Deploy It

Get your app live without the headache.

Quick Comparison

Vercel (Best for Next.js)

First Time Setup

npm i -g vercel
vercel login
vercel

Deploy Updates

vercel --prod

Environment Variables

1. Go to vercel.com → Your project → Settings → Environment Variables
2. Add your variables
3. Redeploy (important!)

Custom Domain

1. Settings → Domains → Add
2. Update DNS at your registrar

vercel.json (optional config)

{
  "rewrites": [{ "source": "/(.*)", "destination": "/" }],
  "headers": [
    {
      "source": "/api/(.*)",
      "headers": [{ "key": "Cache-Control", "value": "no-store" }]
    }
  ]
}

Netlify

First Time Setup

npm i -g netlify-cli
netlify login
netlify init

Deploy

netlify deploy --prod

Build Settings (netlify.toml)

[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"  # or "build" or ".next" or "out"

[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/index.html"
  status = 200

Environment Variables

Site Settings → Build & deploy → Environment

Railway (Full-Stack + Databases)

First Time Setup

npm i -g @railway/cli
railway login
railway init

Deploy

railway up

Add Database

1. Dashboard → New → Database (Postgres, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB)
2. Variables are auto-added to your app

Environment Variables

Dashboard → Variables → Add

Render

Deploy via GitHub

1. Connect GitHub repo
2. Choose Web Service or Static Site
3. Set build command: npm run build
4. Set start command: npm start

Environment Variables

Dashboard → Environment → Add

render.yaml (optional)

services:
  - type: web
    name: my-app
    env: node
    buildCommand: npm install && npm run build
    startCommand: npm start

Cloudflare Pages (Fast + Free)

Deploy via GitHub

1. Connect GitHub repo
2. Set build command: npm run build
3. Set output directory: dist or build or out

Environment Variables

Settings → Environment variables

_redirects (for SPA)

/*    /index.html   200

Firebase Hosting

Setup

npm i -g firebase-tools
firebase login
firebase init hosting

Deploy

npm run build
firebase deploy --only hosting

firebase.json (SPA config)

{
  "hosting": {
    "public": "dist",
    "ignore": ["firebase.json", "**/.*", "**/node_modules/**"],
    "rewrites": [
      { "source": "**", "destination": "/index.html" }
    ]
  }
}

Replit

1. Hit the Deploy button in your Replit
2. Choose deployment type (Static/Web Service)
3. Done

Keeping it Running

For backends, you may need Replit's paid tier to keep it always-on.

Common Deployment Problems

"Works locally, broken on deploy"

Check environment variables:

• They must be set in the platform's dashboard
• Next.js: NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix for client-side vars
• Redeploy after adding env vars

Check build output:

• Make sure npm run build works locally first
• Check the build logs on the platform

"404 on page refresh"

SPA routing issue. Add redirect rules:

Vercel (vercel.json):

{ "rewrites": [{ "source": "/(.*)", "destination": "/" }] }

Netlify (_redirects in public folder):

/*    /index.html   200

"API routes not working"

• Vercel: API routes work automatically for Next.js
• Netlify: Need Netlify Functions (different syntax)
• Cloudflare: Need Workers or Pages Functions
• Others: Need separate backend deployment

"Build failed"

1. Check build logs (platform dashboard)
2. Run npm run build locally to see the error
3. Common issues:
   • Missing dependencies (add to package.json)
   • TypeScript errors
   • Missing env vars (undefined at build time)
   • Case sensitivity (Linux servers are case-sensitive)

"Site shows old version"

• Clear CDN cache (usually in dashboard)
• Hard refresh browser: Cmd+Shift+R
• Check if deployment actually completed

"CORS errors"

• Backend and frontend on different domains
• Add CORS headers to your API
• Or use same-origin deployment

Pre-Deploy Checklist

• npm run build works locally
• All environment variables documented
• API keys NOT in code (use env vars)
• console.log statements cleaned up
• Error handling in place
• Loading states for async operations
• Mobile responsive

Which Platform?

Use Vercel if: Next.js project, want easiest experience

Use Netlify if: Static site, JAMstack, want forms/functions

Use Railway if: Need a database, full-stack app

Use Render if: Need Docker, cron jobs, background workers

Use Cloudflare if: Want speed, generous free tier, edge functions

Use Firebase if: Already using Firebase backend

Use Replit if: Quick prototype, want to share link fast

Environment Variable Cheat Sheet