What's the correct way to pass props as initial data in Vue.js 2?

Thanks to this https://github.com/vuejs/vuejs.org/pull/567 I know the answer now.

Method 1

Pass initial prop directly to the data. Like the example in updated docs:

props: ['initialCounter'],
data: function () {
    return {
        counter: this.initialCounter
    }
}

But have in mind if the passed prop is an object or array that is used in the parent component state any modification to that prop will result in the change in that parent component state.

Warning: this method is not recommended. It will make your components unpredictable. If you need to set parent data from child components either use state management like Vuex or use "v-model". https://vuejs.org/v2/guide/components.html#Using-v-model-on-Components

Method 2

If your initial prop is an object or array and if you don't want changes in children state propagate to parent state then just use e.g. Vue.util.extend [1] to make a copy of the props instead pointing it directly to children data, like this:

props: ['initialCounter'],
data: function () {
    return {
        counter: Vue.util.extend({}, this.initialCounter)
    }
}

Method 3

You can also use spread operator to clone the props. More details in the Igor answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/51911118/3143704

But have in mind that spread operators are not supported in older browsers and for better compatibility you'll need to transpile the code e.g. using babel.

Footnotes

[1] Have in mind this is an internal Vue utility and it may change with new versions. You might want to use other methods to copy that prop, see "How do I correctly clone a JavaScript object?".

My fiddle where I was testing it: https://jsfiddle.net/sm4kx7p9/3/

In companion to @dominik-serafin's answer:

In case you are passing an object, you can easily clone it using spread operator(ES6 Syntax):

 props: {
   record: {
     type: Object,
     required: true
   }
 },

data () { // opt. 1
  return {
    recordLocal: {...this.record}
  }
},

computed: { // opt. 2
  recordLocal () {
    return {...this.record}
  }
},

But the most important is to remember to use opt. 2 in case you are passing a computed value, or more than that an asynchronous value. Otherwise the local value will not update.

Demo:

Vue.component('card', { 
  template: '#app2',
  props: {
    test1: null,
    test2: null
  },
  data () { // opt. 1
    return {
      test1AsData: {...this.test1}
    }
  },
  computed: { // opt. 2
    test2AsComputed () {
      return {...this.test2}
    }
  }
})

new Vue({
  el: "#app1",
  data () {
    return {
      test1: {1: 'will not update'},
      test2: {2: 'will update after 1 second'}
    }
  },
  mounted () {
    setTimeout(() => {
      this.test1 = {1: 'updated!'}
      this.test2 = {2: 'updated!'}
    }, 1000)
  }
})

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/vue.js"></script>

<div id="app1">
  <card :test1="test1" :test2="test2"></card>
</div>

<template id="app2">
  <div>
    test1 as data: {{test1AsData}}
    <hr />
    test2 as computed: {{test2AsComputed}}
  </div>
</template>

https://jsfiddle.net/nomikos3/eywraw8t/281070/

I believe you are doing it right because it is what's stated in the docs.

Define a local data property that uses the prop’s initial value as its initial value

https://vuejs.org/guide/components.html#One-Way-Data-Flow