How to Deploy a Node.js App to Vercel

This tutorial will show you how to deploy a simple Node.js (Express) app to Vercel. It’s perfect for beginners who want to get their API online fast — without worrying about infrastructure.

🧰 Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following installed:

• ✅ Node.js and npm on your system
• ✅ Git installed
• ✅ GitHub account
• ✅ Basic knowledge of JavaScript and Node.js

🛠️ Step 1: Create a Simple Node.js App

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

mkdir my-app
cd my-app
npm init -y
npm install express

This creates a new folder, initializes a Node.js project, and installs Express.js.

📝 Step 2: Create index.js

Inside your project folder, create a file called index.js and add the following code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello, Vercel!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server is running on http://localhost:3000');
});

This sets up a basic Express server that responds with "Hello, Vercel!".

🧪 Step 3: Test the App Locally

Run the app locally to make sure everything works:

node index.js

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser — you should see:

Hello, Vercel!

🚀 Step 4: Prepare for Deployment

1. Create a .gitignore file and ignore node_modules:

echo node_modules > .gitignore

1. Initialize a git repository and push it to GitHub:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO_NAME.git
git push -u origin main

🌐 Step 5: Deploy to Vercel

1. Go to https://vercel.com and sign in with your GitHub account.
2. Click "New Project".
3. Import your repository.
4. Leave all settings as default and click "Deploy".

Wait a few moments… and voilà! Your Node.js app is live ✨

✅ Conclusion

You’ve just built and deployed a Node.js app to the web using Express and Vercel. From here, you can:

• Build APIs and connect to databases
• Add frontend frameworks like React or Vue