How to Deploy a Fullstack Web App on Vercel?

Table of Contents 📃

• Creating a Full-Stack App with Next.js
• Database Service : PlanetScale
• Helpful Libraries
• Deploy your Application for free on Vercel
• Conclusion

Creating a Full-Stack App with Next.js

Next.js has emerged as one of the best frameworks in recent years, providing a complete solution for building fast and scalable fullstack web applications. Whether you're building a static site or a dynamic web app, Next.js has you covered with features like:

• Static Site Generation (SSG) for fast, pre-rendered pages,
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for dynamic content,
• API routes, allowing you to build backend endpoints directly in your app,
• Built-in image optimization, which reduces the size of images served to the client automatically.

Thanks to its modern architecture and seamless integration with tools like React, Next.js is a highly performant solution, ideal for both small and large-scale projects. With the built-in optimizations, you don't need external plugins to get top performance.

If you're already familiar with Next.js, you might want to explore the T3-Stack, a boilerplate that integrates Next.js with tools like Prisma (an ORM), NextAuth (authentication), and Tailwind CSS (styling). The T3-Stack provides all the necessary features you need, from authentication to database connections, and speeds up the development process.

Database Service : PlanetScale

PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible serverless database platform that provides:

• Easy branching: Similar to Git, you can create database branches to work on updates without affecting your production database.
• Auto-scaling: Handle database loads seamlessly, making it ideal for applications of all sizes.
• Serverless: Forget about managing servers—PlanetScale takes care of it for you.

Despite PlanetScale no longer offering a free tier, its features make it a great choice for professional applications. It integrates well with Next.js, and you can also use it with popular ORMs like Prisma, which is a part of the T3-Stack.

Pro Tip: If you're working on a smaller project or a personal app, take a look at Vercel's free database integrations, such as with MongoDB or Supabase . These integrations provide free-tier databases that are perfect for lightweight applications.

Helpful Libraries

When building fullstack applications with Next.js, you’ll likely need some essential libraries to cover common functionality like authentication, styling, and data management. Here are some key tools you should consider:

• Prisma - A database data-driven ORM
• Tailwind - An easy to use utility-first CSS framework
• NextAuth - An flexible and secure authentication provider
• SWR - A lightweight react hook for data fetching

These libraries are often the backbone of modern fullstack applications, helping you create apps that are secure, scalable, and maintainable.

Deploy your Application for free on Vercel

Once your app is built, deploying it to production is the next step. Vercel offers a seamless, fast, and free deployment solution, especially for applications built with Next.js.

How to Deploy:

1. Create an Account: Head over to Vercel's website and create a free account.
2. Connect Your Repository: Link your GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket repository, or the Vercel CLI to Vercel. If you're using Next.js, Vercel will automatically detect the configuration and optimize it for deployment.
3. Deploy in Minutes: With just a few clicks, you can deploy your app to Vercel's servers, with automatic setup for SSL, serverless functions, and more.
4. Integrations: Vercel offers numerous integrations, from environment variable management to database solutions, making it easy to extend your app.

Whether you're building a personal project or a commercial product, Vercel simplifies deployment so you can focus on developing the app.

Conclusion 🚀

Building and deploying a fullstack web app has never been easier, thanks to the powerful ecosystem surrounding Next.js and Vercel.

With tools like Prisma for database management, Tailwind CSS for styling, and NextAuth for authentication, you can create production-ready applications quickly and efficiently.

Get started today and bring your ideas to life!