The latest articles on DEV Community by Ritika Rajput (@ritika_rajput). https://dev.to/ritika_rajput https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4172631%2Fceba971b-f251-4ab6-afdb-5dc504665132.jpeg https://dev.to/ritika_rajput en Ritika Rajput Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:47:52 +0000 https://dev.to/ritika_rajput/how-i-built-and-launched-my-portfolio-website-as-a-beginner-using-ai-tools-4gf2 https://dev.to/ritika_rajput/how-i-built-and-launched-my-portfolio-website-as-a-beginner-using-ai-tools-4gf2 <p>Hi, I'm Ritika Rajput, a web developer, video editor and social media manager from India. I wanted a portfolio website, but I don't write HTML, CSS or React from scratch. So I built it with AI tools. Here is what that really looked like, including what went wrong.</p> <p>Live site: <a href="https://ritika-rajput-portfolio.vercel.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://ritika-rajput-portfolio.vercel.app</a></p> <h2> The tools I used </h2> <ul> <li>Replit Agent to generate the first version</li> <li>VS Code with OpenCode (an AI coding agent) for later changes</li> <li>GitHub to save and version my code</li> <li>Vercel to host the site</li> <li>Supabase for the database behind my admin panel</li> <li>Google Search Console to get the site indexed</li> </ul> <h2> What went wrong, and what I learned </h2> <p><strong>1. AI writes placeholder text that looks real.</strong> My first version had generic lines about "an independent creative studio" and even an invented year ("Since 1998") on a client project. I had to read every line and replace it with true information. Always review what the AI writes about you.</p> <p><strong>2. My first deployment failed.</strong> Vercel stopped with the error "PORT environment variable is required". The fix was adding the missing environment variables in the Vercel settings and redeploying. [Add one line about how you felt or how long it took.]</p> <p><strong>3. Database security is not optional.</strong> My Supabase tables use Row Level Security. For now they allow public reading only, and I plan to add a proper login before allowing any writes.</p> <p><strong>4. Be honest about your skills.</strong> I removed the fake percentage bars from my Skills page and listed the tools I actually use.</p> <p><strong>5. SEO basics are small but important.</strong> I added page titles, meta descriptions, alt text for images, a sitemap.xml and a robots.txt.</p> <h2> What I built </h2> <p>Pages: Home, About, Skills, Blog, Projects and Contact, plus a hidden admin panel for managing content.</p> <p>My first client project is a website for Nirmal Family Restaurant &amp; Party Hall: <a href="https://nirmal-restaurant.vercel.app/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://nirmal-restaurant.vercel.app/</a></p> <h2> What is next </h2> <p>I want to make my contact form send real messages, publish real blog posts, and add more projects (video editing, graphic design and social media).</p> <p>If you are a beginner and think an AI-built website is not "real", I disagree. It is real when you review it, test it and understand what you ship. Feedback is very welcome!<br> <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.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgcltianke4tk5gn8omuq.png" 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.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgcltianke4tk5gn8omuq.png" alt=" " width="800" height="321"></a><br> <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.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1a6mb0540mdysfyqmkaf.PNG" 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.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1a6mb0540mdysfyqmkaf.PNG" alt=" " width="800" height="346"></a></p> webdev beginners ai portfolio