# Node.js on Vercel

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/stacks/nodejs-on-vercel/

Vercel documents a generic path that covers Node.js, rather than a dedicated guide.

JavaScript runtime used to run servers and build tooling outside the browser.

## What Node.js needs

Every host claims to run Node.js, so the claim on its own decides nothing. These are the things Node.js requires from the platform underneath it, and what Vercel publishes about each. Vercel documents 2 of the 4.

| Requirement | Vercel | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Persistent processes | Not documented | A long-running process is the point: WebSocket connections, in-memory caches and job queues all die with it. A host that only runs functions cannot keep one alive. |
| Max request duration | Hobby: 300s default and maximum. Pro and Enterprise: 300s default, 800s maximum, and 1800s extended maximum | Anything the process does inside a request — a large upload, a slow query, a streamed response — is bounded by this ceiling. |
| Docker deployment | Not documented | Node apps routinely need a system binary the platform's buildpack does not ship. A Dockerfile is the escape hatch when they do. |
| Scales to zero | Supported | An always-on process bills while idle. Scaling to zero removes that cost and adds a cold start to the next request instead. |

- Max request duration source: https://vercel.com/docs/functions/limitations
- Scales to zero source: https://vercel.com/docs/fundamentals/what-is-compute

## What Vercel documents

> Use the Node.js runtime to deploy Node.js HTTP servers or Vercel Functions written in JavaScript or TypeScript. Limited: documented only via the generic Node.js function runtime reference — Vercel publishes no dedicated Node.js app deployment guide (only per-framework guides such as Express).

Source: https://vercel.com/docs/functions/runtimes/node-js

### Node.js features on Vercel

- **websockets**: Limited — WebSockets are available in Beta on all plans [...] WebSockets in Vercel Functions work exactly like any distributed WebSocket server, so you can use libraries like ws to upgrade connections with no additional configuration [...] WebSocket connections close when a Vercel Function reaches its maximum duration ([source](https://vercel.com/docs/functions/websockets))
- **configurable_request_timeout**: Supported — The maximum duration configuration determines the longest time that a function can run. You can configure the maximum duration for Vercel Functions. [...] Pro and Enterprise teams can set individual Vercel Functions using supported Node.js, Bun, and Python runtime versions to run for up to 30 minutes. ([source](https://vercel.com/docs/functions/configuring-functions/duration))
- **background_workers**: Limited — Send messages for agent events and background work to durable topics, then process them with independent consumers, automatic retries, and at-least-once delivery. [...] Push and poll modes: Process on Vercel with push callbacks or run your own workers. ([source](https://vercel.com/docs/queues))

## What it costs to run there

|  | Vercel |
| --- | --- |
| Entry paid plan | $20 per developer seat / month (Pro) |
| Pricing model | Per-seat subscription plus metered resource usage; CDN charges cover requests, data transfer to visitors and Fast Origin Transfer, and vary by the region a request comes from. |
| When you exceed a cap | Billed automatically: extra usage beyond the included amount or Pro credit is charged, not throttled or suspended |
| Regions | 20 compute-capable regions, from Stockholm and Mumbai to Cleveland and Cape Town; functions default to iad1 (Washington, D.C.). |

- Entry paid plan source: https://vercel.com/docs/plans/hobby
- Pricing model source: https://vercel.com/docs/cdn
- When you exceed a cap source: https://vercel.com/docs/pricing
- Regions source: https://vercel.com/docs/regions

## Whether it suits you

Teams building on a framework the CDN understands natively, who want a predictable per-seat cost with metered usage on top. The Git integration covers GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps, so it drops into an existing review workflow.

Consider something else if: The team is large enough that $20 per developer seat dominates the bill rather than the metered usage underneath it.

Written by Palash Bagchi on 2026-09-05. This is a recommendation, not a sourced fact — it carries no citation because it is an opinion.

## Related

- Best hosting for Node.js: https://inetgeek.com/stacks/nodejs/
- Vercel: https://inetgeek.com/hosting/vercel/