Why I Replaced jQuery with Vue.js — And Never Looked Back

When I first inherited the front end at Holiday Caravans Direct (HCD), it was built using a mix of jQuery, Knockout.js, and traditional server-rendered views. It worked — barely — but it wasn’t sustainable. Performance was sluggish, the codebase was increasingly fragile, and features were difficult to test or extend without introducing regressions.

I’d already been exploring component-based frameworks in personal projects, and Vue.js stood out as a natural fit: lightweight, approachable, and powerful enough for what I needed.

Rewriting the Front End, One Component at a Time

Instead of rewriting the whole UI in one go, I took a progressive enhancement approach:

• Introduced Vue.js 2 alongside the legacy scripts

• Scoped each feature rewrite to a discrete component (calendar, search filters, modals, etc.)

• Migrated business logic out of inline scripts and into component methods

This approach let me validate performance and usability improvements without halting development. Within months, the front end felt faster, cleaner, and easier to work with.

Real-Time Feedback with Less Code

One of the biggest wins was reactive rendering. Features like price quote calculations, availability tooltips, and user-driven date selection became significantly more intuitive to implement and maintain.

In the old world, syncing state between DOM elements and internal logic was a juggling act. With Vue, I could bind data once and let the framework handle updates. That alone removed dozens of lines of brittle jQuery spaghetti.

Developer Experience Matters

As a solo developer, productivity mattered. I didn’t have a team of QA testers or code reviewers. By adopting Vue’s component model, I gained:

• Scoped styling (via <style scoped>) that prevented CSS leaks

• Reusable building blocks for future features

• Better separation of concerns between UI and logic

It was easier to test, easier to debug, and easier to reason about.

Upgrading to Vue 3

Later in the project, I transitioned to Vue 3. The Composition API gave me even more control over reactivity and state sharing. It made larger components feel cleaner and easier to manage.

Where I once dreaded touching the front end, I now enjoyed it — and that shift alone improved development velocity across the entire product.

The Verdict

jQuery got the job done — but Vue.js gave the front end a second life. It let me modernise incrementally, improve UX, and build new features with confidence.

Sometimes choosing the right framework isn’t about hype. It’s about what makes your job easier and your product better. For me, that was Vue.js.