Pre-rendering Dynamic Routes in Nuxt 3 with Nitro

Pre-rendering is a technique that can significantly boost the performance of our applications by generating static HTML for our pages in advance. Nuxt 3, with its Nitro engine, offers a seamless way to achieve this, especially for dynamic routes. In this guide, we'll explore how to pre-render dynamic routes in Nuxt 3 using Nitro.

Why Pre-render Dynamic Routes?

Dynamic routes are often data-driven, meaning they change based on external data sources. While this offers a flexible way to present content, it can also introduce performance challenges, especially during initial page loads. Pre-rendering these routes ensures users receive static HTML as soon as they request a page, leading to faster First Contentful Paint (FCP) and improved user experience.

Setting the Stage with Nitro

Nitro is the lightning-fast cold-start engine behind Nuxt 3. It optimizes the development experience with faster reloads and offers enhanced production performance. One of its standout features is its ability to handle pre-rendering with ease.

Diving into the Code

hooks: {
    async 'nitro:config'(nitroConfig) {
      if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') return
      const slugs = [...(await getAllDynamicRoutes()), ...staticRoutes]
      // add the routes to the nitro config
      nitroConfig?.prerender?.routes?.push(...slugs)
    }
  },

Breaking Down the Logic

• The Hook: We're tapping into the 'nitro:config' hook, which allows us to modify the Nitro configuration.

• Environment Check: The condition process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ensures that we only pre-render when not in development mode. This is crucial as pre-rendering during development can slow down our development process.

• Fetching Dynamic Routes: The function getAllDynamicRoutes() is a custom function that fetches all dynamic routes, typically by querying our CMS or backend for all available slugs. These routes, combined with any static routes, are then spread into the slugs array.

• Updating Nitro Configuration: The final step involves pushing our routes into the nitroConfig for pre-rendering.

Configuring Nuxt

To ensure that our hook works correctly, it's essential to add it to the nuxt.config.js file. This configuration file is the heart of any Nuxt application, and by adding our hook here, we ensure that it's executed during the build process.

Benefits of This Approach

• Performance Boost: Pre-rendered pages serve static content to users, ensuring faster load times.

• SEO Advantages: Search engines favor fast-loading pages. Pre-rendering can improve search engine rankings by serving content more quickly.

• Reduced Server Load: Since the HTML is generated in advance, there's less real-time processing required, leading to reduced server load.

Conclusion

Harnessing the power of Nuxt 3's Nitro engine to pre-render dynamic routes offers a blend of performance and optimization. As web developers continue to seek ways to enhance user experience, techniques like pre-rendering with Nitro stand out as invaluable tools in the developer's arsenal.