Building My Portfolio Website with Next.js

In this post, I'll walk through the process of how I built this very portfolio website using modern web technologies. I'll share my thinking process, technical decisions, and some lessons learned along the way.

Tech Stack

For this project, I used:

• Next.js 13 with App Router
• TypeScript for type safety
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• Shadcn/UI for UI components
• Markdown for blog content

Key Features

1. Dynamic Project Showcase

The projects section pulls data from a configuration file, making it easy to add new projects as I create them.

// Example of project configuration
{
  title: "Portfolio",
  description: "Personal portfolio website",
  href: "https://platinumj.dev",
  imageURL: "https://example.com/image.png",
  tags: ["nextjs", "typescript", "tailwindcss"],
  detailedDescription: "Personal portfolio website and blog platform..."
}

2. Responsive Design

The site is fully responsive, working well on devices of all sizes from mobile phones to large desktop screens.

3. Dark/Light Mode

I implemented a theme switcher using TailwindCSS and CSS variables, allowing users to choose their preferred viewing experience.

4. Blog with Markdown

The blog you're reading right now is written in Markdown and rendered using MDX, making it easy to write and maintain content.

Challenges and Solutions

One of the biggest challenges was implementing the glass-like UI effects. I wanted a modern, translucent look without sacrificing performance or accessibility.

The solution involved careful use of backdrop filters and color overlays, tested across different browsers to ensure consistency.

Performance Considerations

Performance was a priority from the start. I used Next.js's static generation for fast page loads and implemented lazy loading for images.

Deployment

I deployed the site on Vercel, which integrates seamlessly with Next.js and provides excellent analytics and performance monitoring tools.

Lessons Learned

1. Start with a clear design concept before coding
2. Component-based architecture saves time in the long run
3. Accessibility should be considered from the beginning
4. Performance optimization is an ongoing process

What's Next?

I plan to continue improving this site by:

• Adding more interactive elements
• Expanding the blog section
• Implementing analytics to understand user behavior
• Adding a contact form with email integration

I hope you found this walkthrough helpful! Feel free to check out the source code if you're interested in how it all works behind the scenes.

Happy coding!