IA.md

brand	Vercel
tagline	Frontend cloud. Build, deploy, and scale web applications with zero configuration.
category	Developer Platform
website	https://vercel.com

Vercel — Information Architecture

Overview

Vercel is the frontend cloud platform built around Next.js and the modern web stack. The mental model is git push to deploy — every push creates a deployment, every PR gets a preview URL, and production is always a merge away. Vercel differentiates through instant preview deployments, edge functions, serverless compute, analytics, and a developer experience that makes deployment invisible. The dashboard is a visual companion to the CLI and git workflow.

Site Map

├── Dashboard (Overview)
│   ├── Recent Projects (cards with status)
│   ├── Activity Feed (deployments, team activity)
│   ├── Usage Summary
│   └── Quick Actions (import, create)
├── Projects
│   ├── Project List (grid/list, search, filter)
│   └── Project Detail
│       ├── Overview
│       │   ├── Production Deployment (live URL)
│       │   ├── Domains
│       │   ├── Git Integration Status
│       │   └── Framework Detection
│       ├── Deployments
│       │   ├── Deployment List (production, preview, all)
│       │   ├── Deployment Detail
│       │   │   ├── Status (building → ready → error)
│       │   │   ├── Build Logs (streaming)
│       │   │   ├── Source (commit, branch, PR)
│       │   │   ├── Preview URL (unique per deployment)
│       │   │   ├── Functions Tab (serverless + edge)
│       │   │   ├── Deployment Summary (build time, output)
│       │   │   ├── Promote to Production
│       │   │   ├── Instant Rollback
│       │   │   └── Deployment Comments (visual feedback)
│       │   └── Filters (branch, status, author)
│       ├── Analytics
│       │   ├── Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS, TTFB, INP)
│       │   ├── Audiences (by page, device, country)
│       │   ├── Real Experience Score
│       │   └── Custom Events
│       ├── Speed Insights
│       │   ├── Performance Score (per route)
│       │   ├── Route-level Metrics
│       │   └── Recommendations
│       ├── Logs
│       │   ├── Runtime Logs (serverless functions)
│       │   ├── Build Logs
│       │   ├── Edge Function Logs
│       │   ├── Filter by Function / Level / Status
│       │   └── Live Tail
│       ├── Storage
│       │   ├── KV (Redis-compatible)
│       │   ├── Postgres (serverless SQL)
│       │   ├── Blob (file storage)
│       │   └── Edge Config (low-latency key-value)
│       ├── Domains
│       │   ├── Domain List
│       │   ├── Add Domain
│       │   ├── DNS Configuration
│       │   └── SSL Certificates (auto-provisioned)
│       ├── Environment Variables
│       │   ├── Variable List (production / preview / development)
│       │   ├── Add Variable
│       │   ├── Bulk Edit
│       │   └── Pull to .env.local (CLI)
│       ├── Integrations (project-level)
│       │   └── Connected Services
│       └── Settings
│           ├── General (name, framework, root directory)
│           ├── Build & Development
│           │   ├── Build Command
│           │   ├── Output Directory
│           │   ├── Install Command
│           │   └── Node.js Version
│           ├── Git
│           │   ├── Connected Repository
│           │   ├── Ignored Build Step
│           │   └── Deploy Hooks
│           ├── Serverless Functions
│           │   ├── Region Selection
│           │   ├── Memory / Duration Limits
│           │   └── Bundling
│           ├── Edge Functions
│           ├── Cron Jobs
│           ├── Security
│           │   ├── Deployment Protection (password, Vercel Auth)
│           │   ├── Trusted IPs
│           │   └── Attack Challenge Mode
│           ├── Advanced
│           │   ├── Build Cache
│           │   ├── Skew Protection
│           │   └── Function-Level Security
│           └── Danger Zone (delete project)
├── Deployments (Global)
│   └── All Deployments (across projects, filterable)
├── Domains (Global)
│   ├── All Domains
│   ├── Add Domain
│   └── Transfer Domain
├── Storage
│   ├── KV Databases
│   ├── Postgres Databases
│   ├── Blob Stores
│   └── Edge Config Stores
├── Integrations
│   ├── Marketplace (browse integrations)
│   ├── Installed
│   └── Integration Console (for developers building integrations)
├── Monitoring
│   ├── Checks (deployment checks from integrations)
│   └── Observability (Logs + Metrics unified view)
├── Activity
│   └── Team Activity Log
├── Usage & Billing
│   ├── Usage Overview (bandwidth, builds, functions, analytics)
│   ├── Usage by Project
│   ├── Plan (Hobby / Pro / Enterprise)
│   ├── Invoices
│   ├── Spend Management
│   └── Notifications (usage thresholds)
├── Team Settings
│   ├── General (team name, URL, avatar)
│   ├── Members
│   │   ├── Member List (role, status)
│   │   ├── Invite Members
│   │   └── Role Management
│   ├── Billing
│   ├── Security
│   │   ├── SSO / SAML
│   │   ├── 2FA Policy
│   │   ├── Audit Log
│   │   └── IP Allowlisting
│   ├── Tokens (team-scoped)
│   ├── Git Providers (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
│   ├── Integrations (team-level)
│   └── Advanced (data deletion)
├── User Settings
│   ├── General (name, email, username)
│   ├── Login Connections (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, email)
│   ├── Tokens
│   ├── Notifications (email, in-app)
│   └── Teams
├── CLI (`vercel` command)
│   ├── vercel (deploy)
│   ├── vercel dev (local development)
│   ├── vercel env pull (download env vars)
│   ├── vercel link (connect to project)
│   ├── vercel logs (tail logs)
│   └── vercel domains (manage)
└── Docs (vercel.com/docs)
    ├── Getting Started
    ├── Frameworks (Next.js, Remix, Astro, etc.)
    ├── Platform
    ├── Storage
    ├── Functions
    └── CLI Reference

