Introduction

This book introduces Vue.js not as a "framework," but as a natural extension of HTML.

We won't install Node.js or run npm create in a terminal.
All you need is a text editor and a browser.

Why? Because Vue.js is a Progressive Framework.
"Progressive" means you can adopt it incrementally.
Just by adding a little JavaScript to static HTML, you can start benefiting from Vue.

Writing a Single HTML File

Let's forget about Vue for now and write a plain HTML page.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>My App</title>
    <style>
      body {
        font-family: sans-serif;
        max-width: 600px;
        margin: 40px auto;
        padding: 0 20px;
      }
      .card {
        border: 1px solid #e2e8f0;
        border-radius: 8px;
        padding: 20px;
        margin-bottom: 16px;
      }
      .card h2 {
        margin-top: 0;
      }
      .tag {
        display: inline-block;
        background: #edf2f7;
        border-radius: 4px;
        padding: 2px 8px;
        font-size: 0.85em;
        margin-right: 4px;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>My Bookshelf</h1>
    <p>A record of recently read books.</p>

    <div class="card">
      <h2>Readable Code</h2>
      <p>Practical techniques for writing readable code.</p>
      <span class="tag">programming</span>
      <span class="tag">practices</span>
    </div>

    <div class="card">
      <h2>Fundamentals of Programming Languages</h2>
      <p>Learn the fundamental concepts behind language design.</p>
      <span class="tag">cs</span>
      <span class="tag">language</span>
    </div>

    <div class="card">
      <h2>Web Browser Security</h2>
      <p>A systematic guide to browser security.</p>
      <span class="tag">security</span>
      <span class="tag">browser</span>
    </div>
  </body>
</html>

Save this as index.html and open it in your browser.

It just works. Of course it does — it's just HTML.

The Limitation of This HTML

This page works fine. But as data grows, it becomes painful.

  • You need to copy-paste .card for every new book

  • You can't filter by tag (e.g., "show only programming")

  • You can't search by title

In other words, it's static.
Data and view are fused together in HTML — they aren't separated.

In the next chapter, we'll bring Vue.js in via CDN and change the underlying structure while keeping the exact same appearance.

Summary

  • Everything starts from a single HTML file

  • No Node.js or build tools needed (yet)

  • Static HTML has limitations — data and view can't be separated

  • Vue.js will extend this HTML without breaking it