Vercel Migration Guide: Move to HostStack

Vercel is excellent for frontend and Next.js, but the backend is serverless functions with execution limits, the company is US-incorporated, and usage-based billing (function execution, bandwidth, image optimization) is hard to forecast. HostStack runs your Next.js app — or any app — as an always-on service on EU infrastructure, with managed Postgres and Redis on the same platform and flat per-resource pricing.

Why switch from Vercel?

• Always-on Node/Bun servers instead of serverless functions with execution time limits — run long tasks, websockets, and background workers.
• EU data residency by default on European infrastructure, under a Danish company — no US CLOUD Act exposure, unlike a US-incorporated platform with an EU region.
• Flat per-resource pricing from €1/mo instead of per-execution + bandwidth + image-optimization metering that spikes with traffic.
• Managed Postgres and Redis on the same platform, from €4/mo, with optional 3-node HA — no separate database vendor to wire in.
• No egress surprises — 200 GB/team free, then a flat €0.01/GB.
• Deploy any Next.js output mode (standalone, ISR, streaming, middleware) via Dockerfile or native build, plus non-Next.js apps, workers, and cron.

Price comparison

Vercel prices checked May 2026 against their public pricing page. Vercel prices are USD as published; HostStack figures are the live EUR catalog. Verify at the source before deciding.

Code migration

// vercel.json -- serverless, per-execution
{
  "functions": { "app/api/**": { "maxDuration": 60 } },
  "crons": [{ "path": "/api/cron", "schedule": "0 * * * *" }]
}

# hoststack.yaml -- configures the existing always-on "web" service
services:
  web:
    install:
      command: bun install
    build:
      command: bun run build
    start:
      command: bun run start
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production

# Not in this file:
#   managed Postgres -> hoststack db create --project prj_... --name app-db --engine postgres --plan micro
#                       hoststack db link db_... --service svc_...
#   the hourly cron  -> a Cron Job service with schedule 0 * * * * and
#                       command bun run scripts/cron.ts (dashboard, SDK or MCP)

Feature comparison

Migration gotchas

Migration steps

1. 1Sign up at hoststack.dev — no credit card required for the free tier.
2. 2Keep your Next.js build as it is — HostStack detects Next.js and runs next build and next start, no standalone output needed. To build your own Dockerfile instead, commit it at the repo root before you create the service.
3. 3Connect your GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket repo and import the project. Pull your variables with vercel env pull .env --environment=production, then run hoststack env import svc_... .env — a dry run that lists what would change; add --apply to write.
4. 4Move any Vercel serverless API routes into the same always-on service, and turn each Vercel Cron entry into a Cron Job service that runs a command on the same schedule.
5. 5Provision managed Postgres / Redis on HostStack and repoint your connection strings (pg_dump/restore if you used a marketplace database).
6. 6Update DNS to point your custom domain at HostStack. Run both platforms in parallel until you are ready to cut over.

Frequently asked questions