Next.js + Vercel Production Launch Checklist

Use this before every client or portfolio deploy. Print it, or keep it next to your Vercel dashboard.

1. URL and environment

• ☐`NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL` is set to the real public URL (not localhost)
• ☐Production, Preview, and Development env scopes are filled where needed
• ☐No secrets in `NEXT_PUBLIC_*` variables
• ☐Preview builds can run without Production-only secrets (or those features are gated)
• ☐Local `.env.example` documents every required key (no values)

2. Build and runtime

• ☐`npm run build` (or `pnpm` / `yarn`) passes locally
• ☐Typecheck / lint passes (or known exceptions are documented)
• ☐No `console.error` spam on the happy path in production
• ☐Node version in Vercel matches what you develop on
• ☐Middleware / proxy routes do not block static assets or health checks

3. Images and media

• ☐Remote image hosts are listed in `next.config` `images.remotePatterns`
• ☐Hero / OG images load on a cold cache (open in an incognito window)
• ☐Broken image fallbacks exist for user-uploaded or CMS covers
• ☐Large assets are compressed (WebP/AVIF or CDN query params)

4. SEO and sharing

• ☐Unique `<title>` and meta description per important page
• ☐Canonical URLs use `NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL`
• ☐`sitemap.xml` and `robots.txt` resolve
• ☐Open Graph / Twitter image previews look correct
• ☐Blog / case study pages include basic structured data if you use it

5. Auth, APIs, and forms

• ☐Contact / lead forms submit successfully from Production
• ☐Rate limits or spam protection are on public POST routes
• ☐Admin / OTP / secret routes are not reachable without auth
• ☐API error responses do not leak stack traces or secrets
• ☐Third-party keys (email, GitHub, analytics) work in Production

6. Performance and UX smoke test

• ☐Home and main CTA pages load under a few seconds on mid mobile
• ☐Primary CTAs (Hire / Contact / Resume) work on mobile
• ☐404 page exists and links back to home or contact
• ☐Reduced-motion / no-JS paths still show core content where possible

7. Post-deploy (first 15 minutes)

• ☐Hit Production URL, not only Preview
• ☐Submit one real contact message to yourself
• ☐Check Vercel function logs for 4xx/5xx spikes
• ☐Share one OG link in Slack/iMessage and confirm the card
• ☐Bookmark the rollback / previous deployment in Vercel

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I ship production Next.js, MERN, and AWS work for startups and product teams.