Build with a Nitro starter template
Deploy a Nitro app to Vercel from a starter template. Compare the Nitro Starter, route rules, cached HTTP handler, plugins, Slack Bolt, and iMessage AI agent templates, then ship to a live URL.
Which Nitro template should you use?
Nitro is a TypeScript-first full-stack framework for building servers and APIs, and it deploys to Vercel with zero configuration. On Vercel, your Nitro routes become Vercel Functions running on Fluid compute, with Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) and Observability available with minimal configuration.
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Vercel maintains a Nitro template directory with starters from both Vercel and the community, so you can begin from a working project instead of a blank repo.
These templates range from a minimal API to Slack and AI agent apps:
Template
A durable iMessage AI agent built with Chat SDK and Nitro.
An example of Nitro plugins, which run on server startup to extend the runtime with shared setup and lifecycle hooks.
A minimal Nitro API that deploys with zero configuration. Start here if you're new to Nitro on Vercel.
An HTTP handler that serves cached responses with ISR, so repeated requests skip recomputation.
What it gives you
An example of Nitro route rules, which set per-route behavior such as caching, headers, redirects, and ISR from a single config file.
A starting point for Slack apps built with Bolt for JavaScript (TypeScript) on Nitro.
An iMessage calorie-tracking assistant, powered by AI SDK, Chat SDK, and more.
If you're not sure where to begin, deploy the Nitro Starter and add features such as route rules or plugins as your project grows.
Deploy a Nitro template
Every Nitro template deploys to Vercel the same way. Open the template you want, select Deploy, and Vercel clones the repository into your Git provider, creates a project, and ships it to a live URL.
- Open the template: Choose a template from the table above, then select Deploy.
- Connect your Git provider: Vercel creates a new repository for the template in your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.
- Deploy the project: Vercel builds and deploys the template, then returns a production URL. Each later push to the repository triggers a new deployment.
Run the template locally
After deploying, clone your new repository and start the development server:
npminstall
npm run dev
git clone your_repository_url_here
The development server starts on http://localhost:3000. Open that URL to see the template running, then edit the route handlers to make it your own.
cd your_project_name_here
To scaffold the Nitro example with Vercel CLI, run:
vercel init nitro
This clones the Nitro boilerplate into a nitro directory, so you can develop locally first and deploy with vercel when you're ready.
Resources and next steps
- Follow the end-to-end How to ship a Nitro app on Vercel guide to deploy and configure your app
- Read the full Nitro on Vercel documentation
- Configure Vercel-specific features through the Deploy Nitro to Vercel provider docs
- Learn how Vercel Functions run your server code
- Understand pricing and scaling with Fluid compute
- Cache and revalidate content with Incremental Static Regeneration
- Explore Nitro templates you can deploy in one step