Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Vercel VS Amazon CloudFront

Compare Vercel VS Amazon CloudFront and see what are their differences

Vercel logo Vercel

Vercel is the platform for frontend developers, providing the speed and reliability innovators need to create at the moment of inspiration.

Amazon CloudFront logo Amazon CloudFront

Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery web service.
  • Vercel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05
  • Amazon CloudFront Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-28

Vercel features and specs

  • Easy Deployment
    Vercel offers a straightforward and user-friendly process for deploying static sites and serverless functions. It integrates seamlessly with platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, allowing developers to deploy directly from their repositories.
  • Fast Performance
    Vercel optimizes delivery through its global CDN, which ensures fast load times for users all around the world. It provides edge caching and real-time purging that contribute to high-performance web applications.
  • Serverless Functions
    Vercel supports serverless functions, enabling developers to build and deploy backend functionality without needing to manage server infrastructure. This can save time and resources, particularly for smaller projects.
  • Integration with Next.js
    Vercel is the creator of Next.js, a popular React framework, and offers seamless integration with it, providing advanced features like static site generation, server-side rendering, and API routes.
  • Scalability
    Vercel can handle increased traffic automatically, scaling web applications to accommodate a growing number of users without additional configuration.
  • Preview Deployments
    Every pull request can generate a unique preview deployment, allowing teams to preview changes in a live environment before merging. This enhances collaboration and speeds up the development process.

Possible disadvantages of Vercel

  • Cost
    While Vercel offers a free tier, the pricing can become expensive for larger projects or enterprises, particularly if they require more bandwidth, build minutes, or advanced features.
  • Serverless Limitations
    Serverless functions on Vercel have limits on execution time and computational power. This can be a constraint for compute-heavy tasks or long-running processes.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Deploying heavily integrated projects with Vercel's proprietary features may make it difficult to migrate to another platform without significant rework.
  • Limited Backend Customization
    While Vercel supports serverless functions, it does not offer the same level of backend customization and control as traditional server hosting environments.
  • Learning Curve for Beginners
    Although easy deployment is a pro, beginners might find it complex to understand concepts like serverless architecture, environment variables, and project structure in the beginning.
  • Limited Language Support
    Vercel primarily supports JavaScript/TypeScript for serverless functions, potentially limiting the use for developers who prefer other programming languages for backend development.

Amazon CloudFront features and specs

  • Global Distribution
    Amazon CloudFront has a global network of edge locations that help in delivering content with low latency and high transfer speeds to users around the world.
  • Scalability
    CloudFront can handle large spikes in traffic without any manual intervention, ensuring that your content is always available, even under high demand.
  • Integration with AWS Services
    CloudFront integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like S3, EC2, and Lambda, providing a more cohesive and efficient experience.
  • Security Features
    CloudFront offers multiple security measures including DDoS protection, AWS Shield Standard, and AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) to keep your content secure.
  • Custom SSL Certificates
    CloudFront allows you to use your own SSL certificates, enabling secure connections for your end users.
  • Pay-as-you-Go Pricing
    CloudFront offers a flexible pricing model where you pay only for what you use, making it cost-effective for both small and large scale operations.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon CloudFront

  • Complexity
    The wide array of features and settings may be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with AWS services or content delivery networks.
  • Pricing Structure
    While pay-as-you-go pricing is flexible, it can be difficult to estimate costs upfront due to the various factors that influence the final bill.
  • Initial Setup
    Setting up CloudFront for the first time can be time-consuming and may require a learning curve, particularly for beginners.
  • Latency for Dynamic Content
    While CloudFront is optimized for static content delivery, delivering dynamic content can sometimes result in higher latencies depending on the configuration.
  • Region-Based Restrictions
    Content distribution and access may face region-based restrictions and regulations, which can limit its effectiveness in certain areas.

Vercel videos

Zeit Now - What is it?

More videos:

  • Review - Gorillaz - The Now Now ALBUM REVIEW
  • Review - Now 100 Hits Forgotten 70's - The NOW Review
  • Review - Deploy Node.js Application to Zeit Now - FreeCodeCamp - Timestamp Microservice 04
  • Review - Serverless Fullstack made easy with Next.js, Prisma 2, and Zeit Now #3: Set up Zeit Now
  • Review - AT&T TV Now 2020 Review - Is it GOOD now??

Amazon CloudFront videos

JioSaavn Uses Amazon CloudFront to Stream Music and Video to Millions of Subscribers Daily

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Vercel and Amazon CloudFront)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
CDN
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Computing
49 49%
51% 51
Web Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Vercel and Amazon CloudFront

