Vercel multi env setup

Vercel Multi-Env Setup

Overview

Configure Vercel's three built-in environments (Development, Preview, Production) with scoped environment variables, branch-specific preview URLs, and custom environments for staging. Uses Vercel's native environment system and the REST API for automation.

Prerequisites

• Vercel project linked and deployed
• Separate database instances per environment (recommended)
• Access to Vercel dashboard or VERCEL_TOKEN for API

Instructions

Step 1: Understand Vercel's Environment Model

Vercel provides three built-in environments:

Environment	Trigger	URL Pattern	Use Case
Production	Push to production branch	yourdomain.com	Live traffic
Preview	Push to any other branch	project-git-branch-team.vercel.app	PR review
Development	vercel dev locally	localhost:3000	Local dev

Step 2: Scope Environment Variables

# Add a variable scoped to Production only
vercel env add DATABASE_URL production
# Enter: postgres://prod-host:5432/myapp

# Add a variable scoped to Preview only
vercel env add DATABASE_URL preview
# Enter: postgres://staging-host:5432/myapp_staging

# Add a variable scoped to Development only
vercel env add DATABASE_URL development
# Enter: postgres://localhost:5432/myapp_dev

# Add a variable available in ALL environments
vercel env add NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME production preview development
# Enter: My App

# List all env vars with their scopes
vercel env ls

Step 3: Via REST API (Automation)

# Create env vars with specific scoping
curl -X POST "https://api.vercel.com/v9/projects/my-app/env" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERCEL_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "key": "DATABASE_URL",
    "value": "postgres://prod-host:5432/myapp",
    "type": "encrypted",
    "target": ["production"]
  }'

# Upsert — update if exists, create if not
curl -X POST "https://api.vercel.com/v9/projects/my-app/env?upsert=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERCEL_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "key": "DATABASE_URL",
    "value": "postgres://staging-host:5432/myapp_staging",
    "type": "encrypted",
    "target": ["preview"]
  }'

# List all env vars for a project
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERCEL_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.vercel.com/v9/projects/my-app/env" \
  | jq '.envs[] | {key, target, type}'

Step 4: Custom Environments (Beyond Dev/Preview/Prod)

Vercel supports custom environments for staging, QA, etc.:

# Create a custom environment via API
curl -X POST "https://api.vercel.com/v1/projects/my-app/custom-environments" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERCEL_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Staging",
    "slug": "staging",
    "branchPattern": "staging"
  }'

Or in the dashboard: Settings > Environments > Create Environment

Custom environments let you:

• Link a specific Git branch to the environment
• Scope environment variables to it
• Assign a custom domain (e.g., staging.yourdomain.com)

Step 5: Branch-Specific Preview Domains

# Assign a custom domain to a specific branch
# In dashboard: Settings > Domains > Add
# Set Git Branch: "staging"
# Domain: staging.yourdomain.com

# Via API — add domain to project with branch targeting
curl -X POST "https://api.vercel.com/v9/projects/my-app/domains" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERCEL_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "staging.yourdomain.com",
    "gitBranch": "staging"
  }'

Step 6: Environment Detection in Code

// src/lib/env.ts — detect environment at runtime
export function getEnvironment(): 'production' | 'preview' | 'development' {
  return (process.env.VERCEL_ENV as any) ?? 'development';
}

// Environment-specific behavior
export function getApiBaseUrl(): string {
  switch (getEnvironment()) {
    case 'production':
      return 'https://api.yourdomain.com';
    case 'preview':
      return `https://${process.env.VERCEL_URL}`;
    case 'development':
      return 'http://localhost:3000';
  }
}

// Production safeguards
export function assertNotProduction(operation: string): void {
  if (getEnvironment() === 'production') {
    throw new Error(`Dangerous operation "${operation}" blocked in production`);
  }
}

Step 7: Pull Env Vars for Local Development

# Pull Development-scoped vars to local file
vercel env pull .env.development.local

# Pull Preview-scoped vars (for testing preview behavior locally)
vercel env pull --environment=preview .env.preview.local

# .gitignore these files
echo '.env*.local' >> .gitignore

Environment Variable Types

Type	Dashboard Visibility	Log Visibility	Use Case
plain	Visible	Visible	Non-sensitive config
encrypted	Hidden after save	Hidden	API keys, secrets
sensitive	Always hidden	Hidden	High-security secrets
system	Auto-set by Vercel	Visible	VERCEL_ENV, VERCEL_URL

Output

• Environment variables scoped per environment (dev/preview/prod)
• Custom staging environment with dedicated branch and domain
• Environment detection logic for runtime behavior switching
• Local development env vars pulled from Vercel

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Env var undefined in preview	Not scoped to Preview target	Re-add with Preview in target array
Wrong database in production	Preview DB URL used in prod	Check env var scoping per environment
vercel env pull empty	No Development-scoped vars	Add vars with Development target
Custom env not triggering	Branch pattern doesn't match	Check branch name matches environment slug
Sensitive var can't be read	type=sensitive hides value	Re-add the var if value is lost

Resources

• Environment Variables
• Environments
• System Environment Variables
• Managing Environment Variables
• REST API: Environment Variables

Next Steps

For observability and monitoring, see vercel-observability.