Vercel
What is Vercel?
"Vercel is the most popular frontend deployment platform in 2025, optimized for Next.js, offering:
- Zero-config deployment
- Global CDN acceleration
- Automatic SSL certificates
- Seamless Git integration
It lets developers focus on coding instead of ops."
Why Choose Vercel?
Boosted Development Efficiency
- 🚀 From
git pushto production in just 45 seconds - 📦 Built-in dependency caching
- ⚡ Instant rollback feature (supports up to 500 historical versions)
Cost Savings
- 💰 Free plan includes 100GB bandwidth (tested and proven enough for small to medium projects)
- 📊 Real-time usage monitoring dashboard
- 🌐 Edge network costs 40% less than traditional cloud services
Core Advantages
The Problem
In 2025, frontend devs still deal with:
- Complicated CI/CD setups
- Cross-region deployment delays
- Tedious SSL certificate management
The Solution
# Deploy in three simple commands
npm install -g vercel
vercel login
vercel --prod
Deployment Process Comparison
| Step | Traditional Way | Vercel Way |
|---|---|---|
| Code Commit | Requires webhook setup | Auto-triggered |
| Build | Self-hosted runner | Global distributed build |
| Deploy | Manual SCP | Fully automated |
How to Deploy on Vercel
- Install the CLI (cuts out 2 redundant steps from the official docs)
- Run vercel --prod (now with production environment notes)
- [Bonus] Tips for encrypting environment variables
Vercel Pricing
| Plan | Bandwidth | Edge Functions | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | 100GB | 1M invocations | Free |
| Pro | 1TB | 10M invocations | $20/project/mo |
Actionable Checklist
New Project Deployment Checklist
- ☑️ Link your GitHub/GitLab account
- ☑️ Set NODE_ENV=production
- ☑️ Configure a custom domain
Scenario Example:
"When traffic spikes out of nowhere:
Traditional approach: Manually scale servers
Vercel approach: Auto-scaling edge network kicks in"
Migrating an Existing Project
- Test with vercel --dev in dev mode
- Check out FAQ
FAQ
Q: Is Vercel suitable for big companies?
A: New features in 2025:
- Private network peering
- SOC2 compliance certification
- Custom SLA up to 99.99%
Q: Can it handle backend services?
A: Best practice:
- Frontend on Vercel + Backend on Serverless (see below)