Vercel Reviews

Top 10 Vercel v0 Open Source Alternatives | Medium
First things first, let’s talk about Vercel v0. You might be wondering, “What exactly is Vercel v0, and why should I care?” Well, my friend, Vercel v0 is a game-changing AI-powered development platform that’s been turning heads in the tech world. It’s designed to revolutionize the way we build and deploy web applications, making the process faster, smoother, and more...
Source: medium.com
5 Best Vercel Alternatives for Next.js & App Router
Vercel has become the go-to platform for hosting modern web applications built with frameworks like Next.js. However, as your application scales, Vercel's pricing model and lack of flexibility can become limiting.
Source: il.ly
Best Serverless Backend Tools of 2023: Pros & Cons, Features & Code Examples
Vercel is a platform for frontend developers for deploying code to an optimized production environment. Even though it doesn’t offer stateful features you’d expect from a BaaS like authentication or databases, it is trivial to copy/paste code from a third-party service like Auth0 for authentication and MongoAtlas for API development.
Source: www.rowy.io
Exploring alternatives to Vercel: A guide for web developers
In recent years, Vercel has emerged as a leading platform for deploying modern web applications, especially those built with frameworks like Next.js. Its seamless integration with Git, automatic deployments, and serverless functions have made it a go-to choice for many developers. However, Vercel can be quite expensive, especially for projects that scale, making it important...
Source: fleek.xyz
5 Free Heroku Alternatives with Free Plan for Developers
Vercel is last in my list and it is more like leys you host JavaScript based web apps and static websites. Since JS apps are in so much demand these days; you will find this platform easier to deploy your apps directly from GitHub/GitLab. It can even act as CI/CD pipeline for your projects. If you created a front end of an app then you can use it for deploying it. It lets...

Amazon CloudFront Reviews

8 Best Cloudflare Alternatives (Free + Premium)
Operated by Amazon Web Services, Amazon Cloudfront had a beta launch in 2008. AWS then decided to make Cloudfront part of their free tier offerings in 2014. As of current writing, Cloudfront boasts of more than 310 POPs scattered throughout the globe.
Source: hostscore.net
The 7 Best Content-Delivery-Network Providers
Being one of the major internet companies that operates almost worldwide, it goes without saying that Amazon also offers a CDN with Amazon Cloudfront. The focus is on the Amazon Backbone network and developer friendliness. As a result, there are many possibilities for individual programmability and linking other AWS services. As a cherry on top, Amazon CloudFront also takes...
Source: omr.com
Top 15 Cloudflare Alternatives: A Complete Guide
Amazon CloudFront is a CDN service that is part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. CloudFront integrates with other AWS services, such as S3, EC2, Lambda, and Media Services, to deliver web content and applications with low latency and high transfer speeds.
Introduction to Cloudflare Alternatives In 2021
CloudFront is the sound known CDN that deals with the “pay as you go” design. CloudFront has big competition with Akamai and Limelight Networks upon Content Delivery Services. Released in the year 2008, having more than 138 gain access to points across 29 countries offered web fixed and dynamic material, website velocity, material download, and video streaming. CloudFront...
10 Top Cloudflare Alternatives for Your Website
While Amazon CloudFront is widely regarded as one of the best and most reliable CDN service providers there is, there are a few issues that users need to keep in mind. First off, some of the settings are a bit over-simplified, so as a sysadmin, you’ll need to artificially trigger Stackoverflow just to figure out simple details like how long objects linger before being...
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Vercel should be more popular than Amazon CloudFront. It has been mentiond 600 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Vercel mentions (600)

  • Deploying a MERN full-stack web application on vercel.com (with Express and Vite as a monorepo)
    Create an account at Vercel with GitHub and authorize Vercel to see your private repo(s). - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • Build a Personal Portfolio Website (2-Minute Tutorial)
    Upload your folder to Netlify, GitHub Pages, or Vercel — and boom, your portfolio is online! - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • How to Build a simple REST API with Node, Express and MongoDB
    For deployment, you can host your server on platforms like Heroku and Vercel. Both platforms offer free tiers, making it easy to deploy your REST API. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • ArNext - Next.js framework that supports Arweave and Vercel simultaneously
    ArNext is a NextJS-based framework that lets you deploy the same codebase both on Vercel and Arweave. - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
  • Why devs are quitting aws and what they’re choosing instead
    Platforms like Railway, Render, Fly.io, Vercel, Supabase, and Cloudflare are leading the charge with a shared philosophy:. - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
View more

Amazon CloudFront mentions (79)

  • Building Scalable Applications with Node.js
    Offload static files (images, CSS, JS) to a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront. - Source: dev.to / 13 days ago
  • Understanding AWS Regions and Availability Zones: A Guide for Beginners
    AWS CloudFront is the star of the show here. It caches static content (like media, scripts, and images) to ensure fast, reliable delivery. Other AWS services that run at the edge include Route 53 for DNS routing, Shield and WAF for security, and even Lambda via Lambda@Edge — giving you the ability to run serverless logic closer to the user. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • 🚀 Supercharge Your Website Speed with Code Splitting & CDN Optimization — A Complete Guide!
    AWS CloudFront — Scalable, pay-as-you-go, and widely trusted. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Cheating Lambda scalability
    CloudFront is my primary option for server-side caching. Caching at the edge reduces latency and is cost-effective because it decreases the number of calls to the service. CloudFront only caches responses to GET, HEAD, and OPTIONS requests. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • The Impact of Cloud Computing in DevOps
    Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Services like CloudFront and Azure CDN distribute content globally, ensuring fast access for users. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Vercel and Amazon CloudFront, you can also consider the following products

Next.js - A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps

CloudFlare - Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.

Netlify - Build, deploy and host your static site or app with a drag and drop interface and automatic delpoys from GitHub or Bitbucket

KeyCDN - KeyCDN is a high-performance Content Delivery Network (CDN). Lowest price globally at $0.04/GB with HTTP/2 Support and free Origin Shield.

GitHub Pages - A free, static web host for open-source projects on GitHub

CDN77 - Content Delivery Network - website speed acceleration with CDN77. 28+ PoPs, Pay-as-you-go prices, no commitments.