Vercel Management

Vercel Management

Comprehensive guide for managing Vercel projects entirely via CLI and API, eliminating the need for dashboard access.

Quick Reference

Installation & Authentication

Install CLI

# Global installation
npm install -g vercel@latest

# Or use with npx
npx vercel@latest

Authentication

# Interactive login
vercel login

# Login with email
vercel login user@example.com

# CI/CD authentication (use token)
vercel --token $VERCEL_TOKEN deploy --prod

# Create token at: https://vercel.com/account/tokens
export VERCEL_TOKEN="your-token-here"

Check Authentication

vercel whoami
# Shows current user or team

Project Management

Initialize & Link Projects

# Initialize new project
vercel init nextjs-app

# Link existing directory to Vercel project
vercel link

# Link with specific scope
vercel link --scope=my-team

# Pull project settings and environment variables
vercel pull
vercel pull --environment=production
vercel pull --yes  # Skip prompts

Project Configuration

The vercel pull command creates:

• .vercel/project.json - Project metadata
• .vercel/README.txt - Configuration info
• .env.local - Development environment variables

Open in Dashboard (when necessary)

vercel open
# Opens current project in browser

Deployment

Basic Deployment

# Deploy to preview environment
vercel

# Deploy to production
vercel --prod

# Deploy from specific directory
vercel /path/to/project --prod

# Deploy with custom working directory
vercel --cwd /path/to/project --prod

Advanced Deployment Options

# Force deployment (skip cache)
vercel --force --prod

# Force with cache retention
vercel --force --with-cache --prod

# Deploy prebuilt output (no build step)
vercel deploy --prebuilt --prod

# Deploy without waiting
vercel --no-wait --prod

# Deploy with build logs
vercel --logs --prod

# Skip auto-assigning production domain
vercel --prod --skip-domain

# Deploy to specific regions (functions)
vercel --regions sfo1,iad1 --prod

# Add metadata to deployment
vercel --meta commit=abc123 --meta branch=main --prod

# Set environment variables at runtime
vercel -e NODE_ENV=production --prod

# Set build-time environment variables
vercel -b API_URL=https://api.example.com --prod

# Archive deployment (for large file counts)
vercel --archive=tgz --prod

Capture Deployment URL

# Deployment URL always goes to stdout
vercel --prod > deployment-url.txt
url=$(vercel --prod)
echo "Deployed to: $url"

# In CI/CD scripts
if vercel --prod > deployment-url.txt 2> error.txt; then
  DEPLOY_URL=$(cat deployment-url.txt)
  echo "Success: $DEPLOY_URL"
else
  echo "Failed: $(cat error.txt)"
  exit 1
fi

Environment Variables

List Environment Variables

# List all environment variables
vercel env ls

# List for specific environment
vercel env ls production
vercel env ls preview
vercel env ls development

# List with git branch filter
vercel env ls preview main

Add Environment Variables

# Add to production (prompts for value)
vercel env add API_KEY production

# Add from stdin
echo "secret-value" | vercel env add API_KEY production

# Add to multiple environments
vercel env add API_KEY production
vercel env add API_KEY preview

# Add sensitive variable (hidden in dashboard)
echo "secret" | vercel env add SECRET production --sensitive

# Add from file
cat cert.pem | vercel env add CERTIFICATE production

Update Environment Variables

# Update existing variable
vercel env update API_KEY production

# Update from stdin
echo "new-value" | vercel env update API_KEY production

# Update from file
cat ~/.npmrc | vercel env update NPM_RC preview

Remove Environment Variables

# Remove from specific environment
vercel env rm API_KEY production

# Remove from all environments
vercel env rm API_KEY production
vercel env rm API_KEY preview
vercel env rm API_KEY development

Pull Environment Variables to File

# Pull development variables to .env.local
vercel env pull .env.local

# Pull production variables
vercel env pull --environment=production .env.production

# Pull preview variables for specific branch
vercel env pull --environment=preview --git-branch=feature-x .env.preview

# Auto-confirm
vercel env pull --yes .env.local

Run Commands with Environment Variables

# Run command with Vercel environment variables (no file write)
vercel env run -- next dev
vercel env run -- npm test
vercel env run -- node script.js

# Specify environment
vercel env run -e production -- npm run migration
vercel env run -e preview -- npm run seed

# With git branch
vercel env run -e preview --git-branch feature-x -- npm start

Deployment Management

List Deployments

# List recent deployments
vercel list
vercel ls

# List for specific project
vercel list my-project

# Filter by environment
vercel list --environment=production
vercel list --environment=preview

# Filter by metadata
vercel list --meta commit=abc123
vercel list --meta branch=main

# Production deployments only
vercel list --prod

Promote Deployments

# Promote deployment to production
vercel promote https://my-app-xyz123.vercel.app
vercel promote <deployment-id>

# Typical workflow: staged production deployment
vercel --prod --skip-domain > staging-url.txt
# Test the deployment
# If good, promote:
vercel promote $(cat staging-url.txt)

Redeploy

# Redeploy existing deployment
vercel redeploy https://my-app-xyz123.vercel.app

# Rebuild with latest code
vercel redeploy <deployment-url>

Rollback

# Rollback to previous production deployment
vercel rollback

# Rollback to specific deployment
vercel rollback https://my-app-xyz123.vercel.app

Remove Deployments

# Remove specific deployment
vercel remove <deployment-url>
vercel rm <deployment-id>

# Remove with confirmation bypass
vercel remove <deployment-url> --yes

Inspect Deployments

# Get detailed deployment information
vercel inspect <deployment-url>
vercel inspect <deployment-id>

Domain Management

List Domains

vercel domains ls

Add Domain

# Add domain to current project
vercel domains add example.com

# Vercel will provide DNS configuration instructions

Remove Domain

vercel domains rm example.com

Inspect Domain

# Check domain configuration
vercel domains inspect example.com

Aliases

# List aliases
vercel alias ls

# Set custom alias
vercel alias set <deployment-url> custom.example.com

# Remove alias
vercel alias rm custom.example.com

DNS Management

List DNS Records

vercel dns ls

# List for specific domain
vercel dns ls example.com

Add DNS Records

# Add A record
vercel dns add example.com www A 76.76.21.21

# Add CNAME record
vercel dns add example.com blog CNAME myblog.vercel.app

# Add TXT record (for verification)
vercel dns add example.com @ TXT "verification-code-here"

# Add AAAA record (IPv6)
vercel dns add example.com @ AAAA 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334

# Add ALIAS record
vercel dns add example.com @ ALIAS target.vercel.app

Supported record types: A, AAAA, ALIAS, CNAME, TXT

Remove DNS Records

# Remove by subdomain
vercel dns rm example.com www

# Remove root domain record
vercel dns rm example.com @

SSL Certificates

List Certificates

vercel certs ls

Issue Certificate

# Issue for single domain
vercel certs add example.com

# Issue for multiple domains (SAN certificate)
vercel certs add example.com www.example.com api.example.com

Remove Certificate

vercel certs rm <cert-id>

Note: Vercel automatically manages SSL certificates for domains using Vercel nameservers. Manual certificate management is only needed for external DNS configurations.

Logs & Monitoring

Stream Logs

# Stream runtime logs for deployment
vercel logs <deployment-url>
vercel logs <deployment-id>

# Logs are followed automatically (up to 5 minutes)

JSON Output for Parsing

# Output logs as JSON
vercel logs <deployment-url> --json

# Filter errors with jq
vercel logs <deployment-url> --json | jq 'select(.level == "error")'

# Extract specific fields
vercel logs <deployment-url> --json | jq '{timestamp: .timestamp, message: .message}'

Build Logs

Build logs are shown during deployment with --logs flag:

vercel deploy --logs --prod

Local Development

Development Server

# Start local development server (uses vercel.json)
vercel dev

# Specify port
vercel dev --listen 3000

# Set environment variables
vercel dev --env NODE_ENV=development

Build Locally

# Build project locally (creates .vercel/output)
vercel build

# Build for production environment
vercel build --prod

# Build for specific environment
vercel build --target=production

# Custom output directory
vercel build --output ./custom-output

Deploy Prebuilt

# After building, deploy without rebuilding
vercel deploy --prebuilt --prod

Team Management

List Teams

vercel teams ls

Switch Team Context

# Switch default team
vercel switch <team-slug>

# Execute command in team context
vercel --team=my-team deploy --prod
vercel -T team-id list

# Set scope
vercel --scope=my-team link

Invite Team Members

Note: Team member management (roles, permissions) requires dashboard access. Use Vercel Dashboard for:

• Inviting members with specific roles
• Configuring member permissions
• Managing team settings

Advanced Features

Redirects Configuration

Configure via vercel.json:

{
  "redirects": [
    {
      "source": "/old-path",
      "destination": "/new-path",
      "statusCode": 301
    },
    {
      "source": "/blog/:slug",
      "destination": "https://blog.example.com/:slug",
      "statusCode": 302
    }
  ]
}

Headers Configuration

Configure via vercel.json:

{
  "headers": [
    {
      "source": "/(.*)",
      "headers": [
        {
          "key": "X-Frame-Options",
          "value": "DENY"
        },
        {
          "key": "X-Content-Type-Options",
          "value": "nosniff"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Cron Jobs

Configure via vercel.json:

{
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/api/cron/daily",
      "schedule": "0 5 * * *"
    },
    {
      "path": "/api/cron/hourly",
      "schedule": "0 * * * *"
    }
  ]
}

