Deploying Your Next.js SaaS to Vercel Like a Pro

Vercel is the gold standard for deploying Next.js apps zero-config for most cases, instant previews, global edge network, and seamless Git integration. For SaaS products, it shines with preview environments, custom domains, environment variables, and analytics.

This guide walks you through the complete professional deployment workflow for a Next.js SaaS (exactly how SaaSJet is deployed): from connecting your repo to production monitoring including preview branches, custom domains, env vars, and best practices for zero-downtime deploys.

Why Vercel is Perfect for Next.js SaaS

• Zero-config deploys → git push and done
• Preview URLs for every branch/PR → Safe testing & stakeholder reviews
• Edge Functions & Middleware → Blazing fast global performance
• Built-in Analytics & Speed Insights → No extra setup
• Free tier generous → Perfect for early-stage SaaS

Step 1: Connect Your Repo to Vercel

1. Go to vercel.com and sign in (GitHub recommended)
2. Click New Project → Import your SaaSJet GitHub repo
3. Vercel auto-detects Next.js → Framework Preset: Next.js
4. Leave defaults (Root Directory: /, Build Command: npm run build, Output Directory: .next)
5. Click Deploy → Your production site is live in minutes!

Step 2: Set Up Environment Variables

Never hardcode secrets use Vercel’s encrypted env vars.

1. In your project dashboard → Settings → Environment Variables
2. Add all keys from your .env.local:

| Key | Value Example | Target Environments | |----------------------------|----------------------------------------|------------------------------| | DATABASE_URL | postgresql://... | Production, Preview, Development | | BETTER_AUTH_SECRET | your_strong_secret | All | | STRIPE_SECRET_KEY | sk_live_... | Production only | | STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET | whsec_... | Production & Preview | | NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL | https://yourdomain.com | All |

• Use Preview for test keys (e.g., Stripe test mode)
• Check "Encrypt" for sensitive values

Step 3: Enable Preview Deployments

Vercel auto-creates a unique URL for every git branch and PR.

• Push a feature branch → Instant preview link
• Share with team/users for feedback
• Perfect for testing Stripe webhooks (use Vercel CLI for local → see below)

Step 4: Add Custom Domain

1. Buy a domain (Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.)
2. In Vercel dashboard → Domains → Add
3. Enter your domain (e.g., saasjet.dev)
4. Vercel provides DNS records → Add them to your registrar
5. Wait for SSL (automatic, free via Let's Encrypt)

Pro tip: Add www subdomain and redirect to apex domain.

Step 5: Advanced Production Settings

Speed Insights & Analytics

• Dashboard → Analytics → Enable (free, privacy-friendly)
• Get real-user Core Web Vitals and visitor data

Redirects & Rewrites

In next.config.mjs:

/** @type {import('next').NextConfig} */
const nextConfig = {
  async redirects() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/dashboard',
        destination: '/dashboard/overview',
        permanent: true,
      },
    ];
  },
  async rewrites() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/api/stripe-webhook',
        destination: '/api/webhook', // Clean public URL
      },
    ];
  },
};

export default nextConfig;

Vercel CLI for Local Webhooks

Test Stripe/local APIs locally:

npm i -g vercel
vercel link
vercel dev  # Mirrors preview env vars

Step 6: Monitor & Optimize

• Observability: Enable Log Drains or integrate with Datadog/Sentry
• Functions: Check usage in dashboard stay under limits
• Build Cache: Enabled by default fast rebuilds
• Edge Config: For feature flags (if needed later)

Common Pitfalls & Fixes

• Cold starts: Rare with Next.js on Vercel use Server Components
• Env var mismatches: Always re-deploy after adding new vars
• Large builds: Optimize images, remove unused deps
• Webhook testing: Use vercel dev + Stripe CLI

Final Thoughts

Vercel + Next.js is a match made in heaven deploys are instant, previews are magical, and scaling is automatic.

SaaSJet is fully optimized for Vercel out of the box: correct build settings, env var examples, preview-ready, and zero-config deployment just connect your repo and go live.