Vercel is the platform built by the creators of Next.js. Zero-config deployment with automatic builds, preview URLs, and global edge network.
Connect your GitHub repository: Vercel auto-detects the framework, builds, and deploys. Every push creates a unique preview URL. Merges to main deploy to production.
Environment variables: configure in the Vercel dashboard. Different values for preview and production. Reference in code with process.env.VARIABLE_NAME.
Vercel features: serverless functions (API routes), edge functions (low-latency at edge), image optimization, ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration), and edge middleware.
Custom domains: add in dashboard, configure DNS. Automatic SSL certificates. Preview deployments work with custom domains too.
Monitoring: Vercel Analytics for Web Vitals, Speed Insights for performance metrics, Function logs for debugging serverless code.
Monorepo support: configure build commands and output directories per project.