Use vercel to deploy this Linux-based chat app?

I'm trying to deploy an application built on Rocket.Chat that allows doctors and patients at my medical practice to chat in real time with each other. I need to self-host and deploy it myself. Rocket.Chat said that Vercel won't work for a Linux backend and I don't know what that means.

Would I be able to deploy the front and backends on Vercel at all?

New to this, PM background.

RocketChat is unfortunately correct here, they require a different category of hosting provider than Vercel

Vercel is a “serverless” web host, which deploys to AWS Lambda, but RocketChat is designed to run in a more classic server environment.

The easiest way to get them running will be with Docker

  • you can use a “VPS” (virtual private server) which you can log into in a terminal, and then you can follow the official RocketChat docker setup. These are priced based on the specs of the machine, but usually start around $5/m flat
  • or you can use a “managed container host” which handles managing the server for you and you just need to provide a Dockerfile. This SHOULD be easier, although it doesn’t look like RocketChat provides instructions for it. This is their Dockerfile so in theory you can upload that and connect a MongoDB database and be good to go.

There are many hosts that can do this, but DigitalOcean does both, check “Droplets” for the VPS method and “DigitalOcean App Platform” for the managed container hosting method.

If you have any other websites you’d like to deploy in the future, feel free to check Vercel out and see if we’re a better fit at that time :folded_hands:

Amazing answer, thanks so much!

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