Vercel Integration

The Vercel integration allows you to automatically sync environment variables from EnvManager directly to your Vercel projects. Changes made in EnvManager can be automatically pushed to your Vercel deployments, keeping your configuration up to date across all environments.

What is Vercel?

Vercel is a cloud platform for deploying and hosting web applications, particularly popular for Next.js, React, and other frontend frameworks. Environment variables in Vercel control how your application behaves in production, preview, and development environments.

Why Sync with Vercel?

Save time - No more manually copying variables between platforms
Reduce errors - Automatic sync prevents typos and missing variables
Stay consistent - Your team works from a single source of truth
Audit trail - Track every sync with detailed history logs
Git branch targeting - Control which preview deployments receive variables

Before You Begin

To connect Vercel to EnvManager, you need:

An EnvManager project with environments set up
A Vercel account (personal or team)
Organization admin or member role in EnvManager
A Vercel access token (we'll show you how to create one)

Connecting Your Vercel Account

Navigate to Integrations

From your project dashboard, click on the project name to open it, then select Integrations from the navigation menu or sidebar.

Find the Vercel Card

On the Integrations page, locate the Vercel integration card. It displays the Vercel logo and shows whether you're currently connected.

Click Connect

Click the Connect button on the Vercel card to open the connection modal.

Create a Vercel Access Token

You'll need a Vercel access token. Click the link in the modal to open vercel.com/account/tokens in a new tab.

In Vercel's dashboard:

Click Create Token
Give it a name like "EnvManager Integration"
Set the scope (we recommend account-wide access)
Set an expiration date (optional)
Click Create Token
Copy the token (it starts with vc_pat_...)

Important: Copy your token immediately - Vercel only shows it once. Store it securely.

Enter Connection Details

Back in EnvManager:

Connection Name - Give this connection a memorable name (e.g., "My Vercel Account" or "Company Vercel")
Access Token - Paste your Vercel token (you can toggle visibility with the eye icon)

Validate and Connect

Click Validate & Connect. EnvManager will:

Verify your token is valid
Show your Vercel account username
Display any teams you have access to

Once validated, click Connect to complete the setup.

Success! Your Vercel account is now connected. You'll see the connection status change on the Integrations page.

Configuring Your Sync

After connecting, you need to configure which Vercel project receives your environment variables and how they're mapped.

Open Configuration

On the Integrations page, find the Vercel card (now showing "Connected") and click Configure.

Select Vercel Project

In the configuration modal:

Account / Team (if applicable) - If you're part of Vercel teams, select whether to sync to a personal project or a team project
Vercel Project - Choose which Vercel project will receive the synced variables from the dropdown

The list shows all your Vercel projects with their framework (Next.js, SvelteKit, etc.) for easy identification.

Map Environments

Map your EnvManager environments to Vercel's environment targets:

EnvManager Environment	Vercel Target Options
Development	Production, Preview, Development
Staging	Production, Preview, Development
Production	Production, Preview, Development

For each EnvManager environment:

Check the Vercel targets where variables should sync (you can select multiple)
Production - Live production deployments
Preview - Preview deployments (pull requests)
Development - Local development (vercel dev)

Example: You might map EnvManager's "Production" to Vercel's "Production", and EnvManager's "Staging" to Vercel's "Preview" for testing in pull requests.

Git Branch Filtering (Optional)

When syncing to Vercel's Preview environment, you can optionally filter by git branch:

Leave empty - Sync to all preview deployments
Specific branch - e.g., develop syncs only to preview deployments from the develop branch
Wildcard pattern - e.g., feature/* syncs to all feature branches

This is useful when you want different variables for different branches.

Choose Sync Options

Configure what gets synced:

Option	Description	Recommendation
Auto-sync	Automatically sync when variables change in EnvManager	Enabled for convenience
Sync secrets	Include variables marked as secret (will be sensitive in Vercel)	Enabled for full sync
Sync regular variables	Include non-secret variables	Enabled for full sync

Security Note: Secret variables are marked as "sensitive" in Vercel, meaning they're encrypted and not visible in the Vercel dashboard after creation. They behave like EnvManager secrets.

