Developer Portfolio (Eleventy Version)
Building this version of the portfolio with Claude Code
This is the version of the portfolio you're looking at right now.
After hand-coding the
original PHP version
from scratch, I decided to migrate the site to
Eleventy (11ty),
a static site generator. This allowed me to remove the PHP dependency
entirely while keeping the same design and functionality.
The migration involved replacing PHP includes with Nunjucks templates
and partials, setting up a proper build pipeline, and organizing the
project with a clean source directory structure. The site's layout system
uses a base template with reusable partials for the menu and social links,
and global site data is managed through a JavaScript data file rather than
being hardcoded across pages.
The visual design, including the Particles.js background, goldenrod color
scheme, and responsive layout, carried over from the PHP version. The key
improvements are under the hood — no server-side language required, faster
page loads as static HTML, and a much better development experience with
hot reloading and a clean project structure.
This is also my first AI-assisted coding project, built with
Claude Code.
I used Claude as a development partner throughout the migration and
site updates, from converting PHP templates to Nunjucks, to restructuring
the project, to adding new pages and content. It was a great way to
experience AI-assisted development firsthand while still maintaining
creative control over the design and direction of the site.
What changed in the migration?
1: PHP includes replaced with Nunjucks templates and partials.
2: Dynamic copyright year handled via a JavaScript data file instead of PHP's date().
3: Project restructured with a dedicated src/ directory, layouts, and includes.
4: Build output generates clean static HTML — no server-side processing needed.
5: Development workflow improved with Eleventy's live reload server.