Netlify is a cloud hosting platform that provides CDN-based deployment, serverless functions, and build automation for modern web applications. We use Netlify as a deployment platform for clients who have existing Netlify infrastructure, specific Netlify features their team relies on, or contractual requirements to use Netlify. While our default recommendation is Vercel for Next.js sites due to its tighter framework integration, Netlify is a capable platform that supports all the core requirements of a high-performance B2B marketing website. Netlify's strengths include its generous free tier for smaller projects, built-in form handling for simpler form requirements, split testing capabilities, and a strong ecosystem of plugins. We architect our Next.js builds to be platform-flexible, so clients can choose between Netlify and Vercel based on their specific needs.

Both platforms provide excellent hosting for Next.js sites, but they differ in important ways for B2B websites. Vercel has the advantage of being built by the Next.js team, which means new Next.js features like server components, edge middleware, and incremental static regeneration are supported immediately and optimally on Vercel. Netlify supports Next.js through their build plugin, which means new features sometimes take time to reach parity. Vercel's edge network is purpose-built for Next.js rendering patterns, while Netlify's CDN was originally designed for static sites and has been extended to support serverless and edge functions. For most B2B websites using Next.js, Vercel provides a smoother developer experience and better performance out of the box. Netlify can be a better choice when you need features from Netlify's broader platform ecosystem or when your team has significant Netlify experience and infrastructure already in place.

Yes, platform migration between Netlify and Vercel is straightforward when the site is built on a portable framework like Next.js. The migration primarily involves reconfiguring deployment settings, moving environment variables, updating DNS records, and adjusting any platform-specific features like serverless function configurations or edge middleware. Build commands and project structure typically remain identical since both platforms support standard Next.js build output. The most common migration we perform is Netlify to Vercel for teams that want better Next.js feature support, and we can typically complete the technical migration in one to two days. We handle DNS cutover with zero-downtime strategies and verify all functionality works correctly on the new platform before switching production traffic. The main planning consideration is any Netlify-specific features like Netlify Forms or Netlify Identity that would need replacement implementations.

Netlify Functions provide serverless compute for backend logic like form processing, API integrations, and dynamic data fetching. Functions are deployed alongside your frontend and run on AWS Lambda infrastructure. For B2B marketing websites, we use Netlify Functions to handle form submissions with CRM routing, webhook processing for CMS content revalidation, server-side API calls that need to protect secrets from client exposure, and custom API endpoints for interactive features. Netlify recently added edge functions that run closer to the visitor for lower latency, which we use for tasks like geographic-based content variation and A/B test variant selection. One consideration is that Netlify Functions have a ten-second execution timeout on the free tier, which can be limiting for integrations that involve multiple sequential API calls. We architect our function logic to work within these constraints or recommend upgrading to a plan with extended execution times.

We configure Netlify deployments for maximum reliability and efficiency. Build configuration uses the Netlify Next.js plugin for proper framework integration and caching. We set up branch-based deploy contexts so production deploys from your main branch, staging deploys from a designated staging branch, and preview deploys generate automatically for pull requests. Build caching is configured to persist node modules and Next.js build cache between deployments, reducing build times significantly. We implement deploy notifications to Slack so your team knows when deployments succeed or fail. For critical production deployments, we use Netlify's deploy locking feature to prevent accidental deploys during sensitive periods. We also configure Netlify's header and redirect rules to implement security headers, handle legacy URL redirects, and manage caching behavior for different asset types. Build plugins extend the build process with automated tasks like sitemap validation and accessibility checks.