeConfig | app.config |
|---|---|---|
| Client Side | Hydrated | Bundled |
| Environment Variables | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Reactive | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Types support | ✅ Partial | ✅ Yes |
| Configuration per Request | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Hot Module Replacement | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Non primitive JS types | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
External Configuration Files
Nuxt uses nuxt.config.ts file as the single source of truth for configurations and skips reading external configuration files. During the course of building your project, you may have a need to configure those. The following table highlights common configurations and, where applicable, how they can be configured with Nuxt.
| Name | Config File | How To Configure |
|---|---|---|
| Nitro | nitro.config.ts | Use nitro key in nuxt.config |
| PostCSS | postcss.config.js | Use postcss key in nuxt.config |
| Vite | vite.config.ts | Use vite key in nuxt.config |
| webpack | webpack.config.ts | Use webpack key in nuxt.config |
Here is a list of other common config files:
| Name | Config File | How To Configure |
|---|---|---|
| TypeScript | tsconfig.json | More Info |
| ESLint | eslint.config.js | More Info |
| Prettier | .prettierrc.json | More Info |
| Stylelint | .stylelintrc.json | More Info |
| TailwindCSS | tailwind.config.js | More Info |
| Vitest | vitest.config.ts | More Info |
Vue Configuration
With Vite
If you need to pass options to @vitejs/plugin-vue or @vitejs/plugin-vue-jsx, you can do this in your nuxt.config file.
vite.vuefor@vitejs/plugin-vue. Check available options here.vite.vueJsxfor@vitejs/plugin-vue-jsx. Check available options here.
export default defineNuxtConfig({
vite: {
vue: {
customElement: true
},
vueJsx: {
mergeProps: true
}
}
})
With webpack
If you use webpack and need to configure vue-loader, you can do this using webpack.loaders.vue key inside your nuxt.config file. The available options are defined here.
export default defineNuxtConfig({
webpack: {
loaders: {
vue: {
hotReload: true,
}
}
}
})
Enabling Experimental Vue Features
You may need to enable experimental features in Vue, such as propsDestructure. Nuxt provides an easy way to do that in nuxt.config.ts, no matter which builder you are using:
export default defineNuxtConfig({
vue: {
propsDestructure: true
}
})
experimental reactivityTransform migration from Vue 3.4 and Nuxt 3.9
Since Nuxt 3.9 and Vue 3.4, reactivityTransform has been moved from Vue to Vue Macros which has a Nuxt integration.