How to Migrate from Vercel to Coolify

Vercel's Pro plan ($20/user/month) and bandwidth overages add up. Coolify gives you the same git push deployments, automatic SSL, and preview deployments — self-hosted on your own VPS. Here's how to switch.

Step 1: Set Up Coolify

# Install on a VPS (Ubuntu/Debian)
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

Access at http://your-server-ip:8000 and create your admin account.

Step 2: Connect Git Repository

1. New Resource → Application
2. Connect GitHub/GitLab (OAuth) or use a deploy key
3. Select your repository and branch
4. Coolify auto-detects the framework (Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, etc.)

Step 3: Configure Build Settings

Map Vercel settings to Coolify:

Vercel Setting	Coolify Setting
Framework Preset	Auto-detected (or Nixpacks/Dockerfile)
Build Command	Build command
Output Directory	Publish directory
Install Command	Install command
Node.js Version	Base image / Nixpacks config
Environment Variables	Environment variables (UI)
Root Directory	Base directory

Step 4: Set Up Domain and SSL

1. Point your domain's DNS A record to your Coolify server IP
2. In Coolify → Application → Domains → add yourdomain.com
3. SSL is auto-configured via Let's Encrypt

Step 5: Migrate Environment Variables

1. Export from Vercel: vercel env pull .env.production
2. Add each variable in Coolify → Application → Environment Variables
3. Mark sensitive values as "secret"

Step 6: Handle Serverless Functions

This is the biggest difference. Vercel runs serverless functions natively. Self-hosting means:

Option A: Use a Node.js framework with API routes

• Next.js API routes work in self-hosted mode (Node.js server, not edge)
• SvelteKit endpoints work normally
• Nuxt server routes work normally

Option B: Run edge functions as server-side

• Edge functions won't have edge distribution
• They'll run on your single server instead
• For most apps, this is fine

What you lose:

• Edge network (global CDN distribution)
• Automatic serverless scaling
• Edge Runtime (Vercel-specific)
• Analytics and Speed Insights (use Plausible/Umami instead)

Step 7: Set Up Preview Deployments

Coolify supports PR preview deployments:

1. Application → Settings → enable Preview Deployments
2. PRs automatically get a unique URL
3. Merged PRs clean up automatically

Cost Comparison

Scenario	Vercel Pro	Coolify + VPS	Savings
1 developer	$20/month	$10/month (VPS)	$120/year
3 developers	$60/month	$20/month	$480/year
5 developers	$100/month	$30/month	$840/year
+ bandwidth overage	$100-500+/month	$0	$1,200-6,000/year

Migration Timeline

Day	Task
Day 1	Install Coolify, connect repo, configure build
Day 2	Set up domain, SSL, environment variables
Day 3	Test deployment, verify functionality
Week 2	Switch DNS to Coolify, monitor
Week 3	Cancel Vercel

---

Compare deployment platforms on OSSAlt — features, pricing, and self-hosting options side by side.