Deploy Your AI App on Vercel: Step-by-Step Guide
I tested this myself. Here is the honest take.
How do you deploy an AI-built Next.js app to Vercel?
Connect your git repo to Vercel. Vercel auto-detects Next.js. The AI usually writes a correct vercel.json. But it always misses environment variables. I spent 2 hours debugging a deploy failure because the AI hardcoded the database URL instead of using process.env.
What configuration does the AI get wrong?
The AI consistently skips: .env.example file (you need to document what vars are required), production database setup (it assumes localhost), and proper error logging (Vercel logs are limited without a service). Add these manually after AI generates the config.
How do you set up environment variables?
My Vercel deploy checklist: 1) vercel.json correct? 2) All env vars in .env.example? 3) Production database URL configured? 4) Build command works locally? 5) Error logging to external service? 6) Health check endpoint exists? Takes 10 minutes, prevents hours of downtime.
Vercel deploy: connect git repo, auto-detect framework, configure env vars, set production database, add error logging. The AI gets env vars wrong every time. Budget 30 minutes for config, 10 minutes for debugging.
Vercel markets “one-click deploy.” It is one click plus 30 minutes of configuration. The AI generates the config but you still need to set up environment variables, database connections, and SSL. Accept this and you will not be frustrated.
I need to [task]. Give me the exact steps and common mistakes.
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