Serverless Realtime Analytics for Next.js with Vercel Edge, Upstash Kafka and Tinybird

The article outlines the process of building a real-time data pipeline to analyze website traffic using a combination of Vercel Edge, Upstash Kafka, and Tinybird. The setup involves creating an architecture where Vercel Edge Middleware collects user and geo-locational information from requests to a Next.js application, which is then sent to a serverless Upstash Kafka cluster. Tinybird is used to run real-time queries on the collected Kafka data and create API endpoints for analysis. The process includes setting up a Next.js application with Vercel Edge functions, configuring Upstash Kafka to handle traffic data, and using Tinybird to query and visualize the data collected, enabling insights into page views by city within the last 15 minutes. The article emphasizes the simplicity and scalability of using serverless technologies to achieve real-time data analysis without extensive server management or infrastructure setups.