Ship and maintain

Deploy to Vercel

Publish the Next.js documentation app on Vercel using Git integration and free Hobby plan defaults.

This starter is a standard Next.js app, so Vercel can deploy it with zero custom build setup.

Prepare the repository

Before you deploy:

bash
npm run type-check
npm run build

Commit your changes and push them to GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.

Import the project

  1. Open the Vercel dashboard.
  2. Click Add New Project.
  3. Import your repository.
  4. Keep the detected framework as Next.js.
  5. Keep the default install, build, and output settings.
  6. Click Deploy.

Vercel creates a production deployment and preview deployments for future branches and pull requests.

Set environment variables

Add only the variables you need:

bash
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL=https://your-docs-domain.example
OPENAI_API_KEY=
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-5.4-mini

Use your real production URL for NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL. Leave OPENAI_API_KEY unset if you do not want AI chat in production.

Use the free tier

The template is designed for personal and open-source docs sites that fit Vercel's free Hobby plan. Keep the site mostly static, avoid adding paid services unless you need them, and check Vercel's current plan documentation before relying on specific limits.

Add a custom domain

After the first deployment:

  1. Open the Vercel project.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Open Domains.
  4. Add your domain.
  5. Follow the DNS instructions shown by Vercel.

Next step: Troubleshooting