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What is Vercel Security Checkpoint

Vercel Security Checkpoint is not a standalone software but a built-in security feature of the Vercel platform. Its main purpose is to protect websites and applications hosted on Vercel from malicious traffic, such as bots and DDoS attacks. When Vercel's system detects suspicious activity trying to access a site, it presents this checkpoint page to verify that the visitor is a legitimate human user. This is part of a larger security suite that Vercel provides to ensure the safety, availability, and performance of the projects deployed on its infrastructure. Vercel, the company behind this feature, was founded by Guillermo Rauch and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is a leading cloud platform for frontend developers, focusing on performance and developer experience.

Vercel Security Checkpoint Features

This security feature is part of a broader set of protections integrated into the Vercel platform. Key features include:

• Automatic DDoS Mitigation: Protects your deployed sites from Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks without needing any configuration. It absorbs malicious traffic to keep your site online.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): On enterprise plans, Vercel offers a WAF to filter and block common web threats like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) before they reach your application.
• Bot Protection: The Security Checkpoint itself is a primary tool for bot protection. It intelligently identifies and challenges suspicious automated traffic, preventing scrapers and malicious bots from accessing your site.
• Automatic SSL/TLS Certificates: Vercel automatically provisions and renews free SSL/TLS certificates for all custom domains, ensuring all traffic to your site is encrypted (HTTPS).
• Secure Global Edge Network: Your site is served from Vercel's global network, which provides security at the edge, closer to the user and potential threats.
• Compliance and Audits: Vercel maintains compliance with industry standards like SOC 2 Type 2, which demonstrates its commitment to security and data protection.

Vercel Security Checkpoint Pricing Plans

The Vercel Security Checkpoint is not sold as a separate product. It is included in all Vercel hosting plans. The level of security features increases with the pricing tier.

• Hobby Plan: This free tier includes basic protection, such as the Security Checkpoint and automatic SSL, suitable for personal projects.
• Pro Plan: Aimed at professional developers and teams, this plan includes all the features of the Hobby plan with more robust infrastructure protection for production applications.
• Enterprise Plan: Designed for large organizations, this plan offers the most advanced security features, including a configurable Web Application Firewall (WAF), advanced DDoS mitigation, and custom security controls.

Vercel Security Checkpoint Free Plan

Yes, the Vercel Security Checkpoint is active on the free Hobby plan. This means even personal, non-commercial projects deployed on Vercel benefit from this fundamental layer of protection against bots and basic attacks at no cost. The free plan has limitations on bandwidth and build times but includes the core security features needed to keep a site safe.

How to use Vercel Security Checkpoint

The Vercel Security Checkpoint works automatically. You do not need to configure or enable it. To benefit from it, you simply need to host your website or application on Vercel.

Here is a typical workflow:

1. Sign up for Vercel: Create an account using your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.
2. Import Your Project: Select a Git repository that contains your frontend project (e.g., a Next.js, React, or Vue application).
3. Configure and Deploy: Vercel automatically detects the framework and sets up the build settings. You can adjust them if needed. Click 'Deploy'.
4. Automatic Protection: Once your project is deployed, Vercel's security systems, including the Security Checkpoint, are automatically active. It will monitor traffic and challenge any suspicious visitors without any action required from you.

By following these steps, your application is placed behind Vercel's protective layer, ensuring better security and uptime.

Pros and Cons of Vercel Security Checkpoint

Pros:

• Zero Configuration: It is enabled by default on all projects, requiring no setup from the user.
• Included for Free: Basic protection is available even on the free Hobby plan.
• Effective Bot Protection: It helps prevent web scraping and reduces malicious bot traffic.
• Improves Site Availability: By blocking attacks, it helps ensure your website remains online and available to real users.

Cons:

• Potential False Positives: Sometimes, the system might incorrectly flag a legitimate user or service as suspicious, forcing them to complete a challenge.
• Limited Customization: On lower-tier plans, you have no control over the sensitivity or rules of the security system.
• 'Black Box' System: Users have little visibility into what traffic is being blocked or why, unless they are on an Enterprise plan with advanced logging.

Vercel Security Checkpoint integrations

Vercel Security Checkpoint is a core, built-in component of the Vercel platform. It does not offer direct third-party integrations. It works seamlessly with the entire Vercel ecosystem, including Vercel Analytics and Vercel Functions, to provide a secure and unified deployment experience. Its function is to protect the platform itself, so it operates at the infrastructure level rather than integrating with other applications.

Vercel Security Checkpoint Alternatives

Since Vercel Security Checkpoint is an integrated feature, alternatives are typically other platforms or dedicated security services that offer similar protection.

• Cloudflare: A leading web security and performance company. Cloudflare's free plan offers robust DDoS protection and a security challenge screen very similar to Vercel's. It is a more powerful and configurable alternative.
• Netlify: A direct competitor to Vercel for hosting frontend applications. Netlify also has built-in security features, including DDoS protection and automatic SSL, to protect hosted sites.
• AWS Shield with AWS WAF: For applications hosted on Amazon Web Services, AWS Shield provides managed DDoS protection. Combining it with AWS WAF allows for highly customizable security rules, but it is more complex to configure.
• Google Cloud Armor: A security service for applications hosted on Google Cloud Platform. It provides defense against DDoS attacks and allows users to create custom security policies.

Vercel Security Checkpoint API

There is no public API available specifically for the Vercel Security Checkpoint feature. It is a managed, automatic system. However, Vercel provides a comprehensive REST API for managing your account, projects, deployments, domains, and more. Developers can use this API to automate their deployment workflows.

You can find documentation for the Vercel API on their official website. To use it, you need to generate an access token from your Vercel account settings under the 'Tokens' section.

Example of using the Vercel API with cURL to list deployments:

curl "https://api.vercel.com/v6/deployments" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Vercel Security Checkpoint Affiliate program

Vercel does not currently offer a public affiliate program for its platform. Companies and influencers interested in partnership opportunities are typically encouraged to contact Vercel's partnership or sales team directly through their official website to discuss potential collaborations. There are no standard commission rates or public sign-up links available for an affiliate program.