Deployment Guide

Overview

The Shopify RSS Feed to Google Chat service is designed to run as a serverless function with scheduled cron jobs. This guide covers deployment to Vercel, which provides native support for cron-triggered functions.

The service uses Vercel’s cron functionality to automatically check for Shopify changelog updates daily at midnight UTC.

Prerequisites

Before deploying, ensure you have:

Google Chat Webhook

A Google Chat webhook URL where updates will be sent. See Environment Variables for setup instructions.

Vercel Account

A free or paid Vercel account at vercel.com

GitHub Repository

Your code pushed to a GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repository (recommended for automatic deployments)

Cron Schedule Configuration

The service is configured to run on a daily schedule using Vercel’s cron jobs feature.

Current Configuration

From vercel.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/get-rss-feed",
      "schedule": "0 0 * * *"
    }
  ]
}

Schedule Breakdown

schedule

string

default:"0 0 * * *"

The cron expression that defines when the job runs.Current Schedule: 0 0 * * *

Runs daily at midnight UTC (00:00)
Checks for new Shopify changelog entries
Sends updates to Google Chat if new items are found

Cron Expression Format:

┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0 - 6) (Sunday to Saturday)
│ │ │ │ │
0 0 * * *

path

string

default:"/get-rss-feed"

The API endpoint that Vercel will call when the cron job triggers.This path is defined in server.ts:10-13:

app.get("/get-rss-feed", async (c) => {
  await handleRSSFeed();
  return c.text("Done!", 200);
});

Custom Schedule Examples

To modify the schedule, update vercel.json with a different cron expression:

Every 6 Hours
Twice Daily
Weekdays Only
Every Hour

Check for updates four times per day:

{
  "schedule": "0 */6 * * *"
}

Runs at: 00:00, 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 UTC

Morning and evening updates:

{
  "schedule": "0 9,21 * * *"
}

Runs at: 09:00 and 21:00 UTC

Business days during work hours:

{
  "schedule": "0 9 * * 1-5"
}

Runs at: 09:00 UTC, Monday through Friday

Frequent updates (may be excessive):

{
  "schedule": "0 * * * *"
}

Runs at: Every hour on the hour

Vercel’s cron jobs are limited based on your plan:

Hobby: Maximum 1 cron per day
Pro: Up to 100 crons per day
Enterprise: Custom limits

Verify your plan supports your desired schedule frequency.

Deploy to Vercel

Option 1: Deploy with GitHub (Recommended)

Push code to GitHub

Ensure your code is in a GitHub repository:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO.git
git push -u origin main

Import project to Vercel

Log in to vercel.com
Click Add New → Project
Import your GitHub repository
Select the repository containing your code

Configure environment variables

In the import configuration screen:

Expand Environment Variables
Add WEBHOOK_URL with your Google Chat webhook URL
Select Production, Preview, and Development environments

Do not skip this step. The deployment will fail without WEBHOOK_URL.

Configure build settings

Vercel should automatically detect the project settings:

Framework Preset: Other
Build Command: (leave empty or use bun install)
Output Directory: (leave empty)
Install Command: bun install

If Bun is not detected, you may need to specify the Node.js version or install command manually.

Deploy

Click Deploy and wait for the build to complete.Vercel will:

Install dependencies with bun install
Build and deploy the serverless function
Register the cron job from vercel.json

Option 2: Deploy with Vercel CLI

Install Vercel CLI

npm install -g vercel
# or with bun
bun install -g vercel

vercel login

Set environment variables

vercel env add WEBHOOK_URL production

When prompted, paste your Google Chat webhook URL.Repeat for preview and development environments:

vercel env add WEBHOOK_URL preview
vercel env add WEBHOOK_URL development

Deploy to production

vercel --prod

The CLI will:

Link your project (or create a new one)
Upload your code
Install dependencies
Deploy the function
Register cron jobs

Option 3: One-Click Deploy Button

Add a deploy button to your README.md for easy deployment:

[![Deploy with Vercel](https://vercel.com/button)](https://vercel.com/new/clone?repository-url=https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO&env=WEBHOOK_URL&envDescription=Google%20Chat%20webhook%20URL%20for%20receiving%20updates&envLink=https://developers.google.com/chat/how-tos/webhooks)

Replace YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO with your actual GitHub repository path.

