SveltyCMS runs on Vercel just like any SvelteKit app. This guide covers the serverless-specific configuration: database choice, media storage, environment variables, and build settings.

Quick Start

1. Prepare your database

Choose one of these hosted options:

Create a database and copy the connection string. You’ll use it in step 3.

2. Prepare media storage

Create an S3-compatible bucket for uploaded media:

3. Deploy to Vercel

# Install Vercel CLI
bun add -g vercel

# Deploy from your project root
vercel

When prompted, configure these settings:

Build Command:   bun run build
Output Directory: .svelte-kit/vercel
Install Command: bun install

Environment Variables

Set these in your Vercel project dashboard (Settings → Environment Variables):

# ── Database ─────────────────────────
DB_TYPE=mongodb                          # mongodb | postgresql | mysql
DB_HOST=cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net      # Your Atlas cluster host
DB_NAME=sveltycms
DB_USER=admin
DB_PASSWORD=your-db-password

# ── Auth Secrets ─────────────────────
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-64-char-random-string
ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-char-random-string

# ── Media Storage ────────────────────
MEDIA_STORAGE=s3                        # s3 | r2 | cloudinary
S3_ENDPOINT=https://xxx.r2.cloudflarestorage.com
S3_BUCKET=sveltycms-media
S3_REGION=auto
S3_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key
S3_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key

# ── Optional ─────────────────────────
MULTI_TENANT=false
USE_REDIS=false                         # Redis not needed for single-instance
SITE_NAME=My CMS
ORIGIN=https://your-app.vercel.app

bun -e "console.log(crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

How it works on Vercel

SveltyCMS uses SvelteKit’s Vercel adapter to split your app into serverless functions:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Vercel                      │
│                                              │
│  /            → Edge Function (SSR)         │
│  /api/*       → Serverless Function          │
│  /_app/*      → Static Assets (CDN)         │
│  /files/*     → Redirected to S3            │
│                                              │
│  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐  │
│  │ MongoDB Atlas    │  │  Cloudflare R2    │  │
│  │ (content + auth) │  │  (media storage)  │  │
│  └─────────────────┘  └──────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Per-request boot: Each Vercel function initializes the database adapter, auth, and content system on cold start. Our progressive initialization keeps this under 1 second (vs. persistent Node.js servers where it’s instant).

Cold starts: Vercel functions are recycled after inactivity. The first request after a cold period triggers a full boot, then subsequent requests reuse the warm function. Our <1s cold start target is maintained.

Limitations vs self-hosted

Production checklist

• Generate strong JWT_SECRET_KEY and ENCRYPTION_KEY
• Enable MongoDB Atlas IP allowlist (or use 0.0.0.0/0 + strong password)
• Configure S3 bucket CORS for your Vercel domain
• Set ORIGIN to your Vercel URL
• Enable Vercel Analytics for traffic monitoring
• Add a custom domain in Vercel dashboard

Related

• Production Deployment (Nginx + Node.js)
• Cloud Storage Setup
• Enterprise Scaling Layers