Navigation Model

Layer	Pattern	Behavior
Top Nav	Fixed top bar	Vercel logo (home), team switcher, search, feedback, notifications, user avatar
Project Nav	Horizontal tabs	Overview, Deployments, Analytics, Speed Insights, Logs, Storage, Domains, Env Vars, Integrations, Settings
Team Sidebar	Left sidebar on team pages	Projects, Deployments, Domains, Storage, Integrations, Activity, Usage, Settings
Deployment Toolbar	Within deployment detail	Status badge, URL, branch, commit, promote/rollback actions
Command Palette	⌘K / Ctrl+K	Search projects, navigate, switch teams, run actions
Breadcrumbs	Below top bar	Team > Project > Deployments > Deploy ID

Team-Level Navigation

[Team Switcher ▾]
───────────────
📊 Overview
📦 Projects
🚀 Deployments
🌐 Domains
💾 Storage
🔌 Integrations
📋 Activity
💳 Usage
⚙ Settings

Content Model

Entity	Key Attributes	Relationships
Team	name, slug, plan (hobby/pro/enterprise), members[]	has many Projects, Domains, Stores
Project	name, framework (Next.js/etc.), git_repo, production_url, domains[], settings	belongs to Team
Deployment	id, url, status (building/ready/error/cancelled), type (production/preview), source (git/CLI/API), branch, commit, build_logs, created_at, meta	belongs to Project
Domain	name, dns_config, ssl_status, redirect_from	belongs to Project or Team
EnvVar	key, value (encrypted), target (production/preview/development), git_branch	belongs to Project
Function	name, path, type (serverless/edge), region, runtime, memory, max_duration	belongs to Deployment
CronJob	path, schedule, last_run, next_run	belongs to Project
Store	type (kv/postgres/blob/edge-config), name, region, connection_string	belongs to Team, linked to Projects
WebVital	metric (LCP/FID/CLS/TTFB/INP), value, page, device, country	belongs to Project
Integration	name, provider, scopes, status	belongs to Team/Project
DeployHook	name, url, branch	belongs to Project
Check	name, status, integration, deployment	belongs to Deployment

Deployment Status

queued → building → ready (live) → superseded (by newer deployment)
                  → error (build failed)
                  → cancelled
ready → promoted (to production)
ready → rolled back (instant rollback to previous)

Environment Hierarchy

Development (vercel dev) → Preview (PR deployments) → Production (main branch)

User Flows

Git Push Deploy

Push to branch → Vercel detects via GitHub webhook → Build triggered → Build logs stream → Preview URL generated → PR comment with preview link → Team reviews → Merge to main → Production deployment → Instant live

