---
icon: IconDirectory
title: 'pages'
head.title: Pages directory
---

# Pages directory

Nuxt provides a file-based routing to create routes within your web application using [Vue Router](https://router.vuejs.org) under the hood.

::alert{type="info"}
This directory is **optional**, meaning that [`vue-router`](https://router.vuejs.org) won't be included if you only use [app.vue](/guide/directory-structure/app), reducing your application's bundle size.
::

## Usage

Pages are Vue components and can have the `.vue`, `.js`, `.jsx`, `.ts` or `.tsx` extension.

::code-group

```vue [pages/index.vue]
<template>
  <h1>Index page</h1>
</template>
```

```ts [pages/index.ts]
// https://vuejs.org/guide/extras/render-function.html
export default defineComponent({
  render () {
    return h('h1', 'Index page')
  }
})
```

```ts [pages/index.tsx]
// https://vuejs.org/guide/extras/render-function.html#jsx-tsx
export default defineComponent({
  render () {
    return <h1>Index page</h1>
  }
})
```

::

The `pages/index.vue` file will be mapped to the `/` route of your application.

If you are using [app.vue](/guide/directory-structure/app), make sure to use the `<NuxtPage/>` component to display the current page:

```vue [app.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <!-- Markup shared across all pages, ex: NavBar -->
    <NuxtPage />
  </div>
</template>
```

Pages **must have a single root element** to allow route transitions between pages. (HTML comments are considered elements as well.)

This means that when the route is server-rendered, or statically generated, you will be able to see its contents correctly, but when you navigate towards that route during client-side navigation the transition between routes will fail and you'll see that the route will not be rendered.

Here are some examples to illustrate what a page with a single root element looks like:

::code-group

```vue [pages/working.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <!-- This page correctly has only one single root element -->
    Page content
  </div>
</template>
```

```vue [pages/bad-1.vue]
<template>
  <!-- This page will not render when route changes during client side navigation, because of this comment -->
  <div>Page content</div>
</template>
```

```vue [pages/bad-2.vue]
<template>
  <div>This page</div>
  <div>Has more than one root element</div>
  <div>And will not render when route changes during client side navigation</div>
</template>
```

::

## Dynamic Routes

If you place anything within square brackets, it will be turned into a [dynamic route](https://router.vuejs.org/guide/essentials/dynamic-matching.html) parameter. You can mix and match multiple parameters and even non-dynamic text within a file name or directory.

If you want a parameter to be _optional_, you must enclose it in double square brackets - for example, `~/pages/[[slug]]/index.vue` or `~/pages/[[slug]].vue` will match both `/` and `/test`.

::StabilityEdge{title="Optional dynamic params with [[slug]] syntax"}
::

### Example

```bash
-| pages/
---| index.vue
---| users-[group]/
-----| [id].vue
```

Given the example above, you can access group/id within your component via the `$route` object:

```vue [pages/users-[group]/[id].vue]
<template>
  <p>{{ $route.params.group }} - {{ $route.params.id }}</p>
</template>
```

Navigating to `/users-admins/123` would render:

```html
<p>admins - 123</p>
```

If you want to access the route using Composition API, there is a global `useRoute` function that will allow you to access the route just like `this.$route` in the Options API.

```vue
<script setup>
const route = useRoute()

if (route.params.group === 'admins' && !route.params.id) {
  console.log('Warning! Make sure user is authenticated!')
}
</script>
```

## Catch all route

If you need a catch-all route, you create it by using a file named like `[...slug].vue`. This will match _all_ routes under that path.

```vue [pages/[...slug].vue]
<template>
  <p>{{ $route.params.slug }}</p>
</template>
```

Navigating to `/hello/world` would render:

```html
<p>["hello", "world"]</p>
```

::alert{type="info"}
Nuxt also supports a custom `pages/404.vue` file which will handle all routes that are not otherwise matched (and set a 404 error code).
::

## Nested Routes

It is possible to display [nested routes](https://next.router.vuejs.org/guide/essentials/nested-routes.html) with `<NuxtPage>`.

Example:

```bash
-| pages/
---| parent/
------| child.vue
---| parent.vue
```

This file tree will generate these routes:

```js
[
  {
    path: '/parent',
    component: '~/pages/parent.vue',
    name: 'parent',
    children: [
      {
        path: 'child',
        component: '~/pages/parent/child.vue',
        name: 'parent-child'
      }
    ]
  }
]
```

To display the `child.vue` component, you have to insert the `<NuxtPage>` component inside `pages/parent.vue`:

```html{}[pages/parent.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <h1>I am the parent view</h1>
    <NuxtPage :foobar="123" />
  </div>
</template>
```

### Child route keys

If you want more control over when the `<NuxtPage>` component is re-rendered (for example, for transitions), you can either pass a string or function via the `pageKey` prop, or you can define a `key` value via `definePageMeta`:

```html{}[pages/parent.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <h1>I am the parent view</h1>
    <NuxtPage :page-key="someKey" />
  </div>
</template>
```

