How to Deploy a Next.js App to Vercel in 5 Minutes
The fastest way to get your Next.js app live. Connect GitHub, click deploy, and get a production URL with HTTPS, CDN, and preview deployments.
Why Vercel for Next.js
Vercel built Next.js, so deployment is seamless. Zero configuration — just push to GitHub and your site is live. You get automatic HTTPS, a global CDN, preview deployments for every pull request, and serverless functions for API routes. The free tier handles most projects.
There are other options — Netlify, Railway, AWS Amplify, self-hosting with Docker — but for Next.js specifically, Vercel has the least friction.
Step 1: Push to GitHub
If your project isn't in a Git repository yet, run git init, git add ., and git commit -m 'Initial commit'. Create a new repository on GitHub and push to it. That's the only prerequisite.
Make sure your .gitignore includes node_modules, .next, and .env.local. The create-next-app CLI sets this up automatically, but double-check if you started from scratch.
Step 2: Import on Vercel
Go to vercel.com, sign in with GitHub, and click 'Import Project.' Select your repository. Vercel detects that it's a Next.js project and pre-fills the build settings: npm run build for the build command, .next as the output directory.
If you have environment variables (API keys, database URLs), add them in the Environment Variables section before deploying. These are encrypted and only available at build time and runtime — they're not exposed to the client unless you prefix them with NEXT_PUBLIC_.
Step 3: Deploy
Click Deploy. Vercel clones your repo, installs dependencies, runs the build, and deploys the output to their edge network. The first deploy takes about 60-90 seconds. Subsequent deploys are faster because dependencies are cached.
When it's done, you get a URL like your-project.vercel.app. It's live, secured with HTTPS, and served from the CDN location closest to each visitor.
Step 4: Add a custom domain
Go to your project settings on Vercel and add your domain. Vercel gives you the DNS records to add at your registrar — usually an A record and a CNAME. Once DNS propagates (usually a few minutes), your site is live on your custom domain with automatic SSL.
You can add multiple domains and Vercel will handle redirects. Want www.example.com to redirect to example.com? One toggle in the settings.
Automatic preview deployments
Every time you push to a branch or open a pull request, Vercel creates a preview deployment with a unique URL. You can share this URL with teammates or clients for review before merging to production.
This is one of the most underrated features. No more 'can you check staging?' messages. Every PR has its own live URL that updates automatically when you push new commits.
That's it
Five minutes, zero configuration, and your Next.js app is live with enterprise-grade infrastructure. Push to main to deploy, push to a branch for a preview. It's the simplest deployment workflow available.
All of our free templates are designed to deploy on Vercel out of the box. Download one, customize it, push to GitHub, and deploy. If you need a fully custom application built and deployed, we handle that too — from architecture to production.
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