Vercel: The anti-vendor-lock-in cloud
12 days ago
- #cloud-computing
- #vercel
- #vendor-lock-in
- Vendor lock-in occurs when cloud platforms require building against their specific, proprietary primitives, making migration difficult.
- Vercel promotes framework-defined infrastructure (FDI), allowing developers to write code for frameworks (like Next.js) rather than for Vercel itself, enhancing portability.
- Unlike AWS or Cloudflare, Vercel automatically provisions infrastructure based on framework code, eliminating the need for Vercel-specific modules or APIs.
- Local development with Vercel doesn't require Vercel tooling; developers use standard framework development servers (e.g., `next dev` for Next.js).
- 70% of Next.js applications run outside of Vercel, demonstrating the framework's portability across different infrastructures.
- Next.js adapters formalize the framework-platform contract, ensuring Vercel and other platforms use the same integration points.
- Vercel prioritizes standard protocols (e.g., Postgres, Redis) and supports open APIs (e.g., OpenAI API format) to avoid lock-in.
- Proprietary services like Vercel Sandbox and Edge Config can be used from any infrastructure, not just Vercel.
- Vercel's open-source philosophy aims to improve software quality universally, fostering trust and broader adoption.