Yes. The Vercel CLI itself is free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. You can install and use it without charge. However, the deployments you create are billed according to your Vercel account plan — Hobby (free tier), Pro, or Enterprise. The CLI is the interface, not the billing boundary.

How do you install Vercel CLI?

Run npm i -g vercel to install globally. You can also use pnpm i -g vercel or yarn global add vercel. After installing, run vercel login to authenticate with your Vercel account via the browser. The CLI stores your auth token locally for subsequent commands.

What is the difference between vercel and vercel deploy --prod?

Running vercel without flags creates a preview deployment with a unique URL for testing. Running vercel deploy --prod deploys directly to your production domain. Preview deployments are useful for sharing work-in-progress, while production deployments update your live site.

Can you use Vercel CLI in CI/CD pipelines?

Yes. Set the VERCEL_TOKEN environment variable in your CI environment and use the --yes flag to skip confirmation prompts. The CLI works in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and any environment with Node.js. Use vercel deploy --prod --token $VERCEL_TOKEN for automated production deployments.

Does Vercel have an MCP server?

Yes. Vercel provides an official MCP server at mcp.vercel.com that gives AI tools secure access to your Vercel projects via OAuth. There is also a community-built vercel-mcp npm package for API integration. Both are separate from the CLI itself.

Vercel CLI

15.0k stars

official open-source Has MCP Cross-platform Actively maintained

Vercel's official command-line interface. Deploy, preview, and manage web applications, serverless functions, and edge infrastructure from your terminal.

Vercel CLI has both a CLI and an MCP server. See when to use each

When to use

Vercel CLI is the command-line interface for the Vercel platform, and you should install it if you deploy anything to Vercel. It bridges the gap between your local development environment and Vercel's cloud infrastructure, giving you direct control over deployments, environment variables, domains, and logs without opening the dashboard.The most immediate benefit is the deploy workflow. Running vercel in any project directory uploads your code, builds it on Vercel's infrastructure, and gives you a unique preview URL in seconds. This is faster than pushing to a branch and waiting for CI, especially when you want to share a quick demo or test a configuration change. For production pushes, vercel deploy --prod sends your build straight to your live domain.Environment variable management through vercel env pull is a major quality-of-life improvement. Instead of manually copying secrets between .env files and the dashboard, you pull them down in one command. This keeps your local environment in sync with staging or production without the risk of stale values or copy-paste errors.The local development server via vercel dev replicates Vercel's routing, serverless functions, and edge middleware on your machine. This means you catch deployment issues locally instead of discovering them after pushing. If your project uses Vercel's serverless functions, edge functions, or rewrites, vercel dev is the most accurate way to test them.For teams running CI/CD pipelines outside of Vercel's Git integration, the CLI enables scripted deployments. You can deploy from GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or any pipeline that has Node.js, giving you full control over when and how deployments happen.

When to skip

Skip the Vercel CLI if you do not deploy to the Vercel platform. This is not a general-purpose deployment tool — it only targets Vercel's infrastructure. If you use Netlify, AWS, Cloudflare Pages, or any other hosting provider, their respective CLIs are what you need. The Vercel CLI has no value outside the Vercel ecosystem.If your entire workflow is Git-push-to-deploy through Vercel's Git integration, you may not need the CLI at all. Vercel automatically builds and deploys when you push to connected branches on GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. The CLI adds value only when you need manual deployments, local environment variable management, or the local dev server. For teams that never deploy outside their Git workflow, the CLI is optional overhead.The CLI is not a replacement for the Vercel dashboard for administrative tasks. Project creation, team management, billing, usage analytics, and integration marketplace browsing are all dashboard-only operations. If your role is primarily administrative rather than development-focused, the dashboard is your primary interface.For monorepo setups with complex build configurations, the CLI's deploy command may require additional flags and configuration that the Git integration handles automatically through vercel.json. If your deployment configuration is already working through Git push, switching to CLI-based deploys introduces configuration surface area without clear benefit.If you need offline-first development tooling, the Vercel CLI requires network access for most operations beyond vercel dev. Deployments, environment pulls, domain management, and log streaming all require authentication and connectivity to Vercel's API.

Key Commands

vercel Deploy the current project to Vercel with a preview URL

vercel dev Start a local development server that mirrors the Vercel production environment

vercel env pull Download environment variables from your Vercel project into a local .env file

vercel domains List, add, or remove custom domains for your project

vercel deploy --prod Deploy directly to your production domain, bypassing the preview step

vercel logs Stream real-time logs from your deployment's serverless functions

vercel link Link a local directory to an existing Vercel project

GitHub Stats

repo vercel/vercel

stars 15.0k

language TypeScript

license Apache-2.0

last commit Mar 14, 2026

Links

Official documentation vercel.com/docs/cli GitHub repository github.com/vercel/vercel Release notes github.com/vercel/vercel/releases Vercel changelog vercel.com/changelog

FAQ

Is Vercel CLI free?: Yes. The Vercel CLI itself is free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. You can install and use it without charge. However, the deployments you create are billed according to your Vercel account plan — Hobby (free tier), Pro, or Enterprise. The CLI is the interface, not the billing boundary.
How do you install Vercel CLI?: Run npm i -g vercel to install globally. You can also use pnpm i -g vercel or yarn global add vercel. After installing, run vercel login to authenticate with your Vercel account via the browser. The CLI stores your auth token locally for subsequent commands.
What is the difference between vercel and vercel deploy --prod?: Running vercel without flags creates a preview deployment with a unique URL for testing. Running vercel deploy --prod deploys directly to your production domain. Preview deployments are useful for sharing work-in-progress, while production deployments update your live site.
Can you use Vercel CLI in CI/CD pipelines?: Yes. Set the VERCEL_TOKEN environment variable in your CI environment and use the --yes flag to skip confirmation prompts. The CLI works in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and any environment with Node.js. Use vercel deploy --prod --token $VERCEL_TOKEN for automated production deployments.
Does Vercel have an MCP server?: Yes. Vercel provides an official MCP server at mcp.vercel.com that gives AI tools secure access to your Vercel projects via OAuth. There is also a community-built vercel-mcp npm package for API integration. Both are separate from the CLI itself.