mern-deploy

name	mern-deploy
description	Deployment checklist and setup for MERN projects targeting Vercel, AWS, or Docker.
argument-hint	[--target vercel|aws|docker] [--check-only]
allowed-tools	Bash, Write, Read, Glob, Grep

Purpose

Prepare a MERN project for production deployment with proper configuration, security hardening, and monitoring setup.

Arguments

• --target <platform> — Deployment target (default: vercel)
  • vercel — Vercel (recommended for Next.js)
  • aws — AWS (Lambda + API Gateway or ECS)
  • docker — Docker container (self-hosted)
• --check-only — Run pre-deployment checklist without creating files

Pre-deployment checklist (always runs)

Environment

• All env vars documented in .env.example
• Production env vars set in deployment platform
• NEXTAUTH_SECRET is unique 32+ char string
• NODE_ENV=production in production
• No secrets in code or committed files

Database

• MongoDB Atlas cluster created (or production DB ready)
• Connection string uses mongodb+srv://
• IP whitelist configured (or 0.0.0.0/0 for serverless)
• Database user has minimal required permissions

Security

• Security headers configured (CSP, HSTS, etc.)
• Rate limiting enabled
• CORS configured for production domain
• Auth secrets rotated from development

Performance

• Build succeeds: pnpm build
• No TypeScript errors
• Bundle size reasonable (check .next/analyze if concerned)
• Images optimized

Monitoring

• Error tracking configured (Sentry, etc.)
• Logging configured for production
• Health check endpoint working: /api/health

What gets created (per target)

Vercel

vercel.json           # Vercel configuration

AWS

serverless.yml        # Serverless Framework config
  or
Dockerfile           # For ECS deployment
buildspec.yml        # CodeBuild config

Docker

Dockerfile           # Multi-stage build
docker-compose.yml   # Local testing
.dockerignore        # Ignore patterns

Workflow

1. Run pre-deployment checklist
2. Fix any blockers found
3. Create deployment configuration for target
4. Verify build succeeds
5. Document deployment steps

Output

• Checklist results (pass/fail)
• Files created
• Next steps for deployment
• Environment variables needed in production

Reference

For platform-specific configurations, see reference/mern-deploy-reference.md