The latest articles on DEV Community by Aron Hawkins (@nextstepdev). https://dev.to/nextstepdev https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3822455%2Fedf40388-b01f-44bf-a9d3-b34e6004aa8a.jpg https://dev.to/nextstepdev en Aron Hawkins Wed, 13 May 2026 13:35:05 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/why-your-website-feels-slow-its-probably-not-what-you-think-jc0 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/why-your-website-feels-slow-its-probably-not-what-you-think-jc0 <p>A slow website can lead to lost leads and higher server costs. Learn the easy way to fix a slow site, increase engagement, and lower overhead.</p> <p><a href="https://nextstepdev.substack.com/p/why-your-website-feels-slow-and-its?r=4wogyx" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read the full article on Substack</a> to find out what the quiet killer to site speed is and the easy way to fix it!</p> webdev webperf productivity resources Aron Hawkins Mon, 04 May 2026 16:36:25 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/image-optimize-the-dream-image-compression-conversion-and-resizing-platform-for-developers-58j9 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/image-optimize-the-dream-image-compression-conversion-and-resizing-platform-for-developers-58j9 <p>I built the image optimization platform I've always wanted. Image Optimize allows you to compress, convert, and resize images in bulk in one pass. It includes a generous free tier and even more powerful paid plans. Check out <a href="https://image-optimize.io" rel="noopener noreferrer">Image Optimize</a> for free! Learn more about the platform and why I built it in my <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/nextstepdev/p/introducing-image-optimize?r=4wogyx&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web" rel="noopener noreferrer">Substack post</a>.</p> webdev frontend saas productivity Aron Hawkins Sun, 05 Apr 2026 05:31:15 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/the-most-fun-404-page-on-the-internet-27j7 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/the-most-fun-404-page-on-the-internet-27j7 <p><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/nextstepdev/p/the-most-fun-404-page-on-the-internet?r=4wogyx&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read the article on Substack</a></p> webdev showdev Aron Hawkins Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:03:21 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/are-you-proud-of-your-vibe-bgi https://dev.to/nextstepdev/are-you-proud-of-your-vibe-bgi <p>Thoughts on vibe coding and feeling proud of your work:</p> <div class="crayons-card c-embed text-styles text-styles--secondary"> <div class="c-embed__content"> <div class="c-embed__cover"> <a href="https://substack.com/@nextstepdev/note/c-234483050?utm_source=notes-share-action&amp;amp%3Br=4wogyx" class="c-link align-middle" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <img alt="" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstackcdn.com%2Fimage%2Ffetch%2F%24s_%21bQwX%21%2Cw_680%2Ch_680%2Cc_limit%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep%2Fhttps%253A%252F%252Fsubstack.com%252Fnote%252Fc-234483050%252Fpreview.jpeg%253Fsize%253Dsm%2526attachmentsOnly%253D1" height="430" class="m-0" width="680"> </a> </div> <div class="c-embed__body"> <h2 class="fs-xl lh-tight"> <a href="https://substack.com/@nextstepdev/note/c-234483050?utm_source=notes-share-action&amp;amp%3Br=4wogyx" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link"> Next Step Dev (@nextstepdev): "" </a> </h2> <div class="color-secondary fs-s flex items-center"> <img alt="favicon" class="c-embed__favicon m-0 mr-2 radius-0" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstackcdn.com%2Ficons%2Fsubstack%2Ffavicon.ico" width="32" height="32"> substack.com </div> </div> </div> </div> webdev ai softwaredevelopment vibecoding Aron Hawkins Wed, 18 Mar 2026 01:39:31 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/how-code-is-like-music-and-why-that-matters-in-the-age-of-ai-i2i https://dev.to/nextstepdev/how-code-is-like-music-and-why-that-matters-in-the-age-of-ai-i2i <p>I make music and I write code for the same reason: to create, and I will continue to do so no matter how the landscape looks once the AI wave settles. My hope is that both listeners and users will continue to be hungry for the human connection that occurs when we put our time, creativity, and soul into what we create.<br> Read more at the <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/nextstepdev/p/how-code-is-like-music-and-why-that?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;utm_medium=web" rel="noopener noreferrer">original article</a>.</p> ai webdev discuss career Aron Hawkins Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:46:58 +0000 https://dev.to/nextstepdev/how-to-build-a-fully-accessible-website-header-1dgb https://dev.to/nextstepdev/how-to-build-a-fully-accessible-website-header-1dgb <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F66bdo34ntc8k3byj9qmg.jpg" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F66bdo34ntc8k3byj9qmg.jpg" alt="Snippet from Substack post" width="800" height="1000"></a><br> Read the rest of the post on the <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/nextstepdev/p/how-to-build-a-fully-accessible-website?r=4wogyx&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web" rel="noopener noreferrer">Next Step Dev Substack</a>!</p> webdev a11y javascript css