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Deploy Pongo to Vercel for serverless hosting with automatic scaling and global CDN delivery.

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Quick Deploy

Deploy with Vercel Click the button above to deploy Pongo to Vercel in one click.

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Manual Deployment

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/TimMikeladze/pongo.git
cd pongo
2

Install Vercel CLI

npm i -g vercel
3

Deploy to Vercel

vercel
Follow the prompts to link your project.
4

Configure environment variables

Set the required environment variables in your Vercel project settings:
vercel env add DATABASE_URL
vercel env add CRON_SECRET
vercel env add ACCESS_CODE  # Optional: password-protect dashboard
Or use the Vercel dashboard: Settings → Environment Variables
5

Deploy to production

vercel --prod

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Environment Variables

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Required

VariableDescriptionExample
DATABASE_URLPostgreSQL connection stringpostgres://user:pass@host:5432/pongo
CRON_SECRETSecret token for authenticating cron requestsGenerate with openssl rand -base64 32

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Optional

VariableDescriptionDefault
ACCESS_CODEPassword to protect dashboard- (no auth)
EXPIRY_DAYSSession TTL in days7
NEXT_PUBLIC_URLPublic URL for SEO/metadataAuto-detected
Important: Vercel requires PostgreSQL. SQLite is not supported in serverless environments.

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Vercel Cron Setup

Pongo includes a vercel.json configuration that automatically sets up Vercel Cron:
vercel.json
{
  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/api/cron",
      "schedule": "*/30 * * * *"
    }
  ]
}
This configuration:
  • Triggers the /api/cron endpoint every 30 seconds
  • Executes all monitors on their configured schedules
  • Requires the CRON_SECRET environment variable for authentication

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Adjusting Cron Schedule

Modify the schedule field in vercel.json to change the execution frequency: 
"schedule": "*/1 * * * *"  // Every 1 minute
"schedule": "*/5 * * * *"  // Every 5 minutes
Vercel Cron has a minimum interval of 1 minute on Hobby plans and 10 seconds on Pro plans.

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Cron Endpoint

The /api/cron endpoint is protected by the CRON_SECRET environment variable: 
// Endpoint: /api/cron
// Method: GET or POST
// Headers: Authorization: Bearer <CRON_SECRET>
Vercel Cron automatically includes the correct authorization header when triggering the endpoint.

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Manual Trigger

You can manually trigger a check run: 
curl -X POST https://your-app.vercel.app/api/cron \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CRON_SECRET"

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Database Setup

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PostgreSQL Options

Vercel Postgres: 
vercel postgres create
External Providers: Once created, add the connection string to your Vercel project: 
vercel env add DATABASE_URL
# Paste: postgres://user:pass@host:5432/pongo

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Troubleshooting

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Monitors not running

  1. Verify CRON_SECRET is set correctly in environment variables
  2. Check Vercel Cron logs: Deployments → Logs → Cron
  3. Test the endpoint manually with curl

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Database connection errors

  1. Verify DATABASE_URL format: postgres://user:pass@host:5432/dbname
  2. Ensure database allows connections from Vercel IPs
  3. Check database is accessible and credentials are correct

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Cold starts affecting monitors

Serverless functions may experience cold starts. Consider:
  • Using a hybrid deployment (Vercel for dashboard, VPS for scheduler)
  • Upgrading to Vercel Pro for improved cold start times
  • Adjusting alert conditions to account for occasional delays

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Hybrid Deployment

For more reliable scheduling, deploy the dashboard to Vercel but run the scheduler on a VPS:
  1. Deploy to Vercel as described above
  2. On your VPS, run: 
    DATABASE_URL="postgres://..." bun scheduler
  3. Remove the crons section from vercel.json
This gives you Vercel’s global CDN for the dashboard with fine-grained control over monitor execution.

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