Project case study · production
Personal portfolio website
A fast, accessible, recruiter-focused portfolio built with Next.js and deployed on AWS Lightsail, showcasing DevOps/SRE expertise through curated case studies, experience, and technical writing.
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Problem and intended users
Recruiters, hiring managers, and technical interviewers need to quickly assess a Senior DevOps/SRE engineer's expertise through substantive project case studies, verifiable outcomes, career experience, and technical depth—without unnecessary visual complexity or unsupported claims.
Who it is for
- Recruiters and talent sourcing
- Hiring managers and technical interviewers
- Engineering peers interested in technical writing
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Constraints and design considerations
- Content must be version-controlled and editable without a CMS or web-based admin interface.
- All claims, metrics, dates, and project capabilities must be reviewed before publishing.
- The site must load quickly and remain accessible on small AWS Lightsail instances.
- Design must prioritize clarity and recruiter scanning patterns over visual complexity.
- Resume, email, phone, and social links must be immediately discoverable.
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Architecture overview
A Next.js application uses file-based content (markdown with YAML frontmatter) for projects, experience, and articles. The homepage prioritizes hero, featured case studies, impact statements, and contact actions. Project and experience pages provide detailed views with filtering and search capabilities. AWS Lightsail Ubuntu VM runs the application via Docker Compose behind Caddy reverse proxy. Static content is version-controlled in the same repository as code.
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Implementation approach
Content is authored in .mdx files with structured YAML frontmatter including project metadata, problem statement, constraints, architecture, outcomes, and technologies. The Next.js application loads and renders this content dynamically. TypeScript ensures type safety across content structures. Homepage composition prioritizes featured projects, core capabilities with evidence, latest writing, and clear recruiter action paths. Performance optimizations include image optimization, Next.js static generation, and compression via Caddy.
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Operational decisions
- Reliability
- Static content delivery via version control ensures reproducibility and audit history. Docker containerization makes deployments consistent across environments. Lightsail managed infrastructure removes operational complexity while remaining cost-effective.
- Cost
- AWS Lightsail at entry-level pricing runs the entire application and serves multiple domains. Docker Compose eliminates the need for orchestration platforms. Caddy handles TLS without external certificate management overhead.
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Outcomes and current maturity
Current maturity: production
- Deployed a production portfolio showcasing DevOps/SRE expertise with minimal operational overhead.
- Demonstrated case studies and project outcomes with linked GitHub repositories.
- Created a repeatable, version-controlled content authoring pattern.
- Optimized for recruiter discovery with clear navigation and contact paths.
Current limitations
- No user interaction beyond link clicks and page navigation.
- Resume, articles, and social profiles remain external; no integration with live data sources.
- Analytics are disabled to avoid tracking and privacy complexity.
- Growth metrics beyond page views and outbound clicks are not measured.
Roadmap
- Expand project case studies with new infrastructure and reliability work.
- Add interactive architecture diagrams and technical writing samples.
- Implement SEO and social-sharing metadata across all pages.
- Establish analytics to track recruiter engagement and resume views.
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Lessons learned
- Version-controlled content files are as important as version-controlled code for maintainability.
- Recruiter scanning patterns prioritize quick evidence discovery over artistic design.
- Case studies with clear problem-constraint-outcome structure convince hiring managers more than unsupported skill lists.
- Small cloud instances running containerized applications can reliably serve production portfolios at minimal cost.
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