Deploying Epic 7: Vercel Project Setup For Apps

As a DevOps engineer, deploying applications efficiently and reliably is crucial. In this guide, we'll walk through setting up Vercel projects for both the admin dashboard and client portal of the Epic 7 application. This deployment strategy ensures that both apps are accessible in production, providing a seamless experience for users and administrators alike. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to create separate Vercel projects, configure environment variables, set up custom domains, and manage deployment settings.

Understanding the Importance of Vercel for Deployment

When diving into the realm of modern web application deployment, Vercel emerges as a pivotal platform, particularly for projects leveraging technologies like Next.js, which is often the backbone of contemporary React applications. Vercel's significance stems from its seamless integration with these frameworks, offering a streamlined deployment process that significantly reduces the complexities traditionally associated with getting a web application live. One of the key advantages of using Vercel lies in its ability to automate many of the intricate steps involved in deployment. This automation spans from setting up the necessary server configurations to optimizing build processes and ensuring optimal performance across various devices and browsers. This simplification not only accelerates the deployment timeline but also minimizes the potential for human error, a common pitfall in manual deployment procedures. Furthermore, Vercel's architecture is inherently designed for scalability, meaning that as your application's user base grows, the platform can seamlessly handle the increased traffic and resource demands without requiring extensive manual adjustments. This scalability is a critical factor for applications expected to experience significant growth, as it ensures consistent performance and reliability for all users. In addition to its scalability, Vercel provides robust features for collaboration and version control. Teams can work together more effectively, with Vercel offering real-time previews and integration with popular version control systems like Git. This collaborative environment fosters a more agile development process, allowing teams to iterate quickly and deploy updates with confidence. Lastly, Vercel's emphasis on performance optimization, such as its global content delivery network (CDN), ensures that your application loads quickly for users regardless of their geographic location. This focus on performance is crucial for user satisfaction and can significantly impact metrics like bounce rate and conversion rates. By choosing Vercel, developers can focus more on building features and less on managing infrastructure, making it an invaluable tool in the modern web development landscape. In the context of deploying the Epic 7 application, leveraging Vercel's capabilities not only streamlines the deployment process but also sets a strong foundation for future scalability and performance enhancements.

Setting Up Vercel Projects: Admin Dashboard

To effectively deploy the admin dashboard, the initial step involves creating a dedicated Vercel project. Navigate to the src/apps/admin-dashboard directory in your project. With the command line interface (CLI), initiate the Vercel deployment process by executing the command vercel. This command prompts you to link your project to a Vercel account, if you haven't already done so, and guides you through the configuration steps. During this setup, assign a distinct name to the project, such as invoiceapp-admin, to clearly differentiate it from other deployments. Critically, ensure that the root directory is correctly set to src/apps/admin-dashboard within the Vercel project settings. This step is pivotal as it directs Vercel to the precise location of the application's source code, preventing any confusion during the build and deployment phases. Next, focus on configuring the build settings. These settings instruct Vercel on how to build your application for production. For a Next.js application, like the admin dashboard, the recommended build settings are typically as follows: the build command should be set to pnpm build, which triggers the Next.js build process. The output directory should be specified as .next, as this is the directory where Next.js places the built application files. The install command, pnpm install, ensures that all necessary dependencies are installed before the build process commences. Accurately configuring these build settings guarantees that Vercel can successfully compile and optimize your application for deployment. Furthermore, after the initial setup, consider fine-tuning additional deployment settings within the Vercel project dashboard. This may include specifying environment variables, which we will discuss in more detail later, or setting up custom domains. Custom domains provide a professional and branded experience for your users, allowing them to access the admin dashboard via a URL such as admin.yourdomain.com. Throughout this process, thorough testing is paramount. After each configuration change or deployment, verify that the admin dashboard is accessible via the provided Vercel URL and that all core functionalities are operating as expected. This iterative approach, combining careful configuration with rigorous testing, minimizes the likelihood of encountering issues in production and ensures a smooth user experience. In summary, setting up the Vercel project for the admin dashboard requires meticulous attention to detail, from specifying the root directory to configuring the build settings and conducting thorough tests. By following these steps diligently, you lay a solid foundation for a reliable and scalable deployment of your admin interface.

Setting Up Vercel Projects: Client Portal

Following the successful setup of the admin dashboard project, the next crucial step is to deploy the client portal, ensuring it is also accessible in production. Similar to the admin dashboard, this process begins by navigating to the src/apps/client-portal directory within your project. From this directory, initiate the Vercel deployment process by executing the vercel command in your terminal. This command, familiar from the admin dashboard setup, will prompt you to configure a new project within Vercel. It is essential to assign a distinct and descriptive name to this project, such as invoiceapp-client, to clearly differentiate it from the admin dashboard project and any other deployments you may have. Setting a clear naming convention is crucial for maintaining organization and avoiding confusion as your number of projects grows. Once the project name is established, the next critical step is to correctly set the root directory. In this case, the root directory should be specified as src/apps/client-portal. This setting is paramount because it informs Vercel where to locate the source code specific to the client portal application. If the root directory is misconfigured, Vercel may not be able to properly build and deploy the application, leading to errors and downtime. With the root directory accurately set, the focus shifts to configuring the build settings for the client portal. Given that the client portal is also a Next.js application, the build settings will largely mirror those of the admin dashboard. Specifically, the build command should be set to pnpm build, which triggers the Next.js build process, compiling the application's code and assets into a production-ready format. The output directory should be specified as .next, as this is the default directory where Next.js places the built application files after the build process is complete. The install command should be pnpm install, which ensures that all the necessary dependencies, as defined in your project's package.json file, are installed prior to the build process. Accurate configuration of these build settings is vital for ensuring that Vercel can successfully build and optimize the client portal application for deployment. After configuring the basic settings, it's advisable to review and adjust any additional deployment settings within the Vercel project dashboard. This may include setting up environment variables, which are essential for configuring database connections, API keys, and other sensitive information. Additionally, you might consider setting up custom domains, such as app.yourdomain.com, to provide a professional and branded experience for your users. Throughout this setup process, rigorous testing is essential. After each configuration change or deployment attempt, verify that the client portal is accessible via the provided Vercel URL and that all core functionalities are operating as expected. This iterative approach, combining careful configuration with thorough testing, minimizes the risk of encountering issues in production and ensures a seamless user experience. By diligently following these steps, you can establish a robust and scalable deployment of your client portal on Vercel, setting the stage for a successful production launch.

Configuring Environment Variables in Vercel

Environment variables are crucial for securing and configuring your applications in different environments, such as development, staging, and production. In Vercel, these variables can be easily managed through the project dashboard, ensuring that sensitive information like API keys and database credentials are not hardcoded into your application. This approach not only enhances security but also simplifies the process of deploying your application across multiple environments. To begin configuring environment variables, navigate to your project's dashboard on Vercel. Within the dashboard, locate the