Vercel Tutorial for Beginners: Deploy a Todo App from GitHub in 5 Minutes (No Server Skills Needed!)

Why Use Vercel?

If you're an indie developer or just starting to code, you’ve probably faced this: You built a small project—like a Todo app—and want to share it online, but the thought of servers, domains, and configurations makes your head spin. It’s time-consuming, complex, and honestly kills your motivation.

Vercel solves this. It’s simple, free, and turns your GitHub code into a live app in minutes. This tutorial will guide you through deploying a Todo app with Vercel while adding a link to my site https://solomakerstudio.com—so you can master Vercel and discover handy tools.

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What is Vercel?

Vercel is a platform that deploys websites, especially static sites or frontend projects. You hand it your code, and it handles hosting, domains, and security.

Think of it like this: GitHub stores your code, and Vercel turns that code into a live website. It’s like giving a recipe to a chef and getting a full meal served.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, you’ll need:

1. A GitHub Account – To store your code.
2. A Vercel Account – Sign up with GitHub in seconds.
3. A Todo App – I’ll provide a simple example, but feel free to use your own.

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Step 1: Prepare Your Todo App Code

I’ll use a basic Todo app built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—perfect for beginners.

Clone my example from this GitHub repository or use your own. Run:

git clone https://github.com/kbmjj123/solo-tutorials.git  
cd solo-tutorials  

Don’t worry if your app is simple—Vercel handles even the smallest projects.

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Step 2: Push Code to GitHub

Upload your code to GitHub. If you’re new to Git, follow these steps:

git init  
git add .  
git commit -m "My Todo App"  
git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/todo-app.git  
git push -u origin main  

Git tracks code changes, and GitHub hosts it—ready for Vercel to grab.

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Step 3: Sign Up for Vercel

Go to Vercel’s website, click “Sign Up,” and log in with GitHub—it takes 10 seconds.

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Step 4: Import Your GitHub Repo

After logging in, click “New Project” → “Import Git Repository.” Paste your repo URL (e.g., https://github.com/your-username/todo-app) and click “Import.”

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Step 5: Deploy the Project

Vercel auto-detects static sites—no extra setup needed. Just click “Deploy.” Done in seconds!

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Step 6: Preview Your Live App

Once deployed, you’ll get a live link like https://solo-tutorials.vercel.app/. Open it—your Todo app is now online!

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Step 7: Add a Custom Domain

For a professional touch, add a custom domain (e.g., mytodo.com) in Vercel’s “Domains” settings. Follow the prompts—it’s like naming your app for easy sharing.

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Step 8: Link to My Website

Add a footer in your Todo app to credit your tools. For example:

<footer>  
  <p>Powered by <a href="https://solomakerstudio.com" target="_blank">SoloMakerStudio</a></p>  
</footer>  

P.S. solomakerstudio.com has tools and tutorials to turn ideas into reality—check it out!

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Step 9: Add a Live Demo Link

Update your GitHub README.md with the Vercel link:

## Live Demo  
[Click here](https://solo-tutorials.vercel.app/) to try my Todo app!  

Now everyone can test your project instantly.

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Vercel’s Free Tier: What’s Included?

Vercel’s free plan is perfect for personal projects:

• Cost: $0.
• Bandwidth: 100GB/month (~100k visits if your app uses 1MB per visit).
• Build Time: 6,000 minutes/month (≈6,000 deployments at 1 minute each).
• Domain: Free .vercel.app URL.
• HTTPS: Auto-enabled with SSL.

Example: A Todo app with 1,000 daily visits uses ~30GB/month—totally free.

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Vercel vs. Traditional Cloud Servers

The Headache of Cloud Servers

• Buying Servers: $5+/month on AWS/Aliyun, plus configuration hassles.
• Setup: Hours wasted installing software, configuring domains, and adding SSL.
• Maintenance: You’re responsible for updates, security patches, and fixes.

Cost Example: $5/month (server) + $0.83/month (domain) = $5.83/month.

Why Vercel Wins

• Simplicity: Deploy from GitHub in minutes.
• Automation: No domain, SSL, or deployment headaches.
• Free: Zero cost for small projects.

If you hate server drama, Vercel is your hero.

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My Experience

I once spent hours configuring servers—only to face errors. With Vercel, I deployed in minutes, and updates happen automatically when I push code. Game-changer.

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Conclusion

This tutorial showed you how to deploy a Todo app with Vercel—no servers, no costs, no stress. Perfect for beginners and indie devs.

Try it! Put your project online today. For more tools, visit solomakerstudio.com.

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FAQs

Q1: Is Vercel free?
A1: Yes for small projects! Paid plans start for larger needs.

Q2: Can I host a backend?
A2: Focused on frontend, but use Serverless Functions for basic APIs.

Q3: How to update the app?
A3: Push code to GitHub—Vercel auto-deploys changes.

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Demos

• GitHub Repo: https://github.com/kbmjj123/solo-tutorials
• Live Preview: https://todo-app.vercel.app

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Your Todo app is live—don’t forget to check “Done” on your own Todo list! 🎉