vue-router-best-practices

Route guards in Vue Router intercept navigation to enforce access control and data validation. Use beforeEach for global guards, per-route guards in the route definition, or beforeRouteUpdate for handling param changes within a component. Guards receive to/from route objects and a next callback to allow, reject, or redirect navigation.

Use beforeRouteUpdate lifecycle hook to watch param changes and update component state without triggering a remount. Combine with watchers on $route.params to sync data when users navigate between routes with the same component. This pattern improves performance and preserves component state across param updates.

Define route components using dynamic imports with webpack's code-splitting syntax: component: () => import('./views/Page.vue'). This defers component loading until the route is accessed, reducing initial bundle size and improving SPA performance. Pair with global guards to preload critical routes when needed.

Route meta fields store arbitrary metadata like requiresAuth or roles on each route definition. Access meta in beforeEach guards to implement permission checks, conditional redirects, and access control logic. This approach centralizes security rules and separates concerns from component code.

Avoid re-fetching data on every param change by using beforeRouteUpdate instead of mounted. Watch $route carefully to prevent infinite loops. Clean up async operations in beforeRouteLeave to prevent memory leaks. Ensure guards resolve or reject to avoid hanging navigation.

Implement global beforeEach guard logic that checks auth status via meta fields or a store. Redirect unauthenticated users to login before accessing protected routes, or redirect authenticated users away from auth pages. Use next() with a target route object to perform conditional redirects during navigation.