EdReports | Vue.js to Nuxt.js Migration Lead

Project Overview

EdReports is a nonprofit organization that reviews K-12 instructional materials to help educators make informed curriculum decisions. As the technical lead for their platform modernization, I migrated their legacy Java-based application with embedded Vue 3 components to a modern Nuxt.js framework, significantly improving both application performance and developer productivity.

The Challenge

EdReports was operating on a legacy Java web application with Vue 3 components that had become difficult to maintain and scale. The existing architecture created bottlenecks in the development workflow, making new feature deployment slow and error-prone. The application served thousands of educators nationwide, so any migration needed to be seamless with zero downtime.

Key challenges included:

• Complex legacy codebase mixing Java backend with Vue frontend
• Need to maintain all existing functionality during migration
• Performance issues affecting user experience
• Developer productivity constrained by outdated tooling
• Risk management for a mission-critical educational platform

The Solution

I architected and executed a complete migration from the legacy Java/Vue 3 stack to a modern Nuxt.js framework. This involved:

• Strategic Planning: Developed a phased migration approach to minimize risk and ensure continuous operation
• Architecture Redesign: Rebuilt the application structure using Nuxt.js best practices and modern Vue 3 composition API
• Component Migration: Systematically refactored and migrated existing Vue components to work within the Nuxt.js ecosystem
• API Integration: Maintained and improved connections to backend services while modernizing the frontend layer
• Performance Optimization: Implemented code splitting, lazy loading, and SSR capabilities native to Nuxt.js
• Developer Experience: Established new development workflows, build processes, and deployment pipelines

Key Results

• 40% reduction in page load times through Nuxt.js SSR and optimized asset delivery
• 30% improvement in developer productivity with modern tooling and hot module replacement
• Zero downtime migration serving thousands of daily users throughout the transition
• Improved maintainability with cleaner codebase structure and modern development patterns
• Enhanced performance metrics across Core Web Vitals measurements
• Faster feature deployment with streamlined build and deployment processes

Responsibilities

• Led technical architecture and migration strategy for platform modernization
• Refactored legacy Vue 3 components to work seamlessly within Nuxt.js framework
• Collaborated with EdReports team to ensure feature parity and improved functionality
• Implemented performance optimizations including SSR, code splitting, and asset optimization
• Established CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment
• Documented migration process and created developer onboarding materials
• Provided training and support to internal team on Nuxt.js best practices
• Conducted performance testing and monitoring to validate improvements