Optimizing Vercel deployment size and performance for faster loading

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1

Goal

How can I make my website/app smaller so it deploys faster and loads quicker for users?

Key Objectives

  • Reduce deployment bundle size
  • Improve cold start times
  • Speed up page loads for end-users
5

Hey, @suheb!

Feel free to share more details about your project, it’d help us tailor our suggestions, but some ideas to get you started:

Bundle Size Optimization

  • Use <@next> /bundle-analyzer to identify large dependencies: ANALYZE=true npm run build
  • Enable optimizePackageImports in next.config.js for icon/utility libraries
  • Implement code splitting and lazy loading for non-critical components
  • Tree-shake unused code and remove unnecessary dependencies

Image Optimization

  • Use Next.js <Image> component for automatic optimization
  • Images are served in modern formats (WebP/AVIF) reducing size by 25-35%
  • Enable lazy loading and use sizes prop for responsive images
  • Consider using a CDN for very large image libraries

Build & Deployment Speed

  • Leverage Vercel’s build cache (enabled by default)
  • Use Turborepo for monorepos to cache and parallelize builds
  • Consider enhanced build machines for large projects (up to 70% faster)
  • Enable Turbopack for faster local development

Let us know how you get on!

6

A good way to approach this is to separate build/deployment size from runtime loading performance.

For deployment/build size:

  • Remove unused dependencies.

  • Check for large assets accidentally included in the repo.

  • Avoid bundling server-only packages into client components.

  • Use dynamic imports for heavy UI/client-only code.

  • Keep generated files, uploads, and local cache folders out of the deployment.

For page performance:

  • Use next/image for images.

  • Compress large images before uploading them.

  • Lazy-load below-the-fold components where it makes sense.

  • Check bundle size with a bundle analyzer.

  • Use Vercel Speed Insights or Web Vitals to see what is actually slow.

The most useful first step is usually to identify the biggest files/dependencies instead of guessing. Once you know whether the problem is large assets, heavy JS, or slow server/data fetching, the fix is much clearer.