Vercel Logs Integration ▲

Supercharge your Vercel deployment debugging with Gonzo's terminal-based log analysis. Get real-time insights, pattern detection, and AI-powered analysis for your Vercel applications.

Overview

If you're building on Vercel, you've probably used the vercel logs command or the built-in dashboard to debug your apps. While these tools are useful, they can quickly feel limited when you need:

Deeper insights: Beyond basic log viewing
Real-time context: Pattern recognition across log streams
Better filtering: Advanced search and filtering
AI analysis: Understanding complex errors
Terminal workflow: Stay in your terminal alongside other tools

That's where Gonzo comes in: an open-source terminal UI (TUI) for logs with native support for Vercel's JSON log format.

Quick Start

Basic Usage

The simplest way to use Gonzo with Vercel:

# Stream logs from your Vercel deployment
vercel logs --output json | gonzo

# Follow logs in real-time
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# Specific deployment
vercel logs <deployment-url> --follow --output json | gonzo

That's it! Gonzo automatically detects and parses Vercel's JSON format.

Installation

Install Vercel CLI

# Install via npm
npm install -g vercel

# Or via yarn
yarn global add vercel

# Verify installation
vercel --version

Install Gonzo

# Via Go
go install github.com/control-theory/gonzo/cmd/gonzo@latest

# Via Homebrew
brew install gonzo

# Verify installation
gonzo --version

Authentication

# Log in to Vercel
vercel login

# Verify you're authenticated
vercel whoami

Common Use Cases

1. Debugging Deployment Issues

Watch logs as your deployment rolls out:

# Deploy and watch logs
vercel --prod --follow --output json | gonzo

# Or after deployment
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

What you'll see:

Build logs
Function execution logs
Edge function logs
Error messages
Request information

2. Monitoring Serverless Functions

Debug serverless function execution:

# All function logs
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# Filter in Gonzo
# Press '/' and type function name

Gonzo helps you:

Identify cold starts
Track execution times
Spot errors quickly
Analyze invocation patterns

3. Analyzing Edge Functions

Monitor Edge Functions with low-latency visualization:

# Follow edge function logs
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

Benefits:

Real-time edge execution visibility
Geographic distribution insights
Error rate tracking
Performance pattern detection

4. Production Incident Response

Quick investigation during incidents:

# Recent production logs
vercel logs --since 1h --output json | gonzo

# Follow production errors
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# In Gonzo: Press '/' to filter for "ERROR"

5. Development Debugging

Debug during local development:

# Development logs
vercel dev --output json 2>&1 | gonzo

# Or tail deployment logs while developing
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

Advanced Usage

Filtering Logs

By Project

# Specific project
vercel logs my-project --follow --output json | gonzo

By Time Range

# Last hour
vercel logs --since 1h --output json | gonzo

# Last 24 hours
vercel logs --since 24h --output json | gonzo

# Specific time range
vercel logs --since 2024-01-15T10:00:00 --output json | gonzo

By Deployment

# Specific deployment URL
vercel logs https://my-app-abc123.vercel.app --follow --output json | gonzo

# Latest production deployment
vercel logs --prod --follow --output json | gonzo

Combining with AI Analysis

Get AI-powered insights on Vercel errors:

# Enable AI analysis
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here"

# Stream logs with AI
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo --ai-model="gpt-4"

In Gonzo:

Navigate to an error log
Press Enter to view details
Press i for instant AI analysis
Get explanation of the error and suggested fixes

Shell Aliases

Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

# Vercel + Gonzo aliases
alias vl='vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo'
alias vl-prod='vercel logs --prod --follow --output json | gonzo'
alias vl-ai='vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo --ai-model="gpt-4"'

# With time filters
alias vl-1h='vercel logs --since 1h --output json | gonzo'
alias vl-today='vercel logs --since 24h --output json | gonzo'

Usage:

vl              # Follow all logs
vl-prod         # Production only
vl-ai           # With AI analysis
vl-1h           # Last hour

Understanding Vercel Log Format

Vercel outputs JSON logs with this structure:

{
  "id": "abc123",
  "message": "GET /api/users 200",
  "timestamp": 1705315805000,
  "source": "lambda",
  "projectId": "prj_abc123",
  "deploymentId": "dpl_xyz789",
  "buildId": "bld_456def",
  "requestId": "req_123abc",
  "statusCode": 200,
  "duration": 234
}

Gonzo automatically extracts:

Timestamp: When the log occurred
Source: Lambda, edge, build, etc.
Message: Log content
Metadata: Request ID, deployment ID, status codes
All fields: Available in Attributes panel

Workflow Examples

Morning Deployment Review

# Check overnight deployments
vercel logs --since 12h --output json | gonzo

# Look for errors in Gonzo:
# 1. Check Word Frequency for common errors
# 2. Filter with '/' for "ERROR"
# 3. Press Enter on Counts to see pattern heatmap

Real-Time Monitoring

# Terminal 1: Monitor production
vercel logs --prod --follow --output json | gonzo

# Terminal 2: Monitor preview
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

Error Investigation

# Find recent errors
vercel logs --since 1h --output json | gonzo

# In Gonzo:
# 1. Press '/' and type: ERROR
# 2. Navigate through errors with ↑↓
# 3. Press Enter to see full details
# 4. Press 'i' for AI analysis of complex errors

Performance Analysis

# Follow logs with focus on performance
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# Look for:
# - High duration values
# - Cold start indicators
# - Timeout errors
# - Memory issues

