Subchapter 4.8
references/core-data-fetching.mdMarkdown7 KBView on GitHub
Nuxt provides composables for SSR-friendly data fetching that prevent double-fetching and handle hydration.
$fetch - Basic fetch utility (use for client-side events)useFetch - SSR-safe wrapper around $fetch (use for component data)useAsyncData - SSR-safe wrapper for any async functioncreateUseFetch / createUseAsyncData - factories to build typed custom composables with baked-in defaultsPrimary composable for fetching data in components:
<script setup lang="ts">
const { data, status, error, refresh, clear } = await useFetch('/api/posts')
</script>
<template>
<div v-if="status === 'pending'">Loading...</div>
<div v-else-if="error">Error: {{ error.message }}</div>
<div v-else>
<article v-for="post in data" :key="post.id">
{{ post.title }}
</article>
</div>
</template>const { data } = await useFetch('/api/posts', {
// Query parameters
query: { page: 1, limit: 10 },
// Request body (for POST/PUT)
body: { title: 'New Post' },
// HTTP method
method: 'POST',
// Only pick specific fields
pick: ['id', 'title'],
// Transform response
transform: (posts) => posts.map(p => ({ ...p, slug: slugify(p.title) })),
// Custom key for caching
key: 'posts-list',
// Don't fetch on server
server: false,
// Don't block navigation
lazy: true,
// Don't fetch immediately
immediate: false,
// Default value
default: () => [],
})<script setup lang="ts">
const page = ref(1)
const { data } = await useFetch('/api/posts', {
query: { page }, // Automatically refetches when page changes
})
</script><script setup lang="ts">
const id = ref(1)
const { data } = await useFetch(() => `/api/posts/${id.value}`)
// Refetches when id changes
</script>For wrapping any async function:
<script setup lang="ts">
const { data, error } = await useAsyncData('user', () => {
return myCustomFetch('/user/profile')
})
</script><script setup lang="ts">
const { data } = await useAsyncData('cart', async () => {
const [coupons, offers] = await Promise.all([
$fetch('/api/coupons'),
$fetch('/api/offers'),
])
return { coupons, offers }
})
</script>Factory macros that produce a fully typed custom composable with pre-defined options. Must be an exported declaration inside app/composables/ (Nuxt injects dedup keys at build time).
// app/composables/useAPI.ts
export const useAPI = createUseFetch({
baseURL: 'https://api.nuxt.com',
// shared interceptors, headers, etc.
onResponseError({ response }) {
if (response.status === 401) navigateTo('/login')
},
})<script setup lang="ts">
// Same signature/return as useFetch, with defaults applied
const { data } = await useAPI('/modules')
// Caller can still override any option
const { data: other } = await useAPI('/modules', { baseURL: 'https://other.com' })
</script>Default vs Override mode:
// Plain object → options act as DEFAULTS (caller can override)
export const useAPI = createUseFetch({ baseURL: '/api', lazy: true })
// Function → options OVERRIDE caller's (enforce auth/baseURL)
export const useAPI = createUseFetch(callerOptions => ({
baseURL: 'https://api.nuxt.com', // always enforced
}))Use the function form when you need useNuxtApp() (called in setup context, not module scope):
// app/composables/useAPI.ts
export const useAPI = createUseFetch(callerOptions => ({
$fetch: useNuxtApp().$api as typeof $fetch,
...callerOptions,
}))createUseAsyncData works identically for wrapping arbitrary async functions:
// app/composables/useCachedData.ts
export const useCachedData = createUseAsyncData({
getCachedData(key, nuxtApp) {
return nuxtApp.payload.data[key] ?? nuxtApp.static.data[key]
},
})Replaces the old “don’t await your custom
useFetchwrapper” caveat — use these factories instead of hand-rolled wrappers.
For client-side events (form submissions, button clicks):
<script setup lang="ts">
async function submitForm() {
const result = await $fetch('/api/submit', {
method: 'POST',
body: { name: 'John' },
})
}
</script>Important: Don’t use $fetch alone in setup for initial data - it will fetch twice (server + client). Use useFetch or useAsyncData instead.
All composables return:
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data | Ref<T> | Fetched data (undefined until resolved) |
error | Ref<Error> | Error if request failed |
status | Ref<'idle' | 'pending' | 'success' | 'error'> | Request status |
pending | Ref<boolean> | Whether a request is in progress |
refresh | () => Promise | Refetch data |
execute | () => Promise | Alias for refresh |
clear | () => void | Reset to default/idle and cancel pending requests |
Prefer
statusoverpendingfor fine-grained state.useFetchno longer accepts a top-leveltimeoutoption (still available onuseAsyncData); use acacheoption ('default','no-store',false, etc.) for Fetch cache control.
Don’t block navigation:
<script setup lang="ts">
// Using lazy option
const { data, status } = await useFetch('/api/posts', { lazy: true })
// Or use lazy variants
const { data, status } = await useLazyFetch('/api/posts')
const { data, status } = await useLazyAsyncData('key', fetchFn)
</script><script setup lang="ts">
const category = ref('tech')
const { data, refresh } = await useFetch('/api/posts', {
query: { category },
// Auto-refresh when category changes
watch: [category],
})
// Manual refresh
const refreshData = () => refresh()
</script>Data is cached by key. Share data across components:
<script setup lang="ts">
// In component A
const { data } = await useFetch('/api/user', { key: 'current-user' })
// In component B - uses cached data
const { data } = useNuxtData('current-user')
</script>Refresh cached data globally:
// Refresh specific key
await refreshNuxtData('current-user')
// Refresh all data
await refreshNuxtData()
// Clear cached data
clearNuxtData('current-user')const { data } = await useFetch('/api/auth', {
onRequest({ options }) {
options.headers.set('Authorization', `Bearer ${token}`)
},
onRequestError({ error }) {
console.error('Request failed:', error)
},
onResponse({ response }) {
// Process response
},
onResponseError({ response }) {
if (response.status === 401) {
navigateTo('/login')
}
},
})useFetch automatically proxies cookies/headers from client to server. For $fetch:
<script setup lang="ts">
const headers = useRequestHeaders(['cookie'])
const data = await $fetch('/api/user', { headers })
</script>