Vercel vs Docker vs AWS: Which Should You Actually Deploy On in 2026?

## Deployment Should Be Boring

The best deployment is the one you don't think about. Push code, it goes live, it works. No SSH-ing into servers, no manual file copying, no prayers.

After deploying 8+ applications across different platforms — from simple portfolio sites to multi-service SaaS products — here's my honest comparison of the three major deployment strategies.

## Vercel: The Best Choice for Most Web Apps

### What it is:

Vercel is a platform optimized for frontend and full-stack web applications. It's built by the team behind Next.js, so Next.js deployments are first-class citizens.

### How deployment works:

1. Connect your GitHub repository
2. Push to main
3. Vercel builds, tests, and deploys automatically
4. Your site is live on a global CDN in under 60 seconds

That's it. No configuration. No Dockerfiles. No server management.

### What Vercel handles for you:

- **Global CDN** — Your site is served from the edge location closest to each user
- **Automatic HTTPS** — SSL certificates provisioned and renewed automatically
- **Preview deployments** — Every pull request gets its own URL for testing
- **Serverless functions** — API routes scale to zero when idle, scale up instantly under load
- **Analytics** — Built-in performance and visitor analytics

### When to use Vercel:

- Next.js applications (obviously)
- React/Vue/Svelte static or SSR sites
- JAMstack projects
- Portfolio sites and blogs
- MVPs and early-stage startups

This is what I use for my own portfolio site, and it's what I recommend in my [full stack technology guide](/blog/full-stack-development-technology-guide-2025). The deploy-on-push workflow means I spend zero time on infrastructure.

### Limitations:

- **Execution limits** — Serverless functions have a 10-second timeout on the free plan (60s on Pro)
- **No persistent processes** — Can't run WebSocket servers or background workers
- **Vendor lock-in** — Some Next.js features only work optimally on Vercel

### Cost:

Free tier is generous (100GB bandwidth, unlimited sites). Pro is $20/month per team member. For most projects, free is enough.

## Docker: Full Control, More Responsibility

### What it is:

Docker packages your application into a container — a lightweight, portable unit that includes your code, dependencies, and runtime. It runs the same everywhere: your laptop, a cloud server, or a Kubernetes cluster.

### How deployment works:

1. Write a Dockerfile defining your app's environment
2. Build the Docker image
3. Push the image to a container registry (Docker Hub, GitHub Container Registry)
4. Pull and run the image on your server or orchestration platform

### When to use Docker:

- **Backend services** that need long-running processes (WebSocket servers, background jobs, message queues)
- **Multi-service architectures** where different parts of your app need different runtimes
- **Self-hosted solutions** where you need full control over the environment
- **Consistent development environments** — "works on my machine" becomes "works everywhere"

### Real example:

For a recent SaaS project, the architecture was:
- Next.js frontend on Vercel
- Node.js API server in Docker on AWS ECS
- PostgreSQL on AWS RDS
- Redis on AWS ElastiCache

The frontend didn't need Docker (Vercel handles it). The backend needed persistent WebSocket connections and background job processing, so Docker was the right choice.

### Limitations:

- **You manage the server** — Updates, security patches, monitoring are your responsibility
- **Complexity** — Dockerfiles, docker-compose, container orchestration add layers
- **Cost of mistakes** — Misconfigured containers can be security risks

### Cost:

Docker itself is free. You pay for the server you run it on (AWS EC2, DigitalOcean Droplet, etc.). A basic setup starts at $5–10/month. If you go with DigitalOcean, [this referral link gives you $200 in free credits](https://m.do.co/c/b50610f8a9ac) — enough to run a Droplet for several months before paying anything.

## AWS: The Everything Platform

### What it is:

Amazon Web Services offers 200+ services for every possible infrastructure need. For web deployment, you'll typically use a subset.

### The services that matter for web apps:

- **S3 + CloudFront** — Static site hosting with global CDN. Cheapest option for static sites.
- **EC2** — Virtual servers. Full control, you manage everything. Use when you need custom server configurations.
- **ECS/Fargate** — Run Docker containers without managing servers. AWS handles the infrastructure, you provide the containers.
- **Lambda** — Serverless functions. Pay per invocation, scales automatically.
- **RDS** — Managed databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL). Automated backups, scaling, and maintenance.
- **Amplify** — AWS's answer to Vercel. Simplified hosting for frontend apps.

### When to use AWS:

- **Enterprise applications** with complex infrastructure requirements
- **Multi-region deployments** where you need servers in specific geographic locations
- **Applications with strict compliance requirements** (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR)
- **Cost optimization at scale** — AWS reserved instances are cheaper than any PaaS at high volume
- **When you need services beyond hosting** — machine learning, IoT, analytics

### Limitations:

- **Complexity** — The AWS console is overwhelming. There are dozens of ways to deploy a web app.
- **Cost unpredictability** — Easy to accidentally leave resources running. Always set billing alerts.
- **Steep learning curve** — Understanding IAM, VPC, security groups takes time.

### Cost:

Pay-as-you-go pricing. Can be as cheap as $0 (free tier for 12 months) or thousands per month. The key is understanding what you're paying for and setting budget alerts.

## My Decision Framework

### Use Vercel when:

- You want the fastest path from code to production
- Your app is a Next.js or React application
- You don't need long-running server processes
- You value developer experience over infrastructure control

### Use Docker + a cloud provider when:

- You need persistent connections (WebSockets, SSE)
- Your app has background workers or job queues
- You're running multiple services that communicate with each other
- You need specific runtime configurations

### Use AWS directly when:

- You're at scale (millions of requests, terabytes of data)
- You need services beyond simple hosting
- Compliance requires specific infrastructure controls
- Your team includes DevOps engineers

## The Deployment Checklist

Regardless of platform, every production deployment should have:

1. **Environment variables** — Never hardcode secrets. Use the platform's env var management.
2. **HTTPS** — Non-negotiable. All three platforms handle this.
3. **Monitoring** — Know when your app is down before your users tell you. Vercel has built-in analytics, AWS has CloudWatch.
4. **Automated deployments** — Push to main, app deploys. No manual steps.
5. **Rollback capability** — If a deployment breaks, you need to revert in seconds, not minutes.
6. **Logging** — Every request, every error, stored and searchable.

## Conclusion

The deployment landscape in 2025 is remarkably good. You can go from code to global production in minutes with any of these platforms.

Start with Vercel for simplicity. Graduate to Docker when you need more control — DigitalOcean Droplets are the easiest way to run Docker in production without the AWS complexity ($5/month to start, and [this referral gives you $200 free credit](https://m.do.co/c/b50610f8a9ac)). Use AWS when you need the full power of cloud infrastructure. The best deployment strategy is the one that lets you focus on building features, not fighting infrastructure.