Vercel is the platform built by the creators of Next.js. It provides the best deployment experience with automatic optimizations, edge functions, and built-in analytics.

• Zero-configuration deployment for Next.js
• Automatic ISR, image optimization, and caching
• Edge Functions for global performance
• Built-in analytics and monitoring
• Preview deployments for every Git branch

1. Go to vercel.com and sign up
2. Click “Add New → Project”
3. Import your Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
4. Vercel automatically detects Next.js

Vercel auto-detects Next.js, so the defaults usually work:

# Build command (auto-detected)
npm run build

# Output directory (auto-detected)
.next

# Install command (auto-detected)
npm install

Add these in the Vercel dashboard (Project Settings → Environment Variables):

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=your-secret
NEXTAUTH_URL=https://yourdomain.com

Click “Deploy”. Vercel builds your app and gives you a URL like your-app.vercel.app.

1. Go to Project Settings → Domains
2. Add your domain (e.g., example.com)
3. Update your DNS records as instructed
4. Vercel provisions an SSL certificate automatically

Every pull request gets a unique preview URL:

your-app-git-feature-branch.vercel.app

This lets you test changes before merging to production.

sequenceDiagram
    participant Dev as Developer
    participant Git
    participant Vercel
    participant CDN

    Dev->>Git: Push code
    Git->>Vercel: Trigger deployment
    Vercel->>Vercel: Install dependencies
    Vercel->>Vercel: Build (next build)
    Vercel->>Vercel: Optimize assets
    Vercel->>CDN: Deploy to edge
    CDN-->>Dev: Ready URL

    Note over Vercel: Preview for PRs
    Note over Vercel: Production for main branch

{
  "regions": ["iad1", "sin1", "gru1"],
  "headers": [
    {
      "source": "/(.*)",
      "headers": [
        {
          "key": "X-Frame-Options",
          "value": "DENY"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

• Not setting environment variables — The app may build but fail at runtime without DATABASE_URL or API keys.
• Ignoring build warnings — Build warnings can become errors in production. Fix them before deploying.
• Pushing sensitive data to Git — Use Vercel’s environment variable UI, not .env files in Git.
• Not configuring preview deployments — Preview URLs can expose sensitive data if environment variables are shared.

• Connect your Git repository for automatic deployments
• Use preview deployments to test changes before production
• Set environment variables in the Vercel dashboard, not in code
• Configure a custom domain with automatic SSL
• Use vercel.json for advanced configuration (regions, headers)

Vercel provides the simplest deployment experience for Next.js. Connect your Git repository, add environment variables, and deploy. Use preview deployments for testing and custom domains for production.

• Self-Hosting
• Environment Variables
• Deployment Checklist