What causes "Vercel Build Exceeded Memory (SIGKILL / Out of Memory)"?

Large Next.js apps generating many pages at build time Heavy dependencies and big bundles Source maps and image processing during build Default Node heap smaller than available memory Disk filled by node_modules (32 GB limit)

How do I fix "Vercel Build Exceeded Memory (SIGKILL / Out of Memory)"?

1. Raise the Node.js heap size: Set Build Command to: NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=6144 next build Keep the value below the machine's memory (8192 MB on Basic/Standard) 2. Find what uses the memory: Add environment variable VERCEL_BUILD_SYSTEM_REPORT=1 to get a memory/disk report on every build Check Observability > Build Diagnostics to compare deployments For Next.js 14.2+, run next build --experimental-debug-memory-usage locally 3. Reduce build work: Pre-render fewer pages at build time and use ISR for the rest Remove unused or duplicate dependencies Compress images before committing 4. Use a larger build machine (Pro): Settings > Build and Deployment > Build Machine Choose Enhanced (16 GB) or Turbo (60 GB), or Elastic Note: larger machines are billed per CPU-minute

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Vercel Build Exceeded Memory (SIGKILL / Out of Memory)

Workaround available Web (Vercel builds) Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

Vercel builds run with 8 GB of memory on the default machine; if your build needs more it is killed with SIGKILL or an out-of-memory error. Raise the Node heap below the limit, cut heavy dependencies, or use a larger build machine on Pro.

Most likely fix: Raise the Node.js heap size.

Symptoms

Build stops with 'SIGKILL', 'JavaScript heap out of memory', 'Build container ran out of memory' or a system report showing memory or disk limits reached.

Why it happens

Large Next.js apps generating many pages at build time
Heavy dependencies and big bundles
Source maps and image processing during build
Default Node heap smaller than available memory
Disk filled by node_modules (32 GB limit)

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Raise the Node.js heap size
1. Set Build Command to: NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=6144 next build
2. Keep the value below the machine's memory (8192 MB on Basic/Standard)
2. Find what uses the memory
1. Add environment variable VERCEL_BUILD_SYSTEM_REPORT=1 to get a memory/disk report on every build
2. Check Observability > Build Diagnostics to compare deployments
3. For Next.js 14.2+, run next build --experimental-debug-memory-usage locally
3. Reduce build work
1. Pre-render fewer pages at build time and use ISR for the rest
2. Remove unused or duplicate dependencies
3. Compress images before committing
4. Use a larger build machine (Pro)
1. Settings > Build and Deployment > Build Machine
2. Choose Enhanced (16 GB) or Turbo (60 GB), or Elastic
3. Note: larger machines are billed per CPU-minute

This guide also covers

vercel build exceeded memory
vercel sigkill
vercel build out of memory
javascript heap out of memory vercel
vercel build container ran out of memory

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