What is Vercel?
Vercel is a cloud platform for deploying frontend applications and serverless functions. It was built by the creators of Next.js and has first-class support for it, but also works excellently with React, Vue, Svelte, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, and more.
Pros
- ▸Incredibly fast deployments (usually under 30 seconds)
- ▸Preview deployments for every Git branch and PR
- ▸First-class Next.js support (SSR, ISR, API routes)
- ▸Serverless functions built in
- ▸Excellent developer experience and dashboard
- ▸Generous free tier (Hobby plan)
- ▸Automatic SSL and global CDN
Cons
- ▸Commercial projects require a paid plan
- ▸Serverless function execution limits on free tier
- ▸Bandwidth limits on Hobby plan (100GB/month)
Best For
- ▸Next.js applications (its native platform)
- ▸React, Vue, Svelte, Astro apps
- ▸Projects needing SSR or API routes
- ▸Teams wanting fast CI/CD deployment workflows
Deploying to Vercel
Deploy via CLI
# Install Vercel CLI npm i -g vercel # Deploy from your project directory vercel # Follow prompts to link your project # Or push to GitHub and connect repo in dashboard
DNS Configuration for Custom Domain
Vercel gives you two options for custom domain DNS:
Option 1: CNAME (Recommended for subdomains)
CNAME record for Vercel
Type: CNAME Name: www Value: cname.vercel-dns.com.
Option 2: A Record (For root domain)
A record for Vercel root domain
Type: A Name: @ Value: 76.76.21.21
Note: For the root domain, Vercel recommends using their A record IP (
76.76.21.21). For subdomains like www, use the CNAME pointing to cname.vercel-dns.com.Connecting the Domain in Vercel Dashboard
- ▸Go to your project in Vercel dashboard
- ▸Settings → Domains → Add Domain
- ▸Enter your domain (e.g.,
yourdomain.com) - ▸Vercel will show you the DNS records to add
- ▸Add the records at your DNS provider
- ▸Vercel automatically provisions an SSL certificate once DNS propagates
💡 Tip: If you use Vercel's nameservers instead of your current DNS provider, Vercel automatically manages all DNS for you, including automatic updates when you connect new services.