Preview Deployment Review

Open PR → Vercel auto-deploys → Comment on PR with preview URL → Click preview → Visual review → Leave deployment comments (click on page elements) → Approve → Merge → Production deploy

Rollback Production

Deployments tab → Find previous working deployment → [Promote to Production] → Instant switch (no rebuild) → Production URL now serves old deployment → Investigate issue → Fix and redeploy

Add Custom Domain

Domains tab → Add Domain → Enter domain name → Configure DNS (CNAME/A record) → SSL auto-provisioned → Domain active → Assign to project branch

Debug Serverless Function

Logs tab → Filter by function name → Filter by error level → Expand log entry → View request/response → Check function source in deployment → Fix locally → Push → Verify on preview

Connect Storage

Storage tab → Create Store (e.g., KV) → Select region → Connect to project → Env vars auto-added → Use `@vercel/kv` in code → Deploy → Data persists across deployments

URL / Route Structure

/                                      → Dashboard (team overview)
/new                                   → Import project
/:team                                 → Team overview
/:team/:project                        → Project overview
/:team/:project/deployments            → Deployment list
/:team/:project/:deploymentId          → Deployment detail
/:team/:project/:deploymentId/logs     → Build logs
/:team/:project/:deploymentId/functions → Functions
/:team/:project/analytics              → Web Analytics
/:team/:project/speed-insights         → Speed Insights
/:team/:project/logs                   → Runtime logs
/:team/:project/stores                 → Storage
/:team/:project/stores/:storeId        → Store detail
/:team/:project/domains                → Domains
/:team/:project/settings               → Project settings
/:team/:project/settings/environment-variables → Env vars
/:team/:project/settings/git           → Git settings
/:team/:project/settings/functions     → Function settings
/:team/:project/integrations           → Integrations
/:team/~/domains                       → Team domains
/:team/~/stores                        → Team storage
/:team/~/integrations                  → Team integrations
/:team/~/usage                         → Usage
/:team/~/settings                      → Team settings
/:team/~/settings/members              → Team members
/:team/~/settings/billing              → Billing
/:team/~/settings/security             → Security & audit
/:team/~/activity                      → Activity log
/account                               → User settings
/account/tokens                        → User tokens
/docs                                  → Documentation

Search & Filter

Context	Search Scope	Filter Dimensions	Sort Options
Command Palette (⌘K)	Projects, pages, actions, teams, docs	—	Relevance, Recent
Deployments	Commit message, URL, branch	Status (ready/error/building), Branch, Environment (production/preview), Author	Date (newest), State
Logs	Log message, function name	Level (info/warn/error), Function, Status Code, Time Range	Timestamp
Domains	Domain name	Status, Project	Name, Created
Projects	Project name	Framework, Status	Name, Updated, Created

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint	Navigation	Content	Logs
Desktop (>=1280px)	Top nav + project tabs	Full width, deployment cards	Full-height log viewer
Tablet (768-1279px)	Scrollable tabs	Full width	Stacked
Mobile (<768px)	Hamburger menu	Stacked cards	Simplified log viewer

Vercel-Specific UX

• Minimal, monochromatic design (black/white with accent colors for status)
• Every deployment gets a unique, permanent URL (project-hash.vercel.app)
• PR comments with preview URLs auto-posted
• Deployment comments: click anywhere on preview to leave visual feedback
• Instant rollback: promote any previous deployment without rebuilding
• Real-time build log streaming
• Edge function logs with geographic region indicator
• Framework-aware UI (detects Next.js, Remix, Astro, etc.)
• vercel CLI mirrors dashboard actions (deploy, env, logs, domains)
• Dark mode default

Access Control

Role	View	Deploy	Logs	Domains	Env Vars	Storage	Billing	Team
Owner	✅	All	✅	CRUD	CRUD (all)	CRUD	✅	Manage
Member	✅	All	✅	CRUD	CRUD (preview/dev)	CRUD	View	View
Developer	✅	Preview only	✅	View	Read (masked)	Read	—	View
Viewer	✅	—	View	View	—	—	—	View

Security Features

• Deployment Protection (password, Vercel Authentication, Trusted IPs)
• Skew Protection (ensures consistent client/server versions during rollout)
• Attack Challenge Mode (bot protection)
• SSO/SAML (Enterprise)
• Audit log (all team actions)
• Env var encryption at rest
• Git provider OAuth (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)