Understanding Vercel's Limitations for Hosting Vue and Express Applications

If you're trying to deploy both a Vue.js frontend and an Express backend on Vercel and encountering a 404 error, it's important to know that Vercel is primarily designed for static sites and serverless functions. Here are some key points to consider:

No Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Vercel is not optimized for traditional server-side rendering. While it supports serverless functions, it doesn't provide a persistent Node.js instance required for running a full Express application.

Hosting Limitations: If your Express app relies on server-side rendering or requires a long-lived Node.js server, Vercel may not be the right choice. Instead, consider platforms that are specifically designed for hosting full Node.js applications, such as Heroku, DigitalOcean, or AWS.

Recommended Solutions: If you need to deploy both a Vue.js frontend and an Express backend together, look into using services like Heroku, which can host your entire Node.js server and handle the routing effectively. This approach allows for a more seamless integration between your frontend and backend, enabling features like API calls and dynamic content generation.

In summary, while Vercel excels at deploying static sites and serverless functions, if you need a full Express application, you might want to explore alternatives that provide a dedicated Node.js environment.