Skip to content

VERCEL_SETUP.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
160 lines (112 loc) · 4.96 KB

VERCEL_SETUP.md

File metadata and controls

160 lines (112 loc) · 4.96 KB

Supabase Keep-Alive Setup (Vercel)

Prevents Supabase from pausing after 7 days of inactivity by running a lightweight database query every 6 hours.

✅ What's Included

  1. ✅ vercel.json - Cron job configuration (runs every 6 hours)
  2. ✅ /api/keep-alive - Keep-alive endpoint with Vercel authentication
  3. ✅ Automatic setup - Vercel detects vercel.json and configures the cron job

🚀 Setup (For Already Deployed Projects)

Step 1: Push Code to GitHub

The code is already committed. After you push:

  • Vercel will automatically detect the new vercel.json file
  • A new deployment will be triggered
  • The cron job will be automatically configured

No manual action needed - just push and Vercel handles the rest!

Step 2: Verify Environment Variables

Ensure these environment variables are set in your Vercel project:

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL - Your Supabase project URL
  • SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY or SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY - Your Supabase secret key

To check/update:

  1. Go to Vercel Dashboard → Your Project → Settings → Environment Variables
  2. Verify the above variables are present

Step 3: Verify Cron Job is Active

After pushing the code, verify the cron job is set up:

  1. Go to your Vercel project dashboard
  2. Navigate to Settings → Cron Jobs
  3. You should see:
    • Path: /api/keep-alive
    • Schedule: 0 */6 * * * (every 6 hours)
    • Status: Active

Note: It may take a few minutes after deployment for the cron job to appear.

Step 4: Test the Endpoint (Optional)

Test that the endpoint works:

# Replace with your Vercel deployment URL
curl https://your-project.vercel.app/api/keep-alive

Expected response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Supabase keep-alive successful",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "database": "active"
}

Step 5: Monitor Cron Job Execution

  1. Go to your Vercel project dashboard
  2. Navigate to Deployments tab
  3. Click on any deployment
  4. Go to Functions tab
  5. Look for /api/keep-alive function logs

You can also check the Cron Jobs section in Settings to see execution history.

📅 Schedule Options

The current schedule is 0 */6 * * * (every 6 hours). You can modify it in vercel.json:

Schedule Cron Expression Description
Every 6 hours 0 */6 * * * ✅ Current (very safe)
Every 12 hours 0 */12 * * * Safe
Every day 0 0 * * * Safe
Every 3 days 0 0 */3 * * Safe
Every 6 days 0 0 */6 * * Minimum (matches Supabase's 7-day threshold)

Recommendation: Keep the current schedule (every 6 hours) to ensure your Supabase instance never pauses.

🔒 Security

  • ✅ Vercel cron jobs are automatically authenticated via the x-vercel-cron header
  • ✅ The endpoint verifies this header before processing
  • ✅ Optional KEEP_ALIVE_SECRET can be added for additional security

🐛 Troubleshooting

Cron Job Not Running

  1. Check vercel.json is deployed:

    • Ensure vercel.json is in your repository root
    • Verify it was included in your deployment

  2. Check Vercel Dashboard:

    • Go to Settings → Cron Jobs
    • Verify the cron job is listed and active

  3. Check Deployment Logs:

    • Look for any errors in the function execution logs

Endpoint Returns 500 Error

  1. Check Environment Variables:

    • Verify NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL is set
    • Verify SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY or SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY is set

  2. Check Supabase Status:

    • Your Supabase instance might be paused (wake it up manually first)
    • Verify your Supabase project is active

  3. Check Function Logs:

    • Go to Vercel Dashboard → Deployments → Functions
    • Look for error messages in the logs

Supabase Still Pauses

  • Verify the cron job is actually running (check execution logs)
  • Try reducing the interval (e.g., every 3 hours instead of 6)
  • Check that your Vercel deployment is active and not paused

📊 Monitoring

You can monitor the keep-alive endpoint by:

  1. Vercel Dashboard:

    • Settings → Cron Jobs → View execution history
    • Deployments → Functions → View logs

  2. Add Logging (optional):

    • The endpoint already logs to console
    • Check Vercel function logs for execution details

✅ Quick Verification

After pushing the code:

  1. Wait for deployment (usually 1-2 minutes)
  2. Check Cron Jobs: Vercel Dashboard → Settings → Cron Jobs
    • Should see /api/keep-alive with schedule 0 */6 * * *
  3. Optional: Test endpoint manually: 
    curl https://your-project.vercel.app/api/keep-alive

That's it! Your Supabase instance will now stay active. 🎉

💡 Additional Notes

  • Vercel Cron Jobs are available on all plans (including free tier)
  • Cron jobs run on Vercel's infrastructure, so they're reliable
  • The keep-alive query is lightweight and won't impact your Supabase usage
  • You can manually trigger the endpoint anytime for testing