What is Vercel and its core features?

What is Vercel and its core features?

Vercel is a cloud-based static website hosting and deployment platform designed specifically for modern frontend development. It provides the following core features:

Core Features

1. Automatic Deployment: Integrates with code hosting services like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket to automatically trigger build and deployment processes when code is pushed to the repository.

2. Global CDN: Utilizes a globally distributed edge network to ensure users can quickly access deployed websites, providing low-latency access experiences.

3. Zero-Configuration Deployment: Supports multiple frontend frameworks (such as Next.js, React, Vue, Angular, etc.) enabling automated deployment without complex configuration.

4. Preview Environments: Automatically generates preview URLs for each Pull Request or branch, facilitating code review and testing for teams.

5. Custom Domains: Supports binding custom domains and automatically configures SSL certificates to ensure secure website access.

6. Environment Variable Management: Provides secure environment variable management functionality, supporting variable configuration for different environments (development, preview, production).

7. Serverless Functions: Supports deploying serverless functions, allowing backend logic to run on the Vercel platform.

8. Edge Network: Leverages edge computing capabilities to execute code at nodes closest to users, improving performance.

Technical Features

• Based on HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 protocols for faster loading speeds
• Supports Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) and Static Site Generation (SSG)
• Provides real-time logs and performance monitoring
• Supports team collaboration and permission management

Use Cases

Vercel is particularly suitable for the following scenarios:

• Static websites and Single Page Applications (SPA)
• Next.js application deployment
• Jamstack architecture projects
• Projects requiring rapid iteration and previews
• Applications with global deployment requirements

Difference from Traditional Deployment

Traditional deployment typically requires manual server configuration, setting up CI/CD pipelines, managing SSL certificates, etc., while Vercel automates these processes, greatly simplifying the deployment workflow and allowing developers to focus on code rather than infrastructure management.