How to Deploy Your Next.js App to Vercel

You’ve built your product. It’s time to launch it to the world. This guide shows you how to deploy your Next.js app to Vercel the platform built by the same team that created Next.js so you can go live ⚡ fast, securely, and with zero config headaches.

🌍 Why Vercel Is the Go-To Platform for Next.js

Vercel isn’t just hosting, it’s the native home for Next.js. It offers:

Instant deployments with every push to main
Preview URLs for every branch (perfect for QA and client demos)
Global edge network so your app feels fast anywhere 🌎
Automatic HTTPS + CDN out of the box
Tight integration with environment variables, analytics, and edge functions

You can literally go from “commit” to “production” in under a minute ⏱️.

Learn more:

🧰 Prerequisites

Before deploying, make sure you have:

A working Next.js project
A connected GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repo
A Vercel account

⚙️ Step 1: Connect and Deploy

Log in to Vercel.
Click New Project → Import and choose your repository.
Vercel automatically detects Next.js and configures everything:
- Build Command: next build
- Output Directory: .next
- Install Command: auto (detects pnpm/yarn/npm)

If you’re in a monorepo, set your Root Directory to the app folder before deploying.

Docs:

🔐 Step 2: Set Up Environment Variables

This is where most production issues happen 😅.
In Vercel → Project → Settings → Environment Variables, add your secrets and public keys.

Common examples:

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL — base URL for SEO + redirects
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY — private API key for payments 💳
RESEND_API_KEY — for transactional emails
DATABASE_URL — Postgres, Supabase, etc.

Add them for both Preview and Production environments, then redeploy.

Docs:

🧪 Step 3: Preview Deployments (Your Secret Weapon)

Each pull request automatically gets its own Preview Deployment.
You’ll see a unique link like https://your-feature-branch.vercel.app.

Preview URLs are perfect for team testing, client reviews, or QA checks before production.
You can even password-protect them if needed.

Docs:

Preview Deployments

🌐 Step 4: Add a Custom Domain

A clean domain builds trust and professionalism 🏷️.

In your Vercel project, go to Domains → Add Domain.
Buy a domain via Vercel or connect your existing one.
Update DNS records (CNAME or A record).
SSL certificates are automatic 🔒.

Docs:

For SEO, add a canonical URL in your page metadata to avoid duplicates between www and apex domains.

⚡ Step 5: Optimize for Performance and SEO

Make your app fast and discoverable 💨.

Use the Next.js <Image> component for automatic image optimization.
Use next/font to self-host Google Fonts (no layout shift).
Generate robots.txt and sitemap.xml to guide crawlers.
Add Open Graph images for social sharing with Vercel OG Image Generation.

Docs:

🧩 Step 6: Edge vs Node Runtime

When deploying functions, choose the right runtime:

Edge Runtime → Fast, global, stateless functions ⚡
Ideal for feature flags, personalization, or A/B testing.
Node.js Runtime → Full access to Node APIs (e.g., Stripe, Firebase, fs).

Docs:

Next.js Runtimes

🪄 Step 7: Launch Flow: From Preview to Production

Push a branch → Vercel creates a Preview Deployment.
Share, test, approve.
Merge to main → Vercel instantly promotes it to Production 🎉.

Docs:

Git Integration

✅ Final Checklist Before You Ship 🚢

[ ] All environment variables added for Production
[ ] sitemap.xml and robots.txt working correctly
[ ] Unique metadata (title, description, og image)
[ ] Custom domain & canonical URL configured
[ ] <Image> and next/font used for performance
[ ] Preview URLs tested and clean

Your app is now deployed, optimized, and SEO-friendly. With Vercel and your template, you can launch new products within hours, not weeks ⏱️.

Further Reading: