Deploy Your Astro + Convex App to Vercel: The Simplest Production Setup

Now that you’ve built an amazing real-time chat app with Astro and Convex, it’s time to deploy it to production! In this guide, we’ll show you the simplest way possible to deploy your Astro + Convex application to Vercel - no complex configuration required!

🚀 Why Vercel + Convex is Perfect

The Easiest Production Stack

Vercel offers:

• ⚡ Zero-configuration deployments
• 🔄 Automatic Git-based CI/CD
• 💰 Generous free tier
• 🌐 Global edge network
• 📊 Built-in analytics and performance monitoring
• 🎯 Perfect Astro support out of the box

Convex Cloud provides:

• 🔄 Real-time database synchronization
• 📡 Automatic scaling
• 🛡️ Built-in security
• 🔐 Environment-based deployments
• 📈 Production monitoring

The Magic: Vercel’s official Convex integration means zero configuration - it just works!

🎯 What We’ll Deploy Today

We’ll take your existing Astro + Convex chat application and:

• Deploy to Vercel with zero code changes
• Set up automatic production deployments
• Configure environment variables through UI
• Set up preview deployments for pull requests
• Add custom domain (optional)
• Implement production monitoring

Best part: No adapters, no config files, no complex setup!

🛠️ Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• An existing Astro + Convex project (follow our previous guide)
• A Vercel account (free tier works perfectly)
• A GitHub repository with your code
• That’s it! No CLI tools or configuration needed

Step 1: Prepare Your Convex Production Deployment

Create Production Deployment

First, let’s create a production deployment in Convex:

cd your-project-directory
npx convex deploy

This command will:

• Create a new production deployment
• Deploy your functions and schema
• Generate a production deployment URL

Get Your Production Deploy Key

1. Visit the Convex Dashboard
2. Select your project
3. Go to Settings → Deploy Keys
4. Click Generate Production Deploy Key
5. Copy the key - you’ll need it for Vercel

# The key will look like this:
CONVEX_DEPLOY_KEY=your-production-deploy-key-here

Add Vercel Connector to Astro

In order for the connectivity to work you need to add vercel adapter this will make your project work on vercel. The command will configure everything for you at Astro level.

npx astro add vercel

Step 2: Push the Repo on GitHub

You need to add the repo to GitHub, just create a new repo on Github and push everything:

git remote add origin [email protected]:bitdoze/test-repo.git
git branch -M main
git add -A
git commit -m "changes to code"
git push -u origin main

Step 3: Deploy to Vercel (Super Simple!)

Connect Your Repository

1. Go to Vercel Dashboard

   • Visit vercel.com/new
   • Sign in with GitHub (recommended)

2. Import Your Project

   • Click Import next to your Astro + Convex repository
   • Vercel automatically detects it’s an Astro project!

Configure Build Settings

Vercel will show you the project configuration. Here’s what to set:

Framework Preset: Astro (auto-detected) ✅

Build Command:

npx convex deploy --cmd 'npm run build'

Output Directory: dist (auto-detected) ✅

Install Command: npm install (auto-detected) ✅

Set Environment Variables

Click Environment Variables and add:

Variable Name	Value	Environment
CONVEX_DEPLOY_KEY	your-production-deploy-key	Production

That’s it! Vercel handles everything else automatically.

Deploy Your Site

1. Review Settings

   • Double-check your build command
   • Verify environment variable is set

2. Click Deploy

   • Vercel starts building immediately
   • Watch the build process in real-time
   • Build typically completes in 1-2 minutes

3. Success!

   • Your site is live at https://your-project.vercel.app
   • Convex functions are automatically deployed
   • Everything just works!

Step 4: Custom Domain Setup (Optional)

Add Custom Domain in Vercel

1. Access Domain Settings

   • In your Vercel project dashboard
   • Go to Settings → Domains
   • Click Add Domain

2. Configure Domain

   • Enter your domain (e.g., myapp.example.com)
   • Vercel provides DNS instructions
   • Add the CNAME record to your DNS provider

3. Automatic SSL

   • Vercel automatically provisions SSL certificates
   • HTTPS is enabled by default
   • Automatic HTTP to HTTPS redirects

Domain Verification

• Status shows “Valid” when DNS propagates (usually 5-10 minutes)
• Test your domain to ensure everything works
• SSL certificate is automatically issued and renewed

Step 5: Monitoring & Analytics

Built-in Vercel Analytics

Real User Monitoring (Free):

1. Go to your project dashboard
2. Click Analytics tab
3. See real-time performance data
4. Monitor Core Web Vitals automatically

Speed Insights (Free):

• Automatic Lighthouse scores
• Performance recommendations
• Real user performance data
• No configuration required

Vercel Pro Analytics Features

Web Analytics ($20/month):

• Detailed visitor analytics
• Page view tracking
• Referrer analysis
• Geographic data

Audience (Pro feature):

• User behavior insights
• Conversion tracking
• A/B testing capabilities

Monitor Convex Performance

In your Convex Dashboard:

1. Function Logs: Monitor function execution
2. Performance Metrics: Track function response times
3. Error Tracking: Get notified of function errors
4. Usage Analytics: Monitor database operations

Conclusion

Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve successfully deployed your Astro + Convex application to Vercel with minimal effort. This deployment setup gives you:

What You’ve Accomplished

• Zero-Config Deployment: No adapters or complex configuration needed
• Automatic CI/CD: Every push deploys automatically
• Global Performance: Fast loading times worldwide
• Built-in Monitoring: Real-time analytics and performance insights
• Production Security: Enterprise-grade security out of the box

Why This Stack Rocks

• Simplicity: Deploy in minutes, not hours
• Cost-Effective: Generous free tiers for both platforms
• Real-Time Ready: Perfect for interactive applications
• Auto-Scaling: Handles traffic spikes automatically
• Secure by Default: No security configuration needed
• Global Edge: Fast performance worldwide

The Perfect Development Workflow

1. Develop locally with npm run dev and npx convex dev
2. Push to GitHub when ready
3. Automatic deployment to Vercel
4. Preview URLs for every pull request
5. Production deployment when merged to main
6. Built-in monitoring and analytics

Your Astro + Convex + Vercel stack is perfect for building modern real-time applications. Whether you’re creating chat apps, collaborative tools, or interactive dashboards, this setup will scale with your needs while keeping deployment simple.

Ready to build the next big thing? Your production-ready foundation is live! 🚀