Or alternatively:

```html{}[pages/child.vue]
<script setup>
definePageMeta({
  key: route => route.fullPath
})
</script>
```

:LinkExample{link="/examples/routing/pages"}

## Page Metadata

You might want to define metadata for each route in your app. You can do this using the `definePageMeta` macro, which will work both in `<script>` and in `<script setup>`:

```vue
<script setup>
definePageMeta({
  title: 'My home page'
})
</script>
```

This data can then be accessed throughout the rest of your app from the `route.meta` object.

```vue
<script setup>
const route = useRoute()

console.log(route.meta.title) // My home page
</script>
```

If you are using nested routes, the page metadata from all these routes will be merged into a single object. For more on route meta, see the [vue-router docs](https://router.vuejs.org/guide/advanced/meta.html#route-meta-fields).

Much like `defineEmits` or `defineProps` (see [Vue docs](https://vuejs.org/api/sfc-script-setup.html#defineprops-defineemits)), `definePageMeta` is a **compiler macro**. It will be compiled away so you cannot reference it within your component. Instead, the metadata passed to it will be hoisted out of the component. Therefore, the page meta object cannot reference the component (or values defined on the component). However, it can reference imported bindings.

```vue
<script setup>
import { someData } from '~/utils/example'

const title = ref('')

definePageMeta({
  title,  // This will create an error
  someData
})
</script>
```

### Special Metadata

Of course, you are welcome to define metadata for your own use throughout your app. But some metadata defined with `definePageMeta` has a particular purpose:

#### `keepalive`

Nuxt will automatically wrap your page in [the Vue `<KeepAlive>` component](https://vuejs.org/guide/built-ins/keep-alive.html#keepalive) if you set `keepalive: true` in your `definePageMeta`. This might be useful to do, for example, in a parent route that has dynamic child routes, if you want to preserve page state across route changes. You can also set props to be passed to `<KeepAlive>` (see a full list [here](https://vuejs.org/api/built-in-components.html#keepalive)).

#### `key`

[See above](#child-route-keys).

#### `layout`

You can define the layout used to render the route. This can be either false (to disable any layout), a string or a ref/computed, if you want to make it reactive in some way. [More about layouts](/guide/directory-structure/layouts).

#### `middleware`

You can define middleware to apply before loading this page. It will be merged with all the other middleware used in any matching parent/child routes. It can be a string, a function (an anonymous/inlined middleware function following [the global before guard pattern](https://router.vuejs.org/guide/advanced/navigation-guards.html#global-before-guards)), or an array of strings/functions. [More about named middleware](/guide/directory-structure/middleware).

#### `layoutTransition` and `pageTransition`

You can define transition properties for the `<transition>` component that wraps your pages and layouts, or pass `false` to disable the `<transition>` wrapper for that route. You can see a list of options that can be passed [here](https://vuejs.org/api/built-in-components.html#transition) or read [more about how transitions work](https://vuejs.org/guide/built-ins/transition.html#transition).

#### `alias`

You can define page aliases. They allow you to access the same page from different paths. It can be either a string or an array of strings as defined [here](https://router.vuejs.org/guide/essentials/redirect-and-alias.html#alias) on vue-router documentation.

## Navigation

To navigate between pages of your app, you should use the [`<NuxtLink>`](/api/components/nuxt-link) component.

This component is included with Nuxt and therefore you don't have to import it as you do with other components.

A simple link to the `index.vue` page in your `pages` folder:

```html
<template>
  <NuxtLink to="/">Home page</NuxtLink>
</template>
```

::alert{type="info"}
Learn more about [`<NuxtLink>`](/api/components/nuxt-link) usage.
::

## Router options

It is possible to set default [vue-router options](https://router.vuejs.org/api/#routeroptions).

**Note:** `history` and `routes` options will be always overridden by Nuxt.

### Using `app/router.options`

This is the recommended way to specify router options.

```js [app/router.options.ts]
import type { RouterConfig } from '@nuxt/schema'

// https://router.vuejs.org/api/#routeroptions
export default <RouterConfig>{
}
```

### Using `nuxt.config`

**Note:** Only JSON serializable options are configurable:

- `linkActiveClass`
- `linkExactActiveClass`
- `end`
- `sensitive`
- `strict`

```js [nuxt.config]
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  router: {
    // https://router.vuejs.org/api/#routeroptions
    options: {}
  }
})
```

## Programmatic Navigation

Nuxt 3 allows programmatic navigation through the `navigateTo()` utility method. Using this utility method, you will be able to programmatically navigate the user in your app. This is great for taking input from the user and navigating them dynamically throughout your application. In this example, we have a simple method called `navigation()` that gets called when the user submits a search form.

**Note:** Ensure to always `await` on `navigateTo` or chain it's result by returning from functions.

```vue
<script setup>
const router = useRouter();
const name = ref('');
const type = ref(1);

function navigate(){
  return navigateTo({
    path: '/search',
    query: {
      name: name.value,
      type: type.value
    }
  })
}
</script>
```