Deploying GitHub Projects with Vercel
Vercel for GitHub automatically deploys your GitHub projects with Vercel, providing Preview Deployment URLs, and automatic Custom Domain updates.
Supported GitHub Products
GitHub Free
GitHub Team
GitHub Enterprise Cloud
GitHub Enterprise Server
Deploying a GitHub Repository
The Deploying a Git repository guide outlines how to create a new Vercel Project from a GitHub repository, and enable automatic deployments on every branch push.
Changing the GitHub Repository of a Project
If you'd like to connect your Vercel Project to a different GitHub repository or disconnect it, you can do so from the Git section in the Project Settings.
A Deployment for Each Push
Vercel for GitHub will deploy every push by default. This includes pushes and pull requests made to branches. This allows those working within the repository to preview changes made before they are pushed to production.
With each new push, if Vercel is already building a previous commit, the current build will be canceled to build the most recent commit so that you always have the latest changes deployed as quickly as possible.
Updating the Production Domain
If Custom Domains are set from a project domains dashboard, pushes and merges to the Production Branch (commonly "main") will be made live to those domains with the latest deployment made with a push.
If you decide to revert a commit that has already been deployed to production, the previous Production Deployment from a commit will automatically be made available at the Custom Domain instantly; providing you with instant rollbacks.
Preview URLs for the Latest Changes for Each Pull Request
The latest push to any pull request will automatically be made available at a unique preview URL based on the project name, branch, and team or username. These URLs will be provided through a comment on each pull request. Vercel also supports Comments on preview deployments made from PRs on GitHub. Learn more about Comments on preview deployments in GitHub here.
Deployment Authorizations for Forks
If you receive a pull request from a fork of your repository that includes a change to the vercel.json file or the Project has Environment Variables, Vercel will require authorization from you or a Team Member to deploy the pull request.
This behavior protects you from leaking sensitive Project information.
You can disable Git Fork Protection in the Security section of your Project Settings.
Vercel for GitHub uses the deployment API to bring you an extended user interface both in GitHub, when showing deployments, and Slack, if you have notifications setup using the Slack GitHub app.
You will see all of your deployments, production or preview, from within GitHub on its own page.
Due to using GitHub's Deployments API, you will also be able to integrate with other services through GitHub's checks. Vercel will provide the deployment URL to the checks that require it, for example; to a testing suite such as Checkly.
Configuring for GitHub
To configure the Vercel for GitHub integration, see the configuration reference for Git.
You may want to use different workflows and APIs based on Git information. To support this, the following System Environment Variables are exposed to your Deployments:
Name
Description
VERCEL_GIT_PROVIDER
The Git Provider the deployment is triggered from. In the case of GitHub, the value is always github.
VERCEL_GIT_REPO_SLUG
The origin repository of the app on GitHub. Example: my-site.
VERCEL_GIT_REPO_OWNER
The GitHub organization that owns the repository the deployment is triggered from. Example: acme.
VERCEL_GIT_REPO_ID
The ID of the GitHub repository the deployment is triggered from. Example: 117716146.
VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_REF
The GitHub branch that the deployment was made from. Example: improve-about-page.
VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_SHA
The GitHub SHA of the commit the deployment was triggered by. Example: fa1eade47b73733d6312d5abfad33ce9e4068081.
VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_MESSAGE
The message attached to the GitHub commit the deployment was triggered by. Example: Update about page.
VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_AUTHOR_LOGIN
The GitHub username belonging to the author of the commit that the project was deployed by. Example: johndoe.
VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_AUTHOR_NAME
The GitHub name belonging to the author of the commit that the project was deployed by. Example: John Doe.
VERCEL_GIT_PULL_REQUEST_ID
The GitHub pull request id the deployment was triggered by. If a deployment is created on a branch before a pull request is made, this value will be an empty string. Example: 23.
We require some permissions through our Vercel for GitHub integration. Below are listed the permissions required and a description for what they are used for.
Repository Permissions
Repository permissions allow us to interact with repositories belonging to or associated with (if permitted) the connected account.
Permission
Read
Write
Description
Administration
Y
Y
Allows us to create repositories on the user's behalf.
Checks
Y
Y
Allows us to add checks against source code on push.
Contents
Y
Y
Allows us to fetch and write source code for new project templates for the connected user or organization.
Deployments
Y
Y
Allows us to synchronize deployment status between GitHub and the Vercel infrastructure.
Pull Requests
Y
Y
Allows us create deployments for each Pull Request (PR) and comment on those PR's with status updates.
Issues
Y
Y
Allows us to interact with Pull Requests as with the Pull Requests permissions due to GitHub requiring both for access.
Metadata
Y
N
Allows us to read basic repository metadata to provide a detailed dashboard.
Web Hooks
Y
Y
Allows us to react to various GitHub events.
Commit Statuses
Y
Y
Allows us to synchronize commit status between GitHub and Vercel.
Organization Permissions
Organization permissions allow us to offer an enhanced experience through information about the connected organization.
Permission
Read
Write
Description
Members
Y
N
Allows us to offer a better team onboarding experience.
User Permissions
User permissions allow us to offer an enhanced experience through information about the connected user.
Permission
Read
Write
Description
Email addresses
Y
N
Allows us to associate an email with a GitHub account.
Note: We use the permissions above in order to provide you with the best possible deployment experience. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the permission scopes, please contact Vercel Support.
To sign up on Vercel with a different GitHub account, sign out of your current GitHub account.
Then, restart the Vercel signup process.
Missing git repository
When importing or connecting a GitHub repository, we require that you have Collaborator access to the corresponding repository, so that we can configure a webhook and automatically deploy pushed commits.
If a repository is missing when you try to import or connect it, make sure that you have Collaborator access configured for the repository. For an organization or a team, this page explains how to view the permissions of the members. For personal GitHub accounts, this page explains how to manage access.
Silence GitHub Comments
If you would like to stop automatic comments from appearing on your pull requests and commits by the Vercel GitHub bot, you can silence them through the following configuration option in vercel.json:
{
"github": {
"silent": true
}
}
Silencing GitHub through vercel.json
Using GitHub Actions
You can use GitHub Actions to build and deploy your Vercel Application.
vercel build allows you to build your project inside GitHub Actions, without exposing your source code to Vercel. Then, vercel deploy --prebuilt skips the build step on Vercel and uploads the previously generated .vercel/output folder to Vercel from the GitHub Action.
Learn more about how to configure GitHub Actions and Vercel for custom CI/CD workflows.
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