10 Common Vercel Mistakes Every New Developer Makes (And How to Avoid Them)

Deploying your first app on Vercel can feel like a rite of passage for any new developer. However, it’s easy to trip over common pitfalls that can make the experience frustrating. Having worked with Vercel extensively, I’ve seen firsthand the mistakes that newcomers often make. Let's dive into the ten most common Vercel mistakes and how to sidestep them.

1. Ignoring Environment Variables

What to Avoid: Many new developers forget to set up environment variables properly. This can lead to issues in production where sensitive keys or configurations are missing.

How to Fix It: Make sure to define your environment variables in the Vercel dashboard under the project settings. Use the dotenv package locally to simulate the environment.

Expected Output: Your app should run smoothly without any configuration errors.

2. Not Understanding Build Settings

What to Avoid: Failing to configure the build settings according to your framework can result in failed deployments.

How to Fix It: Familiarize yourself with the build settings for your specific framework (Next.js, React, etc.) and set them accordingly in your Vercel dashboard.

Expected Output: A successful build and deployment every time.

3. Overlooking API Rate Limits

What to Avoid: New developers often hit API rate limits without realizing it, leading to broken functionality in production.

How to Fix It: Check the API limits of any services you are using and implement caching where possible to reduce the number of requests.

Expected Output: Reduced API errors and smoother app performance.

4. Forgetting to Optimize Images

What to Avoid: Large, unoptimized images can slow down your app and lead to long load times, especially on mobile.

How to Fix It: Use Vercel’s Image Optimization feature or a tool like ImageMagick to compress images before uploading.

Expected Output: Faster load times and improved user experience.

5. Not Leveraging Static Site Generation (SSG)

What to Avoid: Many new developers miss the benefits of SSG, which can drastically improve performance and SEO.

How to Fix It: If you’re using Next.js, take advantage of getStaticProps and getStaticPaths to pre-render pages at build time.

Expected Output: Lightning-fast page loads and better search rankings.

6. Mismanaging Deployment Hooks

What to Avoid: Not setting up deployment hooks can lead to confusion when trying to automate workflows.

How to Fix It: Use Vercel's deployment hooks to trigger builds via webhooks from your Git provider or CI/CD tools.

Expected Output: Automated deployments that streamline your workflow.

7. Skipping the Preview Deployments

What to Avoid: Neglecting preview deployments can mean shipping untested changes to production.

How to Fix It: Always test your changes in a preview deployment before merging to the main branch.

Expected Output: Fewer bugs and smoother rollouts.

8. Not Monitoring Performance

What to Avoid: Forgetting to monitor your app's performance can lead to undetected issues.

How to Fix It: Utilize Vercel Analytics to track performance metrics and identify bottlenecks.

Expected Output: Insights into user behavior and performance improvements.

9. Ignoring Custom Domains

What to Avoid: Some developers don’t set up custom domains, leading to a less professional appearance.

How to Fix It: Configure a custom domain in the Vercel dashboard and set up DNS records correctly.

Expected Output: A branded and professional web presence.

10. Overusing Serverless Functions

What to Avoid: New developers often over-rely on serverless functions for tasks that can be handled client-side, leading to unnecessary complexity.

How to Fix It: Assess whether a task truly requires a serverless function or if it can be done on the client side to improve performance.

Expected Output: A cleaner architecture and better app performance.

Conclusion: Start Here

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can set yourself up for success on Vercel. Start by ensuring your environment variables are in order and familiarize yourself with the build settings for your specific framework. From there, focus on performance optimization and leveraging Vercel’s features to ensure a smooth deployment process.

If you want to dive deeper into Vercel and learn from our experiences, check out our podcast where we discuss tools and strategies we use while building in public.