Deployment Architecture

Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Infrastructure Overview

graph TB
    subgraph "Users"
        Browser[Web Browsers]
    end
    
    subgraph "CDN Layer"
        Vercel[Vercel Edge Network]
    end
    
    subgraph "Application Layer"
        Herald[Herald Next.js App<br/>herald.todayscarolinian.com]
        MainSite[Main Site<br/>todayscarolinian.com]
        Archives[Archives<br/>archives.todayscarolinian.com]
        USCDays[USC Days<br/>uscdays.todayscarolinian.com]
    end
    
    subgraph "Firebase Services"
        FAuth[Firebase Authentication]
        Firestore[Cloud Firestore]
        FStorage[Firebase Storage]
    end
    
    subgraph "External Services"
        Resend[Resend Email API]
        VercelKV[Vercel KV<br/>Redis]
        Supabase[Supabase PostgreSQL<br/>App C only]
    end
    
    Browser --> Vercel
    Vercel --> Herald
    Vercel --> MainSite
    Vercel --> Archives
    Vercel --> USCDays
    
    Herald --> FAuth
    Herald --> Firestore
    Herald --> FStorage
    Herald --> Resend
    Herald --> VercelKV
    
    MainSite --> Firestore
    Archives --> Firestore
    USCDays --> Firestore
    USCDays --> Supabase

Hosting Platform: Vercel

Why Vercel?

• Next.js Native: Built by same team, optimal support
• Auto-scaling: Serverless functions scale automatically
• Edge Network: Global CDN for low latency
• CI/CD: Auto-deploy on git push
• Environment Variables: Secure secret management
• Preview Deployments: Every PR gets unique URL
• Free Tier: Generous limits for MVP

Vercel Configuration

Project Settings:

• Framework Preset: Next.js
• Build Command: npm run build
• Output Directory: .next