Save Configuration

Click Save Configuration to complete the setup.

Your sync is now configured and ready to use!

Syncing Variables

Manual Sync

To sync variables on demand:

Click Sync Now

On the Integrations page, find the Vercel card and click the Sync Now button.

Monitor Progress

The sync status updates in real-time:

"Starting sync..."
"Syncing to Vercel..."
"Success" or error details

Check Sync Status

After syncing, you'll see:

Last synced - Timestamp of the most recent sync
Status - Success or error indicator
Variables synced - Count of variables pushed to Vercel

Automatic Sync

If you enabled Auto-sync in your configuration:

Make changes to variables in EnvManager (add, edit, or delete)
EnvManager automatically triggers a sync to Vercel
Changes appear in Vercel within seconds
You receive a notification confirming the sync

Tip: Auto-sync saves time but uses your Vercel API rate limit. For high-frequency changes, consider manual sync or batch your updates.

Timestamp - When the sync occurred
Status - Success or failure
Variables synced - How many variables were pushed
Environments - Which environments were affected
Triggered by - Manual sync or auto-sync
Error details - If the sync failed, see why

Mirror your workflow - Map EnvManager environments to match your deployment pipeline
Use Preview for testing - Map staging to Vercel's Preview environment to test in pull requests
Separate production - Only sync EnvManager's production to Vercel's production target

Git Branch Filtering

Feature branches - Use feature/* to sync only feature branch previews
Main branch - Use main or develop for your primary development branch
Multiple branches - You can't specify multiple patterns; use empty for all or specific for one

Secret Management

Keep auto-sync enabled for secrets to ensure they're always current
Remember that secrets in Vercel are write-only after creation
If you need to verify a secret value, check EnvManager's encrypted vault

Sync Timing

Manual sync when making multiple variable changes at once
Auto-sync for immediate updates in active development
Check sync history after deployments to confirm variables were updated

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Problem: "Invalid token" error when connecting

Solutions:

Verify your token starts with vc_pat_
Check the token hasn't expired in Vercel's dashboard
Ensure the token has appropriate scopes (account access)
Try creating a new token

Sync Failures

Problem: Sync reports an error

Common causes:

Rate limit exceeded - Wait a few minutes and try again
Project not found - The Vercel project may have been deleted or moved
Insufficient permissions - Your token may not have write access to the project
Invalid variable names - Vercel rejects variables with special characters

Solution: Check the sync history for specific error messages and resolve the underlying issue.

Missing Variables

Problem: Variables don't appear in Vercel after sync

Check these:

Verify environment mapping is correct (Production vs Preview vs Development)
Confirm "Sync regular variables" or "Sync secrets" is enabled based on variable type
Check that auto-sync is enabled or you've manually triggered a sync
Look at sync history for errors

Git Branch Filtering Not Working

Problem: Variables sync to all previews despite branch filter

Solutions:

Ensure the branch name matches exactly (case-sensitive)
Wildcard patterns like feature/* require the exact pattern format
Empty field means all branches - double-check it's not accidentally empty
The branch must exist in your git repository before Vercel creates a preview

You can reconnect anytime by following the connection steps again.

Security Considerations

Token Security

Store your Vercel token securely in EnvManager's encrypted connection storage
Never share your token via chat, email, or version control
Rotate tokens periodically for security best practices
Use token expiration dates when possible

Variable Encryption

Secrets synced from EnvManager are marked "sensitive" in Vercel
Vercel encrypts sensitive variables at rest and in transit
Once synced, secrets are write-only in Vercel (you can't read them back)

Access Control

Only EnvManager users with project access can trigger syncs
Vercel token permissions determine what can be modified
Use Vercel team accounts for better access management
Review sync history regularly for unauthorized changes

Vercel Integration

Get DevOps tips in your inbox