A developer portfolio website is your professional calling card, a place to showcase your skills, projects, and personality to potential employers, collaborators, or clients. Whether you’re a frontend, backend or full-stack software engineer, creating an impactful portfolio is key to standing out in an increasingly competitive job market.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to build a developer portfolio that gets you attention.

Tailoring your portfolio to your role

Your portfolio should reflect your expertise and the role you’re targeting. Here’s how different developers might approach it:

• Frontend Developers: Focus on aesthetics, user interface, and responsiveness. Use animations, interactive components, and modern design trends to demonstrate your skills.
• Backend Developers: Highlight backend systems, APIs, and databases. Share detailed case studies or diagrams of your architecture.
• Full-Stack Developers: Showcase versatility by presenting projects where you built both frontend and backend components.
• Specialised Roles (e.g., DevOps, Data Science): Include role-specific examples like CI/CD pipelines, machine learning models, or data visualizations.

Your preferred tech stack should also dictate your portfolio’s content and build. For example, if you’re looking for jobs using React or Next.js, consider using these to build your site. Not only will this demonstrate technical skills, but it will also align with job descriptions in your target field.

The design process

Building a portfolio is about more than just coding. Great design and user experience are crucial. Here’s how to approach it:

Research and inspiration

Start by browsing existing developer portfolios, such as these 10 great examples. Platforms like Dribbble or Behance are great for design ideas. Look for layouts, color schemes, and components that resonate with your style and goals.

Wireframe your design

Before getting started on the code, create wireframes in tools like Figma or Sketch. This helps you map out the structure, navigation, and key sections such as:

• About me: Who you are and your experience. You may choose to leave this out, if your portfolio is strictly for showing projects.
• Projects: A showcase of your work.
• Skills: Your tech stack and tools.
• Contact: Easy ways to get in touch, such as links to your LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.

Start building

Now you’ve got a set of wireframes, you can start writing the code using your preferred tech stack! Ensure your site is responsive and mobile optimised, as many users will view it on smaller screens.

Modern tech stacks for building portfolios

The tech stack you build your portfolio with will depend on a lot of factors, but some of the most popular choices include:

Frameworks

• Next.js: A React-based framework ideal for server-rendered and static sites.
• Astro: Great for content-heavy portfolios with minimal JavaScript.
• Hugo: A fast static site generator that works well with markdown content.

Styling

• Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework that offers flexibility and a modern look.
• Bootstrap: A popular framework for building responsive designs quickly. Sites built with Bootstrap tend to look the same, so consider customising it!
• Custom CSS/SCSS: If you want complete control over your styles.

Content Management

For a blog or project case studies, you’ll want an easy way to manage your content:

• Markdown: Combine with frameworks like Next.js, Astro or Hugo for straightforward content management that should suffice for almost all developer portfolios.
• CMS Platforms: Tools like Contentful or Sanity can handle more complex needs.

Iterate

Review your design and functionality as you go. Iterate based on usability testing or your own findings to ensure a polished final product.

This is a good time to share the site with colleagues, friends and recruiters (if possible) to start gathering feedback. It’s important to pay attention to how people use your site - is it easy to navigate, find what they’re looking for, etc?

Your portfolio as a growth tool

A developer portfolio isn’t just a static showcase; it’s a dynamic tool that represents your skills, experience, and personal brand. By following these steps, researching, designing, building with modern tools, and iterating based on feedback—you can create a portfolio that not only impresses but also opens doors to new opportunities.

Start building your portfolio today, and make it a reflection of your best work. And if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out some of the best developer portfolio examples.