Deploy

Ship the Starter stack without Docker on the public internet:

App	Platform	Notes
`apps/web`	Vercel	Next.js, Bun monorepo install
`apps/docs`	Vercel	Separate Vercel project
`apps/nest-api`	Render	Docker Blueprint + Neon `DATABASE_URL`
Database	Neon	Serverless Postgres (TLS auto-detected)

Repo files: apps/web/vercel.json, apps/docs/vercel.json, root render.yaml.

1) Neon database

Create a project at console.neon.tech.
Copy the pooled connection string (includes sslmode=require).
You will paste it into Render as DATABASE_URL. Nest enables TLS automatically for neon.tech URLs.

2) Nest API on Render

In Render, New → Blueprint and connect this GitHub repo (or create a Web Service with Docker).
Use render.yaml at the repo root (dockerfile apps/nest-api/Dockerfile, context .).
Fill sync: false env vars in the dashboard:

Variable	Example
`DATABASE_URL`	Neon pooled URL
`RESEND_API_KEY`	`re_...` from Resend
`AUTH_EMAIL_FROM`	`Starter <noreply@your-domain.com>`
`WEB_APP_URL`	`https://your-web.vercel.app` (set after step 3)
`CORS_ORIGIN`	same as `WEB_APP_URL` (comma-separate preview URLs if needed)
`WEBAUTHN_RP_ID`	`your-web.vercel.app` (hostname only)
`WEBAUTHN_ORIGIN`	`https://your-web.vercel.app`

Blueprint already sets COOKIE_SAME_SITE=none, TRUST_PROXY=true, and generates JWT_SECRET, AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET, and AI_SERVICE_TOKEN.

Deploy and confirm health:

curl -sS https://<your-service>.onrender.com/api/v1/health

Migrations run on container start when RUN_MIGRATIONS=true (default in the Blueprint).

Note: Free Render services spin down when idle; the first request can take ~30s. AI assist still needs a hosted apps/ai-api (AI_API_URL) later — Nest will boot without it.

3) Web on Vercel

Add New Project → import the same repo.
Root Directory: apps/web.
Enable Bun (Project Settings → General → Package Manager, or rely on vercel.json install).
vercel.json already sets install/build via Turbo (--filter=web).
Environment variables:

Variable	Value
`NEXT_PUBLIC_NEST_API_URL`	`https://<your-service>.onrender.com` (no `/api` path)
`NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`	optional; must match Nest `GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`

Deploy. Then go back to Render and set WEB_APP_URL / CORS_ORIGIN / WebAuthn to this Vercel URL, and redeploy Nest if needed.

NEXT_PUBLIC_* is baked at build time — change the API URL → redeploy web.

4) Docs on Vercel

Add another project from the same repo.
Root Directory: apps/docs.
Env (optional, for docs AI chat):

Variable	Value
`OPENROUTER_API_KEY`	from OpenRouter
`OPENROUTER_MODEL`	e.g. `anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet`

Deploy. Docs do not call Nest.

Cross-origin auth (important)

Web (*.vercel.app) and API (*.onrender.com) are different sites. Refresh cookies use:

COOKIE_SAME_SITE=none
Secure (HTTPS)

Local Docker stays on COOKIE_SAME_SITE=lax (default). Do not set COOKIE_DOMAIN across Vercel and Render hostnames — it cannot glue them.

Long-term option: put both under one parent domain (e.g. app.example.com + api.example.com) and tighten cookie settings.

Checklist

Neon DATABASE_URL on Render
Resend key + verified from-address
Nest health returns OK
Web NEXT_PUBLIC_NEST_API_URL → Render origin
Nest CORS_ORIGIN / WEB_APP_URL → Vercel web URL
Login works (cookie + credentials)
Docs project live (optional OpenRouter)

Docker — local Compose stack
Production roadmap — product phases
Nest API README production notes under apps/nest-api/