Creating and deploying a portfolio website can often seem like a intimidating task, especially when you're trying to minimize costs without compromising on quality. Recently, I had the opportunity to develop a simple yet effective single-page portfolio for a client, and I found an efficient way to deploy it using Vercel while keeping expenses to a minimum.
In this blog post, I'll share my experience and provide a step-by-step guide on how you can do the same for your projects, making use of cost-effective domain purchases and Vercel's hosting capabilities.
Behind the Scenes: Building a Sleek Single Page Portfolio
The project at hand was a straightforward single-page portfolio designed to showcase the client's work. This portfolio was purely a frontend project, meaning there was no backend or database integration involved.
Key Technologies Used:
Next.js
Typescript
Tailwind.css
Development Highlights:
Responsive Design: Ensuring the portfolio looks great on all devices.
Interactive Elements: Adding smooth transitions and hover effects.
Clean Code: Keeping the codebase simple and maintainable.
Visual Guide: Deployment Process Simplified
Deployment on Vercel
Deploying the portfolio website was straightforward thanks to Vercel. Vercel is known for its simplicity and efficiency, making it an excellent choice for frontend projects.
Why Vercel?
Ease of Use: Vercel provides a seamless deployment process, particularly for static sites.
Free Plan: Vercel's free tier is perfect for personal projects and small client projects.
Automatic SSL: It automatically provides SSL certificates for your custom domains.
Steps to Deploy:
- Sign Up and Set Up: Create a Vercel account and link it to your GitHub repository.
- Import Project: Import your project from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
- Configure Settings: Set up the build settings if needed (though Vercel often auto-detects them).
- Deploy: Click the deploy button, and Vercel will handle the rest.
Acquiring and Pointing a Custom Domain
After deploying the site on Vercel, the next step was to point a custom domain to it. I purchased a domain at a very affordable price from HIOX India.
Steps to Acquire and Point Domain:
- Purchase Domain
- Access DNS Settings: Log into your domain registrar account and navigate to the DNS settings.
- Add DNS Records: Add an A record pointing to Vercel's IP address or use CNAME records as directed by Vercel.
Example of DNS Records:
Type: A
Name: @
Value: 76.76.21.21 (Vercel's IP)
Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: cname.vercel-dns.com
Screenshot of DNS Configuration:
Cost Efficiency
One of the significant advantages of this deployment method is its cost efficiency. Here's how this approach helps in cutting costs:
Cost Savings Breakdown:
- Free Hosting: Vercel offers free hosting for static sites, reducing hosting expenses.
- Affordable Domains: Purchasing domains from budget-friendly registrars can save a considerable amount.
Overall Savings:
By combining Vercel's free hosting with a cheap domain purchase, the total annual cost for maintaining the portfolio website was significantly reduced.
Limitations and Considerations
While this approach is excellent for small projects, it's important to recognize its limitations:
Not Suitable for Larger Projects:
- No Backend Support: Vercel is ideal for frontend-only projects. Projects requiring server-side logic or database interactions need a different hosting solution.
- Limited Customization: Advanced server configurations are not possible.
Examples of Suitable Projects:
- Portfolios
- Blogs
- Landing Pages
Projects Requiring Alternative Solutions:
- E-commerce Sites
- Web Applications with Backend
Conclusion
In summary, deploying a single-page portfolio on Vercel while using an affordable custom domain is an excellent way to cut costs without sacrificing quality. This method is particularly suited for small to medium-sized projects where backend integration is not necessary.
Key Takeaways:
- Vercel offers an easy and free hosting solution for static sites.
- Purchasing a domain from budget-friendly registrars can further reduce costs.
- This approach is ideal for portfolios, blogs, and landing pages, but not for projects requiring backend support.
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