nuxt build --spa vs nuxt generate

Question

What is the difference between

nuxt build

vs

nuxt generate

vs

nuxt build --spa

I am trying to compile three different variations:

1. regular nuxt with ssr
2. prerendered spa
3. spa without prerendering

I am struggling to find the appropriate commands for it

Answer 1

As shown in the docs, the above commands correspond to:

nuxt build: Build your application with webpack and minify the JS & CSS (for production). nuxt generate: Build the application and generate every route as a HTML file (used for static hosting).

The --spa flag doesn't seem to be covered in the docs themselves, however the generator help outlines, without further explanation:

Options
--spa Launch in SPA mode

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Given this information, it would seem the following commands should cover your needs, however I haven't tested them myself at the moment:

1. Regular Nuxt with SSR: nuxt build
2. Prerendered SPA: nuxt generate
3. SPA without prerendering: nuxt build --spa

Take all of this with a grain of salt, however, as the Nuxt team is notorious for having out-of-date documentation.