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Why I decided to go static with my portfolio

static web image static web image

WordPress has been my go-to platform for a portfolio since the beginning of time. However, I wanted to showcase my skills in HTML and CSS in a clear and straightforward manner. A couple of months ago, I made the decision to go static and build my own portfolio from the ground up, creating something I can be proud of. Here it is.

Choosing a Platform

There are numerous platforms available for building static websites. Some offer excellent documentation, providing step-by-step guidance for creating your desired outcome. Others, while powerful, lack comprehensive documentation, making the setup process challenging. Personally, if the setup is slow and tedious, it dampens my enthusiasm for content creation. Here are the platforms I tried:

  1. Jekyll
    • Offers an extensive library of templates, but none aligned with my skills or personal style preferences.
  2. HUGO
    • Appeared super powerful with a variety of themes, but its functionality is based on GO, a language I'm not familiar with. Unable to make it run as desired, I ultimately canceled the project.
  3. Material for MkDocs
    • I appreciate the abundance of plugins and hidden functionalities. Being based on Jinja2 and Python, it aligns more logically with my thought process. So far, I haven't encountered anything to make me reconsider. The website is up and running, and I'm quite satisfied with it.

Advantages of my Static Website

  • No need to pay for hosting.
  • I can openly share the source code of my repo.
  • There are statistics of when I am publishing (and I love stats).
  • You can always go back in time and see the progress you have made.
  • I find that markdown provides a lot of discipline for writing.
  • Experimenting with different CSS features.

Disadvantages of my Static Website

  • The template is what it is. Although it is quite amazing, it has some limitations.
  • There is no image gallery plugin.
  • The layout is somewhat limited.
  • You cannot include a contact form in a static website.
  • There is no password protection for a specific post.

Markdown forces me to create structure

When I sit down to write text in front of any text editor (Google Doc, Word, Confluence page), I usually start by defining the structure. In this website, I just need to think about the elements of text that I am going to include so that the navigation is accurate, there is a natural text flow, and the titles of each section lead to the next.

I have decided to write and publish content on this website, and until now, it has felt like home.

I hope I will have fun with this one.