When users click this button, Vercel will:

Clone the repository to their account
Prompt for the WEBHOOK_URL environment variable
Deploy the service automatically

Project Structure

The deployment includes these key files:

.
├── server.ts           # Hono server with endpoints
├── rss-handler.ts      # RSS parsing and Google Chat integration
├── vercel.json         # Cron job configuration
├── package.json        # Dependencies and metadata
└── tsconfig.json       # TypeScript configuration

Server Configuration

From server.ts:

import { Hono } from "hono";
import { handleRSSFeed } from "./rss-handler.js";

const app = new Hono();

app.get("/healthcheck", (c) => {
  return c.text("Running!");
});

app.get("/get-rss-feed", async (c) => {
  await handleRSSFeed();
  return c.text("Done!", 200);
});

export default app;

Available Endpoints:

/healthcheck - Returns “Running!” to verify the service is alive
/get-rss-feed - Triggered by cron to check for and send updates

Verifying Deployment

Check Deployment Status

View deployment logs

Open your Vercel dashboard
Navigate to your project
Click on the latest deployment
View the Deployment Logs tab

Look for successful build messages:

✓ Build completed successfully
✓ Serverless Functions deployed
✓ Cron jobs registered

Test the healthcheck endpoint

Verify the service is running:

curl https://your-project.vercel.app/healthcheck

Expected response:

Running!

Manually trigger the cron

Test the RSS feed endpoint manually:

curl https://your-project.vercel.app/get-rss-feed

Expected response:

Done!

Check your Google Chat space for incoming messages.

Verify cron registration

Go to Settings → Crons in your Vercel project
Confirm the cron job is listed:
- Path: /get-rss-feed
- Schedule: 0 0 * * *
- Status: Active

Monitor Cron Executions

Cron jobs on Vercel run automatically at the scheduled time. You cannot manually trigger them through the dashboard.

To monitor cron executions:

Navigate to Logs in your Vercel project
Filter by function: /get-rss-feed
Look for execution logs around midnight UTC daily

Expected log output:

Successfully sent 3 update(s) to Google Chat

Or if no new items:

No new items to process

Environment-Specific Deployments

Production

Production deployments use the main or master branch and production environment variables.

vercel --prod

Cron jobs only run on production deployments, not preview deployments.

Preview (Staging)

Preview deployments are created for non-production branches:

vercel

Cron jobs do not trigger on preview deployments. Only production deployments execute scheduled crons.

Development

Local development uses the .env file for environment variables:

bun run dev

Access locally at:

Healthcheck: http://localhost:3000/healthcheck
RSS Feed: http://localhost:3000/get-rss-feed

Updating Environment Variables

To update environment variables after deployment:

Open project settings

Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables in Vercel dashboard

Edit variable

Find WEBHOOK_URL
Click Edit
Update the value
Select environments (Production, Preview, Development)
Click Save

Redeploy

Environment variable changes require a redeployment:Option A: Trigger via Dashboard

Go to Deployments
Click … on latest deployment
Select Redeploy

Option B: Trigger via Git

git commit --allow-empty -m "Redeploy to update env vars"
git push

Option C: Trigger via CLI

vercel --prod --force

Rollback and Version Control

Rollback to Previous Deployment

If a deployment fails or causes issues:

View deployment history

Navigate to Deployments in your Vercel dashboard

Select previous deployment

Click on a previous successful deployment

Promote to production

Click Promote to ProductionThis instantly rolls back to the selected deployment without rebuilding.

Git-Based Rollback

# Revert to a previous commit
git revert HEAD
git push

# Or reset to a specific commit
git reset --hard <commit-hash>
git push --force

Be cautious with git push --force as it rewrites history. Coordinate with your team before force pushing.

Troubleshooting

Cron job not executing

Symptoms:

No logs appearing at scheduled time
Google Chat not receiving updates

Solutions:

Verify cron is registered in Settings → Crons
Ensure deployment is in production (preview deployments don’t run crons)
Check that vercel.json is in the project root
Review cron syntax is valid (use crontab.guru to verify)

Build failures

Common causes:

Missing dependencies in package.json
TypeScript compilation errors
Missing environment variables during build

Solutions:

Review build logs in Vercel dashboard
Test build locally: bun run build (if build script exists)
Ensure all imports use .js extensions for Bun compatibility
Verify TypeScript configuration in tsconfig.json

Function timeout

Symptoms:

Deployment logs show timeout errors
504 Gateway Timeout responses

Solutions:

Optimize RSS parsing logic

Add timeout configuration to vercel.json:

