Vercel makes Next.js, but doesn't own it
Vercel created and maintains Next.js, and runs a hosting platform optimized for it. The two are tightly aligned but Next.js is open source and self-hostable everywhere Node runs.
What Vercel adds on top of next start
- Zero-config deploys —
git pushon a connected repo ships to production. - Preview deployments per PR with a unique URL.
- Edge runtime for low-latency middleware/proxy work in 30+ regions.
- ISR distributed across the edge cache (sub-second invalidation).
- Image CDN — no
sharpinstall, served from the edge. - Analytics & Speed Insights for real-user Core Web Vitals.
The self-hosting reality
Self-hosting works, and the docs are honest about what it costs: image optimization needs sharp installed, ISR cache lives in one region by default, no preview URLs, and you operate the SSL/process manager yourself.
Why "Vercel-only" myths are wrong
Server Actions, RSC, streaming, ISR, image/font optimization, Server Actions caching — all run on a vanilla Node server. The Vercel-only features are the platform layer (preview URLs, distributed cache, edge functions), not the framework features.
Separate the framework contract from the hosting contract. Choose Vercel when previews, distributed caching, managed images, and low operational overhead solve the current constraint; choose self-hosting when location, cost, or infrastructure control justifies owning those services. Next.js is not limited to Vercel, but feature parity in the Node.js process is not operational parity. TLS, process supervision, shared invalidation, image delivery, logs, preview environments, and rollback still need an owner. Run the same production build on Vercel and with next start. Exercise a representative route, then list every additional component needed for TLS, images, cache sharing, logs, and restart. Fail one component and record who detects and restores it.