Protect cron endpoints:

export async function GET(request: Request) {
  const authHeader = request.headers.get('authorization');
  if (authHeader !== `Bearer ${process.env.CRON_SECRET}`) {
    return new Response('Unauthorized', { status: 401 });
  }
  // Cron logic here
}

Edge Config (Feature Flags)

Note: Edge Config creation and management requires dashboard access or Vercel API. Use Dashboard for:

• Creating Edge Config stores
• Managing feature flags
• Setting up A/B tests

Access Edge Config in code:

import { get } from '@vercel/edge-config';

export async function middleware(request: Request) {
  const isFeatureEnabled = await get('feature-flag');
  // ...
}

CI/CD Best Practices

GitHub Actions Example

name: Deploy to Vercel

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install Vercel CLI
        run: npm install --global vercel@latest

      - name: Pull Vercel Environment Information
        run: vercel pull --yes --environment=production --token=${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}

      - name: Build Project Artifacts
        run: vercel build --prod --token=${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}

      - name: Deploy Project Artifacts to Vercel
        run: vercel deploy --prebuilt --prod --token=${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}

Required Secrets

Create at: https://vercel.com/account/tokens

• VERCEL_TOKEN - Authentication token
• VERCEL_ORG_ID - Organization/team ID (found in .vercel/project.json)
• VERCEL_PROJECT_ID - Project ID (found in .vercel/project.json)

Deployment Strategies

Strategy 1: Direct Production Deploy

vercel --prod --token $VERCEL_TOKEN

Pros: Simple, fast
Cons: No testing window

Strategy 2: Staged Production Deploy

# Deploy without assigning production domain
vercel --prod --skip-domain --token $VERCEL_TOKEN > deployment-url.txt

# Run tests against staging URL
npm run e2e:test $(cat deployment-url.txt)

# If tests pass, promote
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  vercel promote $(cat deployment-url.txt) --token $VERCEL_TOKEN
else
  echo "Tests failed, deployment not promoted"
  exit 1
fi

Pros: Safe, testable
Cons: More complex

Strategy 3: Preview → Manual Promotion

# Deploy to preview
vercel --token $VERCEL_TOKEN > preview-url.txt

# Manual testing, then:
vercel promote $(cat preview-url.txt) --token $VERCEL_TOKEN

Pros: Maximum control
Cons: Requires manual step

Global Options

Available for all commands:

Dashboard-Only Features

Some features require dashboard access:

• Analytics: View detailed analytics (no CLI equivalent)
• Webhooks: Configure deployment webhooks
• Edge Config: Create and manage Edge Config stores
• Team Settings: Advanced team permissions and roles
• Billing: Spending limits and payment settings
• Log Drains: Configure log forwarding
• Protection Rules: Advanced deployment protection

For these features, use the Vercel Dashboard or REST API (see references/api-reference.md).

Common Workflows

Initial Project Setup

# 1. Authenticate
vercel login

# 2. Link project
cd my-project
vercel link

# 3. Pull configuration
vercel pull --environment=production --yes

# 4. Deploy
vercel --prod

Environment Variable Sync

# Development workflow
vercel env pull .env.local
# Edit .env.local locally
# When ready, push changes:
vercel env add NEW_VAR development < .env.local
vercel env add NEW_VAR production < .env.prod

Zero-Downtime Deployment

# 1. Deploy without assigning production domain
vercel --prod --skip-domain > staging-url.txt

# 2. Run health checks
curl $(cat staging-url.txt)/api/health

# 3. If healthy, promote
vercel promote $(cat staging-url.txt)

Emergency Rollback

# Quick rollback to previous deployment
vercel rollback

# Or rollback to specific deployment
vercel list --prod  # Find deployment ID
vercel rollback <deployment-id>

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

# Check current user
vercel whoami

# Re-authenticate
vercel logout
vercel login

Deployment Failures

# Deploy with logs
vercel --logs --prod

# Check build output
vercel build --debug

# Inspect failed deployment
vercel inspect <deployment-id>

Environment Variables Not Loading

# Pull latest environment variables
vercel env pull --environment=production --yes

# Verify variables are set
vercel env ls production

# Check that vercel.json is not overriding
cat vercel.json

Domain Not Working

# Inspect domain configuration
vercel domains inspect example.com

# Check DNS records
vercel dns ls example.com

# Verify SSL certificate
vercel certs ls

Version Information

CLI Version: 50.4.5
Skill Version: 1.0.0
Last Updated: 2026-01-17

Additional Resources

• Official Documentation: https://vercel.com/docs/cli
• API Reference: See references/api-reference.md
• Advanced Workflows: See references/advanced-workflows.md
• GitHub Actions: https://github.com/vercel/actions
• REST API: https://vercel.com/docs/rest-api