{
  "functions": {
    "api/**/*.ts": {
      "maxDuration": 60
    }
  }
}

Consider upgrading to Vercel Pro for longer execution limits

Environment variables not loading

Symptoms:

Error: “WEBHOOK_URL environment variable is not set”
Variables work locally but not in production

Solutions:

Verify variables are set in Settings → Environment Variables
Ensure correct environment (Production/Preview/Development) is selected
Redeploy after adding variables
Check variable names match exactly (case-sensitive)

Cost Considerations

Vercel Hobby Plan (Free)

Executions: Unlimited
Execution Duration: 10 seconds per function
Bandwidth: 100 GB/month
Cron Jobs: Limited to daily frequency

The default configuration (daily at midnight) fits within the free tier.

Vercel Pro Plan

If you need more frequent updates:

Execution Duration: 60 seconds per function
Bandwidth: 1 TB/month
Cron Jobs: Up to 100 per day
Cost: $20/month per member

For this lightweight RSS service, the free Hobby plan is typically sufficient unless you need more frequent update checks.

Security Best Practices

Follow these security guidelines for production deployments:

Protect Environment Variables
- Never commit .env files to Git
- Add .env to .gitignore
- Use Vercel’s encrypted environment variable storage
Webhook Security
- Keep webhook URLs private
- Rotate webhooks periodically
- Monitor webhook usage in Google Chat
Access Control
- Limit who can access your Vercel project
- Use Vercel Teams for shared projects
- Enable two-factor authentication on your Vercel account
Monitoring
- Set up alerts for deployment failures
- Monitor function execution logs
- Track error rates and investigate anomalies

Next Steps

After successful deployment:

Monitor your Google Chat space for incoming Shopify changelog updates
Adjust the cron schedule if needed based on your team’s preferences
Customize the message format in rss-handler.ts for your needs
Set up deployment notifications in Vercel (Settings → Notifications)

The first cron execution will happen at the next scheduled time (midnight UTC by default). You can manually trigger /get-rss-feed to test immediately.

Get Started

Configuration

API Reference

Development

Overview

Prerequisites

Cron Schedule Configuration

Current Configuration

Schedule Breakdown

Custom Schedule Examples

Deploy to Vercel

Option 1: Deploy with GitHub (Recommended)

Option 2: Deploy with Vercel CLI

Option 3: One-Click Deploy Button

Project Structure

Server Configuration

Verifying Deployment

Check Deployment Status

Monitor Cron Executions

Environment-Specific Deployments

Production

Preview (Staging)

Development

Updating Environment Variables

Rollback and Version Control

Rollback to Previous Deployment

Git-Based Rollback

Troubleshooting

Cron job not executing

Build failures

Function timeout

Environment variables not loading

Cost Considerations

Vercel Hobby Plan (Free)

Vercel Pro Plan

Security Best Practices

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Configuration

API Reference

Development

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Cron Schedule Configuration

​Current Configuration

​Schedule Breakdown

​Custom Schedule Examples

​Deploy to Vercel

​Option 1: Deploy with GitHub (Recommended)

​Option 2: Deploy with Vercel CLI

​Option 3: One-Click Deploy Button

​Project Structure

​Server Configuration

​Verifying Deployment

​Check Deployment Status

​Monitor Cron Executions

​Environment-Specific Deployments

​Production

​Preview (Staging)

​Development

​Updating Environment Variables

​Rollback and Version Control

​Rollback to Previous Deployment

​Git-Based Rollback

​Troubleshooting

​Cron job not executing

​Build failures

​Function timeout

​Environment variables not loading

​Cost Considerations

​Vercel Hobby Plan (Free)

​Vercel Pro Plan

​Security Best Practices

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Cron Schedule Configuration

Current Configuration

Schedule Breakdown

Custom Schedule Examples

Deploy to Vercel

Option 1: Deploy with GitHub (Recommended)

Option 2: Deploy with Vercel CLI

Option 3: One-Click Deploy Button

Project Structure

Server Configuration

Verifying Deployment

Check Deployment Status

Monitor Cron Executions

Environment-Specific Deployments

Production

Preview (Staging)

Development

Updating Environment Variables

Rollback and Version Control

Rollback to Previous Deployment

Git-Based Rollback

Troubleshooting

Cron job not executing

Build failures

Function timeout

Environment variables not loading

Cost Considerations

Vercel Hobby Plan (Free)

Vercel Pro Plan

Security Best Practices

Next Steps