Get your Front End Rolling with Vue and InertiaJS

By Eric Peterson

Elevator Pitch

The JavaScript frontend scene is exciting, but maybe you don’t want to write an API just to use the new shiny. Enter InertiaJS, a new framework that allows you to use Vue as your view layer while keeping your existing backend. Come see how to take advantage of this using ColdBox, Vue, and InertiaJS.

Description

InertiaJS is a new JavaScript framework made for people who don’t really need an API but want to use a modern JavaScript framework like React or Vue as their view layer. Inspired by libraries like Turbolinks, InteriaJS makes your app behave like a SPA while still being a fully sever-rendered app.

In this talk, we will go through

  1. Visual explanation of InertiaJS
  2. How to set up InertiaJS on the server
  3. How to set up InertiaJS on the client
  4. Demo of the end result
  5. Pros and Cons

So skip writing the API you are only using yourself, just use your framework as normal and take advantage of the great frontend JavaScript world at the same time.

Notes

This example will be built on ColdBox using a module I’m currently developing to make the process easier. ColdBox is not a requirement to use InertiaJS. This will be an interesting talk for your attendees because of the strain between the complexity of writing a separate front end and back end and the desire to provide a nice, full-featured, and reactive experience for their users. Inertia is a good middle ground in this spectrum.