DEV Community: thehollowed1 The latest articles on DEV Community by thehollowed1 (@thehollowed1). https://dev.to/thehollowed1 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%2F3618040%2F6e1b91d1-f31c-4657-9625-dae3e01b4049.jpeg DEV Community: thehollowed1 https://dev.to/thehollowed1 en Building My Portfolio: From Idea to Launch thehollowed1 Sat, 22 Nov 2025 21:29:47 +0000 https://dev.to/thehollowed1/building-my-portfolio-from-idea-to-launch-4jmc https://dev.to/thehollowed1/building-my-portfolio-from-idea-to-launch-4jmc <h2> Building My Portfolio: From Idea to Launch </h2> <p>After weeks of development, my portfolio is finally live! Here's the journey.</p> <h2> Why I Built It </h2> <p>As a full-stack developer, I needed a central place to showcase my work...</p> <h2> Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Framework</strong>: Next.js 14 (App Router)</li> <li> <strong>Styling</strong>: Tailwind CSS</li> <li> <strong>CMS</strong>: Sanity</li> <li> <strong>Deployment</strong>: Vercel</li> </ul> <h2> Featured Projects </h2> <h3> 1. NutPost - Social Media Management SaaS </h3> <p>• Multi-platform scheduling (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)<br> • Real-time analytics dashboard<br> • Team collaboration workflows</p> <h3> 2. Cooktale - Recipe Sharing Platform </h3> <p>• Interactive recipe builder with step-by-step instructions<br> • Media-rich content management<br> • Community-driven features</p> <h3> 3. Client Work - Zuri Portfolio </h3> <p>• Clean, modern design<br> • Responsive across all devices<br> • Performance-optimized</p> <h2> Challenges &amp; Solutions </h2> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Performance Optimization</strong></p> <ul> <li>Used Next.js Image component</li> <li>Lazy loading for projects</li> <li>Lighthouse score: 95+</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p><strong>CMS Integration</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sanity for blog posts</li> <li>Dynamic project pages</li> <li>ISR for performance</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <h2> Lessons Learned </h2> <ul> <li>Ship fast, iterate later</li> <li>Performance matters</li> <li>Keep it simple</li> </ul> <h2> What's Next? </h2> <ul> <li>Regular blog posts</li> <li>More case studies</li> <li>Open to freelance work!</li> </ul> <p>Check it out: <a href="https://azam-six.vercel.app/me" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://azam-six.vercel.app/me</a></p> <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%2Fnyl7rxq9qntd65ydka28.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fnyl7rxq9qntd65ydka28.png" alt="portfolio homepage" width="800" height="454"></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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkkahk0c44kce2lu68dfg.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkkahk0c44kce2lu68dfg.png" alt="Project listings" width="800" height="454"></a></p> portfolio tailwindcss nextjs showdev Starting My Build in Public Journey: CookTale & Nutpost thehollowed1 Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:37:19 +0000 https://dev.to/thehollowed1/starting-my-build-in-public-journey-cooktale-nutpost-3fdn https://dev.to/thehollowed1/starting-my-build-in-public-journey-cooktale-nutpost-3fdn <h2> Why I'm Done Building in Silence </h2> <p>Hey Dev.to community! 👋</p> <p>I'm a full-stack developer who's been building in the shadows for too long. Today that changes.</p> <h3> What I've Been Working On </h3> <p>For the past several months, I've been developing two products:</p> <p><strong>CookTale 🍳</strong> - A recipe discovery and sharing platform</p> <ul> <li>Built with Next.js, TypeScript, Prisma</li> <li>Features: Recipe search, user-generated content, collections</li> <li>Status: ~80% complete, getting ready for beta</li> </ul> <p><strong>Nutpost 📮</strong> - A cross-platform social media scheduler </p> <ul> <li>Tech stack: Next.js, Node.js, MongoDB</li> <li>Multi-platform posting (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)</li> <li>Status: MVP done, actively using it myself (including for this post!)</li> </ul> <h3> The Mistake I Made </h3> <p>I've been building both of these products in complete silence. No tweets, no updates, no community involvement. Classic developer move, right?</p> <p>But here's what I realized:</p> <ul> <li>Building alone is isolating</li> <li>I'm missing out on valuable feedback </li> <li>No accountability means slower shipping</li> <li>The journey has lessons worth sharing</li> </ul> <h3> What I'm Committing To </h3> <p>Starting today, I'm building in public. Here's what that means:</p> <p><strong>What I'll Share:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Daily/weekly progress updates</li> <li>Technical challenges and solutions</li> <li>Honest metrics (users, performance, revenue)</li> <li>Code snippets and learnings</li> <li>Failures and pivots</li> <li>Design decisions and trade-offs</li> </ul> <p><strong>What I Won't Share:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sensitive user data</li> <li>Proprietary algorithms</li> <li>Things that compromise security</li> </ul> <h3> My Goals </h3> <ol> <li> <strong>Launch CookTale</strong> in the next 4-6 weeks</li> <li> <strong>Grow Nutpost</strong> to 100 active users</li> <li> <strong>Write</strong> about technical challenges I solve</li> <li> <strong>Connect</strong> with other builders and developers</li> <li> <strong>Help</strong> someone else avoid my mistakes</li> </ol> <h3> Tech Stack (For the Nerds 🤓) </h3> <ul> <li> <strong>Frontend:</strong> Next.js 14, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS</li> <li> <strong>Backend:</strong> Node.js, Express</li> <li> <strong>Databases:</strong> PostgreSQL (Prisma), MongoDB</li> <li> <strong>DevOps:</strong> Docker, AWS, GitHub Actions</li> <li> <strong>Also exploring:</strong> Web3, Solidity</li> </ul> <h3> Let's Connect! </h3> <p>I'd love to connect with other developers building in public. Drop a comment if:</p> <ul> <li>You're also building something</li> <li>You have questions about my stack</li> <li>You want to follow along</li> <li>You have advice for a first-time #buildinpublic person</li> </ul> <p>Here's to transparency, community, and shipping! 🚀</p> <p>Follow my journey here on Dev.to and on Twitter [@<a href="https://x.com/azamthefirst" rel="noopener noreferrer">azamthefirst</a>]</p> <p><a href="https://cooktale-seven.vercel.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">COOKTALE</a></p> <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%2Fviaa0yeeo0lpzs3bhqru.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fviaa0yeeo0lpzs3bhqru.png" alt="Cooktale - Homepage" width="800" height="454"></a></p> <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%2F27m636e8oyvq85th4q6e.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F27m636e8oyvq85th4q6e.png" alt="Cooktale - Recipes Hero" width="800" height="454"></a></p> <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%2Fc98w7jr6vmnzmlenag7j.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fc98w7jr6vmnzmlenag7j.png" alt="Cooktale - All Recipes" width="800" height="454"></a></p> <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%2Frzepznkxcp4badkp1pxr.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Frzepznkxcp4badkp1pxr.png" alt="Cooktale - Recipe Page" width="800" height="454"></a></p> <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%2Fbmit5o8sj3y9chvrq7an.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.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fbmit5o8sj3y9chvrq7an.png" alt="Cooktale - Blogs" width="800" height="454"></a></p> <h2> <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%2Fc2dsgyagccxhsc36uhf6.png" alt="Cooktale - Profile" width="800" height="455"> </h2> <p><strong>What are you building? Let me know in the comments!</strong></p> <p>Tags: #buildinpublic #webdev #nextjs #react #typescript #indiehacker #showdev</p> devjournal nextjs startup showdev