How to Deploy and Host Your Website Cost-Effectively with Vercel 💰💰
Tags: vercel, deployment, hosting, website
Published: 2024-06-09 14:57:37

Creating and deploying a portfolio website can often seem like a intimidating task, especially when you're trying to minimize costs without compromising on quality. Recently, I had the opportunity to develop a simple yet effective single-page portfolio for a client, and I found an efficient way to deploy it using Vercel while keeping expenses to a minimum.
![Client's Portfolio](https://res.cloudinary.com/dn2ljrxzy/image/upload/v1717922315/Blog/fojj2doxjsssw5uitaad.png "Client's Portfolio")
In this blog post, I'll share my experience and provide a step-by-step guide on how you can do the same for your projects, making use of cost-effective domain purchases and Vercel's hosting capabilities.

## Behind the Scenes: Building a Sleek Single Page Portfolio

The project at hand was a straightforward single-page portfolio designed to showcase the client's work. This portfolio was purely a frontend project, meaning there was no backend or database integration involved.

### Key Technologies Used:

- Next.js

- Typescript

- Tailwind.css

### Development Highlights:

1. Responsive Design: Ensuring the portfolio looks great on all devices.

2. Interactive Elements: Adding smooth transitions and hover effects.

3. Clean Code: Keeping the codebase simple and maintainable.
 

## Visual Guide: Deployment Process Simplified

![Deployment Process](https://res.cloudinary.com/dn2ljrxzy/image/upload/v1717930659/Blog/gt7p91r1p41pglzejqy7.png "Deployment Process")

## Deployment on Vercel
Deploying the portfolio website was straightforward thanks to Vercel. Vercel is known for its simplicity and efficiency, making it an excellent choice for frontend projects.

### Why Vercel?

- Ease of Use: Vercel provides a seamless deployment process, particularly for static sites.

- Free Plan: Vercel's free tier is perfect for personal projects and small client projects.

- Automatic SSL: It automatically provides SSL certificates for your custom domains.
 

### Steps to Deploy:

1. Sign Up and Set Up: Create a Vercel account and link it to your GitHub repository.
2. Import Project: Import your project from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
3. Configure Settings: Set up the build settings if needed (though Vercel often auto-detects them).
4. Deploy: Click the deploy button, and Vercel will handle the rest.

## Acquiring and Pointing a Custom Domain
After deploying the site on Vercel, the next step was to point a custom domain to it. I purchased a domain at a very affordable price from _**HIOX India**_.

![HIOX India](https://res.cloudinary.com/dn2ljrxzy/image/upload/v1717936882/Blog/purxurt4ujoh0myzcckk.png "HIOX India")

### Steps to Acquire and Point Domain:

1. Purchase Domain
2. Access DNS Settings: Log into your domain registrar account and navigate to the DNS settings.
3. Add DNS Records: Add an A record pointing to Vercel's IP address or use CNAME records as directed by Vercel.

### Example of DNS Records:

```
Type: A
Name: @
Value: 76.76.21.21 (Vercel's IP)

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: cname.vercel-dns.com

```

### Screenshot of DNS Configuration:

![DNS configuration](https://res.cloudinary.com/dn2ljrxzy/image/upload/v1717937889/Blog/w78ogi0fbeltepm6rmz7.png "DNS configuration")

![DNS configuration](https://res.cloudinary.com/dn2ljrxzy/image/upload/v1717937982/Blog/irj9kafvwfxf94ylbzcc.png "DNS configuration")

## Cost Efficiency
One of the significant advantages of this deployment method is its cost efficiency. Here's how this approach helps in cutting costs:

### Cost Savings Breakdown:

- Free Hosting: Vercel offers free hosting for static sites, reducing hosting expenses.
- Affordable Domains: Purchasing domains from budget-friendly registrars can save a considerable amount.

### Overall Savings:
By combining Vercel's free hosting with a cheap domain purchase, the total annual cost for maintaining the portfolio website was significantly reduced.

## Limitations and Considerations
While this approach is excellent for small projects, it's important to recognize its limitations:

### Not Suitable for Larger Projects:

- No Backend Support: Vercel is ideal for frontend-only projects. Projects requiring server-side logic or database interactions need a different hosting solution.
- Limited Customization: Advanced server configurations are not possible.

### Examples of Suitable Projects:

- Portfolios
- Blogs
- Landing Pages

### Projects Requiring Alternative Solutions:

- E-commerce Sites
- Web Applications with Backend

## Conclusion
In summary, deploying a single-page portfolio on Vercel while using an affordable custom domain is an excellent way to cut costs without sacrificing quality. This method is particularly suited for small to medium-sized projects where backend integration is not necessary.

### Key Takeaways:

- Vercel offers an easy and free hosting solution for static sites.
- Purchasing a domain from budget-friendly registrars can further reduce costs.
- This approach is ideal for portfolios, blogs, and landing pages, but not for projects requiring backend support.

### Have you tried deploying a site using Vercel and a custom domain? Share your experiences and any tips you have in the comments below!