Understanding Vercel

Vercel is a front-end cloud platform for modern sites and serverless functions that enables developers to host and scale the front-end of their applications, independently of the back-end. It is particularly aligned with composable architecture, a philosophy we share at Inlight. This philosophy allows pieces of the architecture to be scaled, updated, and deployed independently. This modularity is key to fostering innovation and agility in product development.

Vercel’s suite helps simplify several aspects of our development process through the following:

DX Platform: This platform enables seamless application deployment with out-of-the-box CI/CD, making it feel as though shared work is already in production. This simplifies and accelerates the deployment process, enhancing both reliability and development speed.

Infrastructure and Storage: Vercel Functions offer the ability to run code on-demand without the complexities of managing infrastructure, provisioning servers, or upgrading hardware. Alongside, Vercel's robust storage solutions allow for efficient management of key-value data, transactional data, and large files, accommodating the dynamic needs of modern applications.

Analytics: Vercel Analytics provides real-time, privacy-friendly insights into traffic, derived directly from visitors. These insights are crucial for optimizing user experiences and enhancing product performance after launch, offering actionable data to refine strategies and operations.

Why we recommend Vercel at Inlight

Speed and Performance: Vercel significantly enhances site speed, which is crucial for SEO and improving the user experience. Faster websites not only rank better on search engines but also keep users engaged. For example, our client Solstice Energy benefited from Vercel’s on-demand revalidation feature which allowed them to cache CMS data for longer periods. This not only optimised server resources but also ensured that end-users always accessed the most current content with minimal delay, enhancing their experience on the platform.

Developer Experience: With features like instant new instance spin-ups and preview environments, Vercel streamlines development workflows, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing time to market. This directly benefits our clients by making the development process more cost-effective and responsive to changes. Amplar Health, a subsidiary of Medibank, utilised Vercel’s preview deployments to great effect. Designers were able to leave comments directly on deployments, improving the design review process and ensuring that the final product was closely aligned with initial design concepts.

Scalability: Vercel excels in handling scaling requirements with minimal configuration, supporting our clients' growth without the need for extensive infrastructure management. This scalability was crucial for Solstice Energy, enabling them to quickly adapt to increasing demand without compromising on performance or security.

Security: Built-in security features ensure that applications are secure from the start, protecting sensitive data and reducing the risk of data breaches. For Solstice Energy, Vercel’s Secure Compute feature was pivotal, allowing secure connections to sensitive APIs and enabling compliance with stringent security standards.

How do our clients benefit from using Vercel?

Reduced infrastructure maintenance costs: Leveraging Vercel's serverless architecture minimises operational overhead, significantly cutting down on infrastructure maintenance costs.

Faster project setup and optimised costs: The efficiency of Vercel in setting up new projects translates into optimised project costs and faster delivery times, allowing our clients to go to market quicker and more effectively.

Enhanced user experience: The improved site performance and reliability provided by Vercel lead to better user engagement and satisfaction, which are critical metrics for the success of any digital product.

Get in touch and discuss how our expertise combined with Vercel’s capabilities can be combined to accelerate your digital product development.

Want to check out some products we've built using Vercel? Here's a few of our favourites:

• Nando's
• Solstice Energy
• Amplar Health
• RACT

Learn more about Vercel: https://vercel.com/