Vercel Deployment Crash & How To Fix It

🚧 Fixing Your Vercel Deployment Crash

🔍 What the Error Means

The message "Serverless Function has crashed" means your api/trends.js file is either missing, misnamed, broken, or Vercel couldn't run it properly.

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✅ Fix Checklist

1️⃣ GitHub Repo Structure

 hashtag-rotator-service/ ├── api/ │ └── trends.js ├── package.json └── README.md 

• trends.js must be inside the api/ folder
• package.json must list axios and cheerio

2️⃣ trends.js Format Check

Start with:

import axios from 'axios';

End with:

export default async function handler(req, res) { ... }

If you use module.exports or forget export default, Vercel won't detect it as a proper route.

3️⃣ Re-deploy Your Project

• Go to Vercel Dashboard
• Open your project → Deployments tab → Click Redeploy
• Use:
  • Framework Preset: Other
  • Root Directory: . (just a dot)

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🧪 Test the Endpoint

Once deployed, test:

https://hashtag-rotator-service.vercel.app/api/trends?region=kenya

You should see:

{ "hashtags": ["#Ngong", "#SabaSaba2025", "#JusticeForJuliaNjoki", ...] }

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🧠 Need Help?

I can walk through your file, Vercel form, or deployment logs with you. Let’s get Kenya’s civic signals flowing smoothly — no crashes, just clarity 💬✅

Author: Peter M. Mutiti | Investigative Journalist & Civic Technologist

MIT License © 2025 Peter M. Mutiti · View License