prompt-optimizer/docs/user/deployment/vercel_en.md

Vercel Deployment Guide

Deployment Method Comparison

Deployment Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
One-click Deployment	Quick and convenient, no additional setup required	Cannot automatically sync updates from the source project
Fork and Import	Can track source project updates, easier to maintain	First deployment requires manual root directory fix to enable Vercel proxy functionality

Recommended Method: Fork the Project and Import to Vercel (Recommended)

This method allows you to track project updates, making it easier to sync the latest features and bug fixes.

1. Fork the project to your GitHub account

   • Visit the prompt-optimizer project
   • Click the "Fork" button in the top right corner
   • After completing the fork operation, you will have a copy of this project under your GitHub account

2. Import the project to Vercel

   • Log in to the Vercel platform
   • Click "Add New..." → "Project"
   • Find your forked project in the "Import Git Repository" section and click "Import"
   • Configure the project (Note: Although you can set the root directory here, it is ineffective for multi-module projects and will still require manual fixing later)
   • Click "Deploy" to start deployment

   

3. Fix the root directory setting (Strongly recommended)

   • When deployed through import, although the project's vercel.json file already contains related fixes to make basic functionality work
   • To enable Vercel proxy functionality (a key feature for solving cross-origin issues), you need to manually fix the root directory:

   a. After the project is deployed, go to project settings

   b. Click "Build and Deployment" in the left menu

   c. In the "Root Directory" section, clear the content in the input box

   d. Click "Save" to save the settings

   

4. Configure environment variables (Optional)

   • After deployment is complete, go to project settings
   • Click "Environment Variables"
   • Add the required API keys (e.g., VITE_OPENAI_API_KEY)
   • To add access restriction functionality:
     • Add an environment variable named ACCESS_PASSWORD
     • Set a secure password as its value
   • Save the environment variable settings

5. Redeploy the project

   • After saving the settings, you need to manually trigger a redeployment to make the fixes and environment variables effective
   • Click "Deployments" in the top navigation bar
   • On the right side of the latest deployment record, click the "..." button
   • Select the "Redeploy" option to trigger redeployment

   

6. Sync upstream updates

   • Open your forked project on GitHub
   • If there are updates, it will show "This branch is X commits behind linshenkx:main"
   • Click the "Sync fork" button to sync the latest changes
   • Vercel will automatically detect code changes and redeploy

Alternative Method: One-click Deployment to Vercel

If you only need quick deployment and don't care about subsequent updates, you can use the one-click deployment method:

1. Click the button below to deploy directly to Vercel

2. Follow Vercel's guidance to complete the deployment process

   Advantage: With one-click deployment, Vercel can automatically correctly identify the root directory, no manual fixing required, and all features (including Vercel proxy) can work normally.

Password Protected Access

When the ACCESS_PASSWORD environment variable is configured, your site will enable password protection:

• A password verification page will be displayed when accessing the site
• Access to the application is granted after entering the correct password
• The system will set a cookie to remember the user, eliminating the need to re-enter the password for a period of time

About Vercel Proxy Functionality

Prompt Optimizer supports using Edge Runtime proxy to solve cross-origin issues when deployed on Vercel.

1. Confirm proxy functionality is available

   • If using one-click deployment: proxy functionality should be directly available
   • If using import deployment: you need to complete the "Fix root directory setting" and "Redeploy" steps mentioned above
   • Open "Model Management" in the application
   • Select the target model -> "Edit", at this point you should see the "Use Vercel Proxy" option
   • If you don't see this option, it means the Vercel Function is not correctly deployed, please check the root directory setting

2. Enable proxy functionality

   • Check the "Use Vercel Proxy" option
   • Save the configuration

3. Proxy principle

   • Request flow: Browser → Vercel Edge Runtime → Model service provider
   • Solves the cross-origin limitation when browsers directly access APIs
   • Proxy functionality is based on Vercel Function implementation, dependent on the /api path

4. Notes

   • Some model service providers may restrict requests from Vercel
   • If restrictions are encountered, it is recommended to use a self-deployed API relay service

Common Issues

1. Blank page or error after deployment

   • Check if environment variables are correctly configured
   • View Vercel deployment logs to find the cause of errors

2. Cannot connect to model API

   • Confirm the API key is correctly configured
   • Try enabling Vercel proxy functionality
   • Check if the model service provider restricts Vercel requests

3. "Use Vercel Proxy" option not displayed

   • If using import deployment: check if you have cleared the root directory setting and redeployed
   • Verify if the /api/vercel-status path is accessible (you can test by visiting your-domain/api/vercel-status in a browser)
   • Check if there are any Function-related error messages in the deployment logs

4. How to update a deployed project

   • If forked and imported: sync the fork and wait for automatic deployment
   • If one-click deployed: need to redeploy the new version (cannot automatically track source project updates)

5. How to add a custom domain

   • Select "Domains" in the Vercel project settings
   • Add and verify your domain
   • Follow the guidance to configure DNS records