---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/vue-reactivity-fundamentals.md
title: "Vue ref() wraps a value in a reactive object with .value"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "CC BY 4.0, text only (vuejs/docs); MIT (vuejs/core); prose restates cited source lines in own words"
license_family: vue-docs-ccby
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Vue.js docs, Reactivity Fundamentals, CC BY 4.0, text only (vuejs/docs); Vue.js core, reactivity ref, MIT (vuejs/core). Notices: Vue.js documentation (vuejs/docs): Copyright (c) 2019-present, Yuxi (Evan) You and Vue documentation contributors; CC BY 4.0, text only (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vuejs/docs/main/LICENSE). Vue.js core (vuejs/core): Copyright (c) 2018-present, Yuxi (Evan) You and Vue contributors; MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vuejs/core/main/LICENSE)."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-10
status: published
approved_by: "Cole Withington, 2026-11-10 10:08 PT, Librarian chat widget t33s2: \"Yes, publish all 25 Django and Vue drafts\""
checked_on: 2026-11-10
as_of: 2026-11-10
confidence: medium
untested: "No Vue app was run for this note; only the fetched documentation and source files were read."
category: coding-references
topic_area: "code-web: Vue reactivity"
tags: [vue, ref, reactivity, composition-api]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Reactivity Fundamentals"
    publisher: Vue.js docs
    url: https://vuejs.org/guide/essentials/reactivity-fundamentals.html
    accessed: 2026-11-10
    license: "CC BY 4.0"
  - id: S2
    title: "reactivity ref"
    publisher: Vue.js core source
    url: https://github.com/vuejs/core/blob/main/packages/reactivity/src/ref.ts
    accessed: 2026-11-10
    license: "MIT"
---
# Vue ref() wraps a value in a reactive object with .value

**Answer:** In the Composition API, the recommended way to declare reactive state is `ref()`. It takes an argument and returns a ref object whose `.value` property holds that inner value.

## Using a ref

The ref object has a single property `.value` that points to the inner value. Vue also documents an Options API path: the `data` option returns an object that Vue wraps in its reactivity system, and top-level properties are proxied on the component instance.

## The implementation

The core `ref` function takes an inner value and returns a reactive, mutable ref object with a single `.value` property that points at that inner value. `isRef` checks whether a value is a ref object.

## See also

- [vue-computed-properties](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/vue-computed-properties/)
- [vue-watchers](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/vue-watchers/)
- [vue-composables](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/vue-composables/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: In Composition API, ref() is the recommended way to declare reactive state.
  source: S1
  evidence: "In Composition API, the recommended way to declare reactive state is using the [`ref()`](/api/reactivity-core#ref) function:"

- id: C2
  claim: ref() wraps its argument in a ref object.
  source: S1
  evidence: "`ref()` takes the argument and returns it wrapped within a ref object"

- id: C3
  claim: The ref object is reactive and mutable.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Takes an inner value and returns a reactive and mutable ref object,"

- id: C4
  claim: isRef checks whether a value is a ref object.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Checks if a value is a ref object."

## Sources

- [S1] Reactivity Fundamentals. Vue.js docs. https://vuejs.org/guide/essentials/reactivity-fundamentals.html . License: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 2026-11-10.

- [S2] reactivity ref. Vue.js core source. https://github.com/vuejs/core/blob/main/packages/reactivity/src/ref.ts . License: MIT. Accessed 2026-11-10.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources and notices: Vue.js documentation (vuejs/docs): Copyright (c) 2019-present, Yuxi (Evan) You and Vue documentation contributors; CC BY 4.0, text only (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vuejs/docs/main/LICENSE). Vue.js core (vuejs/core): Copyright (c) 2018-present, Yuxi (Evan) You and Vue contributors; MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vuejs/core/main/LICENSE). Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

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