Python on Vercel

Companion skill for the Python on Vercel course. Ship a FastAPI backend and a Next.js 16 frontend as a single Vercel project, on the hobby plan, under one domain.

Commands

/python-on-vercel learn

Start the guided learning loop. Six lessons across three sections: setup, connecting the apps, and deploying to Vercel.

/python-on-vercel new

Scaffold a Python + Next.js project on Vercel:

1. Clone the starter repo (vercel-labs/python-on-vercel-academy)
2. Install Node deps with npm install and Python deps via pyproject.toml
3. Install and authenticate the Vercel CLI (vercel login)
4. Run both apps together with vercel dev
5. Verify / renders mock data and /api/items returns JSON

/python-on-vercel submit

Evaluate the current implementation against the active lesson's outcomes.

Content source

https://vercel.com/academy/python-on-vercel.md           → course overview
https://vercel.com/academy/python-on-vercel/<lesson>.md   → lesson content

Core concepts

One project, two runtimes

• Next.js 16 at the project root (app/, package.json, next.config.ts)
• FastAPI in api/index.py with app = FastAPI() at module level
• Python deps in pyproject.toml at the root (no requirements.txt)
• No vercel.json — Vercel auto-detects Next.js at the root and Python in api/

Local development with vercel dev

• One command serves both apps under http://localhost:3000
• Same-origin requests mean no CORS configuration
• Mirrors the production routing exactly

Routing into FastAPI

• Vercel routes /api/* to api/index.py
• FastAPI route patterns must include the /api prefix (e.g., @app.get("/api/items"))
• Routes at just / or /items will not match

Server-side fetch from Next.js

• Server components need an absolute URL — fetch("/api/items") only works in the browser
• Build the base URL from process.env.VERCEL_URL (auto-injected on every deployment)
• VERCEL_URL is hostname-only — prepend https:// and fall back to http://localhost:3000 for local dev

Deploy

• vercel deploy --prod ships both halves under one domain
• Hobby plan is sufficient for the entire course

Progress detection

Common fixes

• 404 on /api/items — route in api/index.py is missing the /api prefix. Check for @app.get("/api/items"), not @app.get("/items").
• Server fetch fails in Next.js — relative URL from a server component. Build an absolute URL from process.env.VERCEL_URL with a localhost fallback.
• Deploy fails with app not found — the FastAPI variable must be named app at module level. Vercel looks for app at supported entrypoints (app.py, index.py, server.py, plus src/ and app/ variants). Renaming it to api, server, or application breaks deploy detection.
• fastapi import error — Python deps missing from pyproject.toml, or wrong Python version. Pin requires-python = ">=3.12".
• vercel dev does not expose /api/* — confirm the command is run from the project root and Python files live in api/.

Teaching guidelines

• Six lessons total, target a 60-minute end-to-end run
• Course is hobby-plan compatible — do not introduce Services or other Pro/Enterprise features into the core flow
• Do not require vercel.json — the project structure is the config
• Keep examples tied to the Hazel Home furniture theme
• Flask and Django are mentioned only as a one-paragraph aside in the deploy lesson