A few months ago, I decided to build my own website. Not a portfolio on some platform, but a real, self-owned space on the internet. Here’s why I did it and why I think more developers should consider doing the same.
The Problem with Rented Land
We all use LinkedIn, GitHub, Twitter, and various other platforms to share our work and connect with others. These platforms are valuable, but they come with limitations:
- Algorithmic visibility: Your content is subject to opaque algorithms
- Platform lock-in: Your data and audience belong to the platform
- Design constraints: You’re limited by their templates and layouts
- Unexpected changes: Features disappear, policies change, platforms die
Owning Your Presence
Having my own website means:
- Complete control: I decide how my work is presented
- Permanence: As long as I maintain it, my content stays accessible
- Learning opportunity: Building it taught me more than any tutorial
- Differentiation: It stands out in a sea of identical LinkedIn profiles
Learning by Building
The best part about building my own site wasn’t the end result — it was what I learned along the way:
- Deepened my understanding of Astro and static site generation
- Learned about content modeling with Zod schemas
- Implemented search with FlexSearch
- Set up automated deployment with GitHub Actions
- Practiced writing about technical topics
It’s Not About Perfection
My website isn’t perfect. The design is simple. The content is sparse. But it’s mine, and it will grow with me. I don’t need a perfect portfolio to start — I need a place to put things as I create them.
A Digital Garden
I think of this site as a digital garden rather than a finished portfolio. Some areas are well-tended. Others are wild and overgrown. But everything here is something I planted myself.
You Should Do It Too
If you’re a developer, you should have your own website. Not because you need to showcase fancy projects. Not because employers expect it. But because the act of building it will teach you things you can’t learn any other way.
Start small. Start imperfect. Just start.
Resources That Helped Me
- Astro documentation - Excellent guides and examples
- Astro Erudite theme - Design inspiration
- Shadcn/ui - Component patterns
This post was written as I was building the very site you’re reading it on. Meta, right?