Kevin Chen

Photo by Kevin Chen

This website has been in constant development since 2021. It has evolved over the years and changed styling as my preferences have changed.

Frontend Framework

At the core of this portfolio is Next.js. The main reason for choosing this frontend framework is its wide adoption within industry.

Type Safety with TypeScript

With many in the industry using TypeScript (even if a few have reverted back), I decided to keep everything in my portfolio aligned with what you would typically see used by companies and the wider public.

Styling with Tailwind CSS 4

For styling, I chose Tailwind CSS. I was originally against Tailwind due to how hard it is to read; however, after using it for a while and learning the shorthand, it has been relatively easy to use and style the site.

Version Control with Git

Like the majority of source control on the internet, I am using Git, with GitHub as the provider.

Deployment & Hosting: Vercel

Vercel was chosen due to how well it fits my requirements:

Low cost
Fast deployment
Integration with tools I am familiar with

The integration between Git and Vercel allows my site to build and deploy extremely quickly. I push code to Git, and Vercel automatically builds and deploys it.

Development Workflow

My development workflow typically looks like this:

1. Local Development - Work on features locally

2. Git Branching - Create feature branches for new work

3. Testing - Test thoroughly in the browser

4. Commit & Push - Commit changes with descriptive messages and push to Git

5. Create a Pull Request - Ensure that my GitHub Actions build successfully

6. Vercel Deployment - Vercel automatically builds and deploys