Backend Guide

Backend Architecture

The Sports Live application uses Vercel serverless functions for the backend, providing:

• Auto-scaling API endpoints that handle traffic spikes automatically
• Built-in HTTPS and global CDN distribution
• Zero server management - focus on code, not infrastructure
• Cost-effective pay-per-request pricing
• Excellent performance with edge computing

Current API Setup

The backend API endpoints are located in the /api folder:

• api/sports-data.js - Main endpoint for fetching live sports data from Football-Data.org
• api/status.js - Health check endpoint for monitoring
• api/uptime.js - System uptime monitoring
• api/joke.js - Example/demo endpoint

Real-time Capabilities

Vercel supports real-time updates through:

• Polling: Frontend regularly fetches fresh data from API endpoints
• Webhooks: External services can trigger immediate updates
• Edge Functions: Ultra-fast response times globally
• Built-in caching: Intelligent caching for optimal performance

Running the Backend

For development with live API calls:

npx vercel dev

For mock data development:

npm start

Why Vercel Works Great

• Serverless Scaling: Automatically handles any amount of traffic
• Global Distribution: Fast responses worldwide via edge network
• Real-time Ready: Supports polling, webhooks, and live data fetching
• Developer Experience: Excellent local development and deployment tools
• Cost Effective: Only pay for actual usage, not idle server time

The current Vercel setup already provides excellent real-time performance and scalability for sports data delivery.

Further reading

• Read about how-to guides in the Diátaxis framework