--- title: "Goodbye Hashnode, Hello Vercel: Migrating My Blog to Next.js and Vercel" date: "2025-12-28" slug: "migrating-from-hashnode-to-vercel-nextjs" author: "Dany Paredes" canonical: "https://danywalls.com/migrating-from-hashnode-to-vercel-nextjs" description: "I moved my blog from Hashnode to a custom Next.js site on Vercel. Here is why I did it, how I moved my entire content library, and why Vercel is the best home for my posts." --- I used Hashnode for many years, but I decided it was time for a change. Hashnode is a great platform for developers, but as my blog and community of **13.8K followers** grew, I wanted to own my content, my design, and the technology I use. In this post, I will show you how I moved everything. I will explain the technical problems I solved (like fixing broken links and image paths) and why my blog is now much faster using **Vercel**, **Next.js**, **MDX**, and **Kit**. ## 1. Why I moved: Freedom and Ownership The main reason was **ownership**. When you use a platform, you have to follow their rules. By building my own site, I gained: * **Custom Design (UX/UI):** I can add special parts, like my new follower counter, exactly where I want them. * **Technical Control:** I decide how to make images smaller (optimize), how my RSS feed works, and how my code is built. * **Content in Git:** All my articles are now `.mdx` files in a GitHub folder (repo). This means I have a history of all my changes and can use my favorite code editor to write. ## 2. The Tools I Used: Vercel, Next.js, and Kit Choosing the right tools was very important. I didn't just move my blog; I made it better. * **Vercel:** Vercel created Next.js, so it is the best place to host it. It makes my blog load very fast for everyone around the world. I also use **Vercel Analytics** and **Speed Insights**. They show me how many people visit my site and how fast it is, without making the site slow. * **Next.js & MDX:** I needed a tool that could handle many articles and still be fast. Next.js does this very well. Using **MDX** means my articles are like code. I can put interactive parts, like demos or videos, directly inside my tutorials. * **[Kit](https://kit.com):** A newsletter is very important for a creator. Kit's technology is excellent. Now, I can build a custom signup box and use a "Full Content RSS Feed." This means my weekly newsletter is sent automatically with the full text of my articles. ## 3. Seeing Everything: Analytics and Speed A big advantage of Vercel is that it has analytics built-in. Before, I had to use heavy tools that made the site slow. Now, everything is integrated: * **Vercel Analytics:** I can see which articles people like the most in real-time. It respects the privacy of my readers and does not slow down the site. * **Speed Insights:** This tool is amazing. it monitors how fast the site is for real users. If an article becomes slow because of a big image, I see it immediately and can fix it. * **Easy Setup:** I don't need to add complicated code. It is part of the platform, so it doesn't make my website "heavy." ## 4. Moving My Content Without Breaking Links Moving the text is easy; keeping your visitors is hard. I didn't want to break the links that Google already had in its search results. ### Fixing "Double Name" Errors During the move, I found an error where image names were doubled (like `/images/posts/name-name/cover.png`). I had to use a script to fix all my files so the images would show up correctly. ### Handling Redirects To prevent "Page Not Found" (404) errors, I created a list of redirects. For example, **I sent everyone looking for old "tag" pages to my new "series" pages**. This way, old links still work. ### Cleaning Up MDX Moving all my posts from a CMS (like Hashnode) to MDX is not just copying and pasting. I had to fix many small errors and replace old codes with new React components. It took some time, but it was necessary to make the site work. ### Google Search and YouTube I wanted my content to be easy to find on Google. * **YouTube:** I made a special tool for YouTube videos. It tells Google exactly what is in the video so it can show up in search results. * **Unsplash Images:** To give credit to photographers, I made a tool that automatically shows the photographer's name for Unsplash images. ## 5. Automating My Newsletter with [Kit](https://kit.com) A blog needs a newsletter. Moving to **Kit** was very easy. **I moved all my subscribers without any problems**, so my 13.8K readers still get my updates. I also fixed the "RSS Feed." Most blogs only show a small part of the article in the email. I changed mine so the **entire article** is sent to my readers' inboxes. This is much better for the user. ## 6. Professional Email & Automation: Cloudflare + Kit One big challenge of "going solo" is email. I didn't want to pay for Google Workspace, but I needed a professional email address to avoid ending up in spam. * **Cloudflare Email Routing:** I set up `hola@danywalls.com` to forward emails to my personal Gmail. It's free and works perfectly. * **Kit Domain Auth:** I authenticated my domain in Kit using Cloudflare DNS. Now, my newsletters come from `hola@danywalls.com`, giving me professional deliverability without the monthly cost. * **GitHub Actions Automation:** I built a custom script that runs on GitHub Actions. Every time I push a new post, it automatically checks the date. If it's a new article, it **creates a draft campaign in Kit** for me using their API. I just have to click "Send". This ecosystem (Vercel + Cloudflare + Kit + GitHub Actions) gives me a powerful, automated media company setup for $0/month. ## Conclusion Moving everything was a lot of work, but now my blog is **faster, more personal, and 100% mine**. If you want to move your blog to your own platform, remember: focus on your links first, and the design second. **Are you planning to move your blog? Let me know on Twitter!** _Photo by [Isaac Maffeis](https://unsplash.com/@isaacmaffeis?utm_source=unsplashx&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplashx&utm_medium=referral)_