Migrating from Gatsby - v0 by Vercel

Migrating from Gatsby to Next.js on Vercel involves both framework migration and deployment strategy considerations. Here's a comprehensive approach:

Migration Strategy Options

You have two main approaches for handling the migration on Vercel 1:

Option 1: Point Domain to New Project (Recommended)

This approach makes your new Next.js project the entry point while gradually migrating content.

Option 2: Keep Domain on Old Project

Gradually redirect specific paths from the old Gatsby project to the new Next.js project.

Step-by-Step Migration Process

1. Create Your Next.js Project

Set up a new Next.js project locally
Migrate your Gatsby components, pages, and content to Next.js structure
Test thoroughly in development

2. Deploy to Vercel

Deploy your Next.js project to Vercel 2:

# Using Vercel CLI
npm i -g vercel
vercel

# Or connect via Git integration
# Push to GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket and import to Vercel

3. Choose Your Migration Approach

Approach A: Immediate Switch with Fallback

Configure fallback rewrites in your Next.js project to send unmigrated traffic to your old Gatsby site:

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  async rewrites() {
    return {
      fallback: [
        {
          source: '/:path*',
          destination: 'https://your-old-gatsby-site.vercel.app/:path*',
        },
      ],
    };
  },
};

Point your domain to the new Next.js project
Gradually remove fallback rules as you migrate each page/section

Approach B: Gradual Path-by-Path Migration

Keep your domain pointing to the old Gatsby project
Add rewrites in your Gatsby project to redirect specific paths to Next.js:

// gatsby-config.js (if using gatsby-plugin-netlify or similar)
// Or configure at the hosting level

Use Vercel's Edge Config for dynamic routing control:

// middleware.ts in your Gatsby project
import { get } from '@vercel/edge-config';
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  const url = request.nextUrl;
  const migratedPaths = await get('migrated-paths');
  
  if (migratedPaths.includes(url.pathname)) {
    return NextResponse.rewrite(
      new URL(url.pathname, 'https://your-new-nextjs-site.vercel.app')
    );
  }
  
  return NextResponse.next();
}

4. Handle Content and Data Migration

Static Content:

Move markdown files, images, and assets
Update image paths and imports
Migrate GraphQL queries to Next.js data fetching methods

Dynamic Content:

If using a CMS, ensure both projects can access it during transition
Update API endpoints and data fetching logic

5. Domain and Environment Management

Environment Variables:

Copy environment variables from old project to new project
Update any API keys or configuration that might have changed

Custom Domains:

Once ready, transfer your custom domain from the Gatsby project to the Next.js project
Vercel will handle SSL certificates automatically

6. Testing and Validation

Preview Deployments:

Use Vercel's preview deployments to test your migration
Test all critical paths and functionality
Verify SEO elements (meta tags, structured data, etc.)

Performance Monitoring:

Compare Core Web Vitals between old and new sites
Use Vercel Analytics to monitor performance

7. Final Cutover

Complete the migration of all pages and functionality
Remove all fallback rewrites from your Next.js config
Archive or delete the old Gatsby project
Update any external links or references

Key Considerations

SEO and URLs:

Maintain URL structure where possible
Implement proper redirects for changed URLs
Update sitemaps and robots.txt

Performance:

Next.js and Gatsby have different optimization strategies
Test image optimization, code splitting, and loading performance

Build Process:

Update CI/CD pipelines if you have custom build processes
Verify that all build dependencies are properly configured

Monitoring:

Set up error tracking and performance monitoring
Monitor for 404s or broken functionality after migration

This approach allows you to migrate incrementally while minimizing downtime and maintaining SEO rankings 1. The fallback strategy ensures users always see working content while you complete the migration.