Top 5 Features of Vue.js Devtools to Enhance Your Development Strategies
Tags: vue, javascript, webdev, productivity
Published: 2022-03-17 12:03:29

---
title: Top 5 Features of Vue.js Devtools to Enhance Your Development Strategies
published: true
date: 2022-03-14 11:20:11 UTC
tags: vue, javascript, webdev, productivity
canonical_url: https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/post/top-5-features-of-vue-js-devtools-to-enhance-your-development-strategies.aspx
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1glblslt1odzmn1soo5l.png
---

[Vue.js Devtools](https://devtools.vuejs.org/ "Vue.js Devtools") made a huge impact on the Vue.js ecosystem. One of the most significant and unique features is the ability to time travel, which is a shift between states that allows you to debug Vue apps quickly.

This article will guide you through how to use Vue.js Devtools efficiently during the development process.

## Setting up Vue.js Devtools

Vue.js has provided its Devtools in three different formats: a [Chrome extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vuejs-devtools/nhdogjmejiglipccpnnnanhbledajbpd "Chrome extension of Vue.js Devtools"), a [Firefox extension](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vue-js-devtools/ "Firefox addon of Vue.js Devtools"), and a [standalone application](https://devtools.vuejs.org/guide/installation.html#standalone "Standalone Vue.js Devtools app").

### Use as a Chrome extension

![Vue JS Dev Tools extension on Google Chrome](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Vue-JS-Dev-Tools-extension-on-Google-Chrome.png)Go to the Chrome web store, search for _ **Vue.js Devtools** _, and add the extension to the browser.

### Use as a Firefox extension

![Vue JS Dev Tools Firefox extension](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Vue-JS-Dev-Tools-Firefox-extension.png)Search for **Vue.js Devtools** in the Firefox extension store and add it to the browser.

### Use the standalone version

Installing the Vue.js standalone version is straightforward. You can install it globally or as a project dependency by using NPM or Yarn.

```
-- As locally
npm install -g @vue/devtools
or
yarn global add @vue/devtools

-- As s project dependency
npm install --save-dev @vue/devtools
```

Then, run the **vue-devtools** command on the terminal, and the following window will pop up.

![Using Vue JS Dev tools as a stand alone version](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Using-Vue-JS-Dev-tools-as-a-stand-alone-version.png)To link the Devtools standalone app, copy and paste the given **<script>** on the page that needs to be debugged. Then, reload the Vue.js app.

Now, we’ll move on to look at five of its best features in-depth and some practical usage.

## Monitoring and editing component data in real time

Navigation to the **Components** tab provides you a clear view of all the page components on the left, accompanied by the details of the selected component such as props, data, computed, and Vuex bindings on the right.

![Real time monitoring using Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Real-time-monitoring-using-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)At the same time, you can edit the component data in real time using the **Components** tab, which makes it fascinating.

Since Vue.js Devtools doesn’t allow editing component data by default. It is necessary to enable it from the **Settings** tab first. Subsequently, you can select the component and edit its data, including strings, Boolean values, numbers, arrays, and data received from API calls in the browser’s **Component** tab.

## Time traveling through states

Vuex is the state management library in Vue.js. It can easily manage and mutate your application states.

Even though it’s smooth in most of the cases, Vuex also behaves unexpectedly in certain circumstances. In such cases, you can debug the Vuex store easily using Vue.js Devtools, enabling time traveling to prior states.

![Time travelling through states using Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Time-travelling-through-states-using-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)When Vuex dispatches a mutation, it tends to log all the details of app states, allowing you to monitor the state history of your app.

Drifting through these states, you will come across the **Time Travel** option, which can escort you through time to a particular state.

## Providing timing statistics for component lifecycle methods

We can measure the **Frames per second** and **Component render** parameters using the **Performance** tab in the Vue.js Devtools.

![Timing Statistics for Component Lifecycle Methods in Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Timing-Statistics-for-Component-Lifecycle-Methods-in-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)

When you allow the app to run and monitor the frames per second, several frames will be loaded each second. You can see three other labels with letters **M** , **E** , and **R** :

- **M:** indicates a mutation.
- **E** : appears when an event is fired.
- **R:** pops up when there is a change in route.

![Assessing Performance using Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Assessing-Performance-using-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)

Thereby, any mutation, event, or route change that affects your app’s performance can easily be detected using the **Performance** tab.

The **Component render** section in the **Performance** tab provides you with a detailed timing description of each component’s lifecycle. It indicates the duration of creating, mounting, updating, or destroying a component.

You can easily find your components of interest, since the component list is ordered based on the time taken to load.

## Handle routing

As the lines of code increase when an application grows, tracking all routes and their connections gets difficult. However, Vue.js Devtools compacts and wraps all the routes and their information into a single file. It allows monitoring the app’s routing actions with the user data.

![Monitoring routing in Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Monitoring-routing-in-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)When you navigate to the **Routing** tab in the inspect view and select **History** or **Routes** , you can track your routes and data in complex applications.

![Inspecting routes in Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Inspecting-routes-in-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)

## Performance monitoring

Vue.js Devtools collects all the emitted events into a single location. The **Events** tab monitors and tracks all the custom events of your app, including the source component, name, size, and payload of each event.

![Monitoring performance in Vue JS Dev Tools](https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Monitoring-performance-in-Vue-JS-Dev-Tools.png)For the record, Vue.js Devtools does not track events like **v-on:click** or **v-on:keyup** , and it tracks only the events emitted using **this.$emit(‘event\_name’)**.

## Conclusion

In a nutshell, we have discussed the methods of installing Vue.js Devtools and some of the features to use to get the best out of it.

We encourage you to be thorough with the facts brought up in this article if you are willing to master Vue.js.

Thank you for reading!

The Syncfusion [Vue UI components library](https://www.syncfusion.com/vue-ui-components "Vue UI Components") is the only suite you will ever need to build an app. It contains over 65 high-performance, lightweight, modular, and responsive UI components in a single package.

For questions, you can contact us through our [support forum](https://www.syncfusion.com/forums "Syncfusion support forum"), [support portal](https://support.syncfusion.com/ "Syncfusion support portal"), or [feedback portal](https://www.syncfusion.com/feedback/javascript "Syncfusion Feedback Portal"). We are always happy to assist you!

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