Nuxt 3, the latest evolution of the Nuxt framework, brings a powerful and flexible approach to building Vue applications using modern tooling like Vue 3, Vite, and Nitro. With these advancements comes a new error handling model that’s both robust and developer-friendly.

In this article, we’ll explore how error handling works in Nuxt 3, including built-in mechanisms, best practices, and how to implement custom error pages and logic.

Enjoy!

🤔 Why Error Handling Matters?

Effective error handling is critical in any application. It ensures that:

• Users get a helpful message when something goes wrong.
• Developers can diagnose and fix issues quickly.
• Security is maintained by preventing sensitive error details from leaking.
• The application maintains a good UX even under failure conditions.

🟢 Error Handling in Nuxt

Nuxt provides a built-in composable:useError() and utilities likecreateError() to manage errors gracefully.

ThecreateError() function helps you throw custom errors that Nuxt understands and can catch.

exportdefaultdefineEventHandler((event)=>{constauthorized=checkAuth(event);if(!authorized){throwcreateError({statusCode:401,statusMessage:'Unauthorized',});}});

Use theuseError() composable to access error details within your pages:

<scriptsetup>consterror=useError();if(error){console.log(error.statusCode);// For logging or conditionally displaying}</script><template><divv-if="error"><h1>Error{{error.statusCode}}</h1><p>{{error.message}}</p></div></template>

You can create a custom error page by adding anerror.vue file to thelayouts directory:

<template><divclass="min-h-screen flex flex-col items-center justify-center"><h1class="text-3xl font-bold text-red-600">Error{{error.statusCode}}</h1><pclass="text-lg mt-4">{{error.message}}</p><NuxtLinkto="/"class="mt-6 text-blue-500 underline">Go Home</NuxtLink></div></template><scriptsetup>consterror=useError();</script>

This layout will be automatically rendered for any uncaught error.

Middleware functions can also throw errors usingcreateError. These will be caught and redirected to the error layout.

exportdefaultdefineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to,from)=>{constisAuthenticated=useAuthStore().loggedIn;if(!isAuthenticated&&to.path!=='/login'){throwcreateError({statusCode:403,statusMessage:'Access Forbidden',});}});

We can also configure a global error handler by using the Plugin like following:

exportdefaultdefineNuxtPlugin((nuxtApp)=>{nuxtApp.vueApp.config.errorHandler=(error,instance,info)=>{// handle error, e.g. report to a service}// Also possiblenuxtApp.hook('vue:error',(error,instance,info)=>{// handle error, e.g. report to a service})})

Nuxt supports error boundaries using<NuxtErrorBoundary>—helpful for isolating and recovering from component-specific errors.

<template><NuxtErrorBoundary><MyComponent/><template#error="{ error }"><divclass="text-red-500">Component error:{{error.message}}</div></template></NuxtErrorBoundary></template>

This is useful when you want localized error handling in specific parts of your UI.

📖 Learn more

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It covers most important concepts while building modern Vue or Nuxt applications that can help you in your daily work or side projects 😉

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✅ Summary

Nuxt makes error handling a first-class feature, giving developers intuitive tools to manage exceptions across both the client and server. WithcreateError,useError, custom error layouts, and error boundaries, you can build resilient applications that handle failures gracefully.

Take care and see you next time!

And happy coding as always 🖥️