Integration with Vercel Dashboard

Complementary Workflow

Use both tools for maximum effectiveness:

Vercel Dashboard:

Overview metrics
Deployment management
Team collaboration
Analytics

Gonzo:

Real-time log analysis
Terminal-based workflow
Pattern detection
AI-powered insights
Advanced filtering

When to Use Each

Use Vercel Dashboard when:

Reviewing high-level metrics
Managing deployments
Team collaboration
Long-term analysis

Use Gonzo when:

Debugging specific issues
Real-time monitoring
Terminal-first workflow
Need advanced analysis
Want AI assistance

Troubleshooting

No Logs Appearing

Verify Vercel CLI is working:

# Test without Gonzo
vercel logs --output json

# Should show JSON output

Check authentication:

vercel whoami
# Should show your username

Ensure JSON output:

# ✅ Correct
vercel logs --output json | gonzo

# ❌ Wrong (missing --output json)
vercel logs | gonzo

Logs Not Parsing Correctly

Verify JSON format:

# Check raw output
vercel logs --output json | head -1 | jq .

Update Vercel CLI:

npm install -g vercel@latest
vercel --version

Performance Issues

Reduce log volume:

# Limit to specific source
vercel logs --follow --output json | grep "lambda" | gonzo

# Time-limited query
vercel logs --since 30m --output json | gonzo

Adjust Gonzo settings:

vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo --update-interval=2s --log-buffer=5000

Best Practices

1. Use JSON Output Always

# ✅ Always include --output json
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# ❌ Don't omit it
vercel logs --follow | gonzo

2. Filter Early for Production

# Filter at Vercel level when possible
vercel logs --prod --follow --output json | gonzo

# Then use Gonzo's '/' for additional filtering

3. Leverage AI for Complex Errors

# Set up AI once
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Use for error investigation
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo --ai-model="gpt-4"

4. Create Project-Specific Aliases

# In ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias vl-api='vercel logs api-project --follow --output json | gonzo'
alias vl-web='vercel logs web-project --follow --output json | gonzo'
alias vl-docs='vercel logs docs-project --follow --output json | gonzo'

5. Combine with Other Tools

# With jq for pre-filtering
vercel logs --output json | jq 'select(.statusCode >= 400)' | gonzo

# Save logs while viewing
vercel logs --output json | tee vercel-logs.json | gonzo

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Deployment Goes Wrong

# Quick investigation
vercel logs --since 10m --output json | gonzo

# In Gonzo:
# - Look for red (ERROR) entries
# - Check Word Frequency for clues
# - Use AI analysis on errors

Scenario 2: User Reports Error

# Find recent errors
vercel logs --since 1h --output json | gonzo

# In Gonzo:
# - Press '/' and filter for user ID or error
# - Navigate to relevant logs
# - View full context with Enter

Scenario 3: Performance Degradation

# Monitor execution times
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# Watch for:
# - Increased duration values
# - Cold start patterns
# - Timeout errors

Scenario 4: Function Development

# Terminal 1: Local dev
vercel dev

# Terminal 2: Watch deployment logs
vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo

# Iterate quickly with real-time feedback

Complete Tutorial

For a comprehensive guide including:

Detailed setup instructions
Real-world debugging examples
Advanced filtering patterns
AI-powered error analysis
Production monitoring strategies

Read the full guide: Vercel Logs Meet Gonzo

Configuration Examples

Gonzo Config for Vercel

Create ~/.config/gonzo/vercel-config.yml:

# Optimized for Vercel logs
update-interval: 1s
log-buffer: 3000
memory-size: 15000
skin: controltheory-dark

# AI for error analysis
ai-model: "gpt-3.5-turbo"

Use with:

vercel logs --follow --output json | gonzo --config ~/.config/gonzo/vercel-config.yml

Documentation

Blog Posts

Vercel Logs Meet Gonzo - Complete guide
Why We Made Gonzo

Community

Support

Having issues with Vercel integration?

Check Troubleshooting Guide
Ask in GitHub Discussions
Report bugs in GitHub Issues

Pro Tip: Always use --output json with vercel logs for best compatibility with Gonzo. The JSON format provides rich structured data that Gonzo can parse and analyze effectively.

Learn More: Read the complete tutorial on Vercel Logs Meet Gonzo for advanced patterns, real-world examples, and production best practices.

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Last updated 16 days ago

Overview

Quick Start

Basic Usage

Installation

Install Vercel CLI

Install Gonzo

Authentication

Common Use Cases

1. Debugging Deployment Issues

2. Monitoring Serverless Functions

3. Analyzing Edge Functions

4. Production Incident Response

5. Development Debugging

Advanced Usage

Filtering Logs

Combining with AI Analysis

Shell Aliases

Understanding Vercel Log Format

Workflow Examples

Morning Deployment Review

Real-Time Monitoring

Error Investigation

Performance Analysis

Integration with Vercel Dashboard

Complementary Workflow

When to Use Each

Troubleshooting

No Logs Appearing

Logs Not Parsing Correctly

Performance Issues

Best Practices

1. Use JSON Output Always

2. Filter Early for Production

3. Leverage AI for Complex Errors

4. Create Project-Specific Aliases

5. Combine with Other Tools

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Deployment Goes Wrong

Scenario 2: User Reports Error

Scenario 3: Performance Degradation

Scenario 4: Function Development

Complete Tutorial

Configuration Examples

Gonzo Config for Vercel

Related Resources

Documentation

Blog Posts

Community

Support