Setting up your website on Vercel

Visit the Vercel website and sign up for an account. You can use your email or sign in with GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. Creating an account is free and allows you to deploy your projects easily.

To interact with Vercel from your terminal, you need to install the Vercel CLI. Open your terminal and run the command below.

npm i -g vercel

This command installs the Vercel CLI globally on your machine, allowing you to deploy your projects directly from the command line.

Use the command below to navigate to the directory of your Next.js app. Ensure that you are in the correct folder where your package.json file is located, as this is where Vercel will look for your project configuration.

cd path-to-my-app

Once in your project folder, run the command vercel. The CLI will prompt you to log in if you haven't already. After logging in, it will ask a series of questions about your project settings. Follow the prompts to deploy your app. Vercel will build your project and provide a unique URL for your deployed site.

Vercel will automatically assign a custom domain to your project. This domain will look something like your-project-name.vercel.app.

If you have a custom domain, you can configure it in the Vercel dashboard. Go to your project settings and find the "Domains" section. Here, you can add your custom domain and follow the instructions to set it up. This step is optional but recommended for a professional appearance.

After deployment, Vercel will provide a URL to access your site. You can visit this URL in your browser to see your live application. If you configured a custom domain, you can use that instead. Make sure to test your site thoroughly to ensure everything is working as expected.