Quick Hits & What to Watch

Not every feature needs a full tutorial. Here are the rest of Nuxt 4.3's changes worth knowing, in quick-hit form — enough to recognize them and reach for them later.

Dev-mode payload extraction#

Payload extraction (step 2) now also works in development, so you can test and debug payload behavior without a production build.

nuxt.config.ts

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  nitro: { static: true }
})

It also kicks in for individual pages with isr, swr, prerender, or cache route rules. Handy for verifying the caching work from step 2 without nuxt build.

Disable modules from layers#

Extending a layer but don't want one of its modules? Pass false:

nuxt.config.ts

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  extends: ['../shared-layer'],
  image: false // drop @nuxt/image from the layer
})

Draggable error overlay#

The dev error overlay is now draggable and minimizable — snap it to any corner, shrink it to a pill while you fix things, and it remembers where you left it across reloads. Nothing to configure; just nicer.

Async plugin constructors#

Module authors can now use async functions when adding build plugins, enabling true lazy loading:

modules/my-module.ts

export default defineNuxtModule({
  async setup() {
    addVitePlugin(() => import('my-cool-plugin').then(r => r.default()))
  }
})

Deprecations to get ahead of#

In preparation for Nitro v3 and H3 v2, createError is moving to Web API naming:

// old (still works, deprecated)
throw createError({ statusCode: 404, statusMessage: 'Not Found' })

// new
throw createError({ status: 404, statusText: 'Not Found' })

The old properties still work in 4.3, but updating now saves you a migration later when v5 lands.

Recap#

That's Nuxt 4.3. The headline features (steps 1–5) change how you structure layouts, caching, and server imports; these quick hits smooth the edges and point toward v5. Keep an eye on the upgrade guide as future.compatibilityVersion: 5 becomes available.

You made it through the series — nice work. On to the next release.