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Build with a Nitro starter template

Deploy a Nitro app to Vercel from a starter template. Compare the Nitro Starter, route rules, cached HTTP handler, plugins, Slack Bolt, and iMessage AI agent templates, then ship to a live URL.

2 min read
Last updated June 7, 2026

Nitro is a TypeScript-first full-stack framework for building servers and APIs, and it deploys to Vercel with zero configuration. On Vercel, your Nitro routes become Vercel Functions running on Fluid compute, with Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) and Observability available with minimal configuration.

Vercel maintains a Nitro template directory with starters from both Vercel and the community, so you can begin from a working project instead of a blank repo.

These templates range from a minimal API to Slack and AI agent apps:

TemplateWhat it gives you
Nitro StarterA minimal Nitro API that deploys with zero configuration. Start here if you're new to Nitro on Vercel.
Nitro - Route RulesAn example of Nitro route rules, which set per-route behavior such as caching, headers, redirects, and ISR from a single config file.
Nitro - Cached HTTP handlerAn HTTP handler that serves cached responses with ISR, so repeated requests skip recomputation.
Nitro - PluginsAn example of Nitro plugins, which run on server startup to extend the runtime with shared setup and lifecycle hooks.
Slack Bolt with NitroA starting point for Slack apps built with Bolt for JavaScript (TypeScript) on Nitro.
Durable iMessage AI AgentA durable iMessage AI agent built with Chat SDK and Nitro.
CaltextAn iMessage calorie-tracking assistant, powered by AI SDK, Chat SDK, and more.

If you're not sure where to begin, deploy the Nitro Starter and add features such as route rules or plugins as your project grows.

Every Nitro template deploys to Vercel the same way. Open the template you want, select Deploy, and Vercel clones the repository into your Git provider, creates a project, and ships it to a live URL.

  1. Open the template: Choose a template from the table above, then select Deploy.
  2. Connect your Git provider: Vercel creates a new repository for the template in your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.
  3. Deploy the project: Vercel builds and deploys the template, then returns a production URL. Each later push to the repository triggers a new deployment.

After deploying, clone your new repository and start the development server:

Terminal
git clone your_repository_url_here
cd your_project_name_here
npm install
npm run dev

The development server starts on http://localhost:3000. Open that URL to see the template running, then edit the route handlers to make it your own.

To scaffold the Nitro example with Vercel CLI, run:

Terminal
vercel init nitro

This clones the Nitro boilerplate into a nitro directory, so you can develop locally first and deploy with vercel when you're ready.

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