How to Build and Publish a Vue.js Component Library with GitHub Actions and Vite

Building and publishing a Vue.js component library can be a great way to share reusable Vue components with the community. GitHub Actions and Vite can help automate the build and publish process, making it easier for developers to consume your library.

Setting up the Project

The first step is to create a new Vue.js project using Vite. Vite is a build tool that is designed to be fast and efficient for Vue projects. You can install Vite using npm or yarn:


npm init @vitejs/app my-component-library --template vue


This will create a new Vue.js project with Vite as the build tool. You can then create your Vue components inside the project and organize them into a library structure.

Automating the Build Process with GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a powerful tool for automating various tasks within your GitHub repositories. You can use GitHub Actions to automate the build and publishing process for your Vue component library.

Create a .github/workflows/build.yml file in your project and add the following code to set up a build workflow:


name: Build and Publish
on:
push:
branches:
- main
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Checkout code
uses: actions/checkout@v2
- name: Install dependencies
run: npm install
- name: Build library
run: npm run build
- name: Publish to npm
run: npm publish
env:
NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{secrets.NPM_AUTH_TOKEN}}


This workflow will run whenever code is pushed to the main branch, checking out the code, installing dependencies, building the library, and then publishing it to npm.

Publishing the Library

After setting up the build workflow with GitHub Actions, you can now publish your Vue component library to npm. Make sure to create an npm account and obtain an access token, then add the access token as a secret in your GitHub repository settings with the name NPM_AUTH_TOKEN.

Conclusion

By using GitHub Actions and Vite, you can automate the build and publish process for your Vue.js component library, making it easier for developers to consume and contribute to your library. This can help to foster a strong community around your library and make it more accessible to the wider Vue.js community.