How ZEIT Now Simplifies Serverless Deployments with One-Click Builds
ZEIT Now, the serverless platform from the creators of Next.js, provides a fast, parallel, one‑click deployment workflow that automatically builds and deploys front‑end, back‑end, and function code, supports multiple built‑in and custom builders, and enables blue‑green releases and seamless Git integration.
ZEIT not only open‑sourced Next.js; it also created ZEIT Now, a beautifully designed serverless product.
As the first FAQ on zeit.co notes, “serverless” is a widely used and debated term whose scope has expanded, leading to confusion and calls to beware of “Serverless Abuse”.
ZEIT Now makes serverless simple.
Essentially, ZEIT Now is a deployment tool. By running the now command in an application directory, you can build and deploy both front‑end and back‑end code.
The illustration shows api/fn1.js and api/fn2.js as two functions deployed as separate AWS Lambda functions; each scales independently, which is a key benefit of serverless.
ZEIT Now’s deployment speed is very fast. As shown in Figure 1, deployment is parallel: two functions and one HTML file are split into three tasks that run concurrently.
Some deployment tasks, such as static files, are analyzed before building; if the current build matches the previous one, the build, upload, and deployment steps can be skipped, saving time.
ZEIT Now provides 14 built‑in builders, for example:
Static (@now/static)
Node.js (@now/node)
Node.js Server (@now/node-server)
Next.js (@now/next)
Go (@now/go)
Rust (@now/rust)
Markdown (@now/md)
etc.
You can also develop custom builders and configure which builder to use for each file in now.json.
Deployments work like blue‑green deployments: each deployment creates a new container with a random subdomain. You can point a staging domain to the new subdomain for testing, then switch the production domain after approval, and roll back simply by re‑pointing to a previous subdomain.
ZEIT Now can be linked with Git commands for publishing and rollback.
It also supports a monorepo development model that places front‑end code and cloud functions together.
If you haven’t tried ZEIT Now, the article recommends experiencing its minimal, “toilet‑flush‑like” deployment experience.
The author invites readers to share their thoughts.
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
This article has been distilled and summarized from source material, then republished for learning and reference. If you believe it infringes your rights, please contactand we will review it promptly.
Node Underground
No language is immortal—Node.js isn’t either—but thoughtful reflection is priceless. This underground community for Node.js enthusiasts was started by Taobao’s Front‑End Team (FED) to share our original insights and viewpoints from working with Node.js. Follow us. BTW, we’re hiring.
How this landed with the community
Was this worth your time?
0 Comments
Thoughtful readers leave field notes, pushback, and hard-won operational detail here.