Vercel

Vercel is a cloud platform for frontend developers, optimised for deploying Next.js applications but supporting any frontend framework. It pioneered the modern Jamstack deployment workflow with git-push deploys and preview environments.

Key Features

• Git integration: Deploy on push to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
• Preview deployments: Every PR gets a unique URL
• Edge network: Global CDN with 100+ locations
• Serverless functions: Backend logic without servers
• Edge Functions: Run code at the edge
• Analytics: Web Vitals and audience insights

Deployment Flow

Git Push → Vercel Build → Deploy to Edge → Live URL
              ↓
         Preview URL for PRs

Framework Support

Framework	Support Level
Next.js	First-class (Vercel maintains Next.js)
Nuxt	Full support
React	Full support
Vue	Full support
Static sites	Full support
Any framework	Build command + output directory

Configuration

// vercel.json
{
  "buildCommand": "npm run build",
  "outputDirectory": "dist",
  "framework": "nextjs",
  "regions": ["syd1"],
  "functions": {
    "api/*.js": {
      "memory": 1024,
      "maxDuration": 10
    }
  }
}

Edge Functions

// middleware.js (Next.js)
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export function middleware(request) {
  // Runs at the edge, close to users
  const country = request.geo?.country || 'US';
  
  if (country === 'AU') {
    return NextResponse.redirect('/au');
  }
  
  return NextResponse.next();
}

What We Like

• Developer experience: Best-in-class DX
• Preview deployments: Game-changer for collaboration
• Performance: Edge network is fast
• Next.js integration: Seamless, as expected
• Zero config: Works out of the box for most frameworks

What We Don't Like

• Pricing at scale: Can become expensive
• Vendor lock-in: Some features only work on Vercel
• Build minutes: Free tier limits can be restrictive
• Function limits: 10-second timeout on Hobby plan
• Database: No native database (use external services)

Vercel vs Alternatives

Platform	Best For
Vercel	Next.js, frontend-focused teams
Netlify	Jamstack, form handling, identity
AWS Amplify	AWS ecosystem, full-stack
Cloudflare Pages	Edge-first, Workers integration
Railway/Render	Backend services, databases

When to Use Vercel

• Next.js applications (obvious choice)
• Frontend-heavy projects
• Teams wanting minimal DevOps
• Projects needing preview deployments
• Static sites and Jamstack

For complex backends or AWS-native architectures, consider Amplify or direct AWS services.