A good developer portfolio can open doors — but a lot of them miss the basics.
After building my own (and turning it into a template), here are the 5 things I
think every dev portfolio needs:
1. A clear hero
The first thing visitors see should instantly say who you are and what you do.
Name, role, and a short tagline. Don't make people guess.
2. Real projects with links
Show your best work with a short description, the tech stack, and links to a live
demo and the code. Two or three strong projects beat ten weak ones.
3. Mobile-first design
Most people will open your portfolio on their phone. If it breaks on mobile, you
lose them. Build for small screens first.
4. Light & dark mode
It's a small touch, but it signals attention to detail — and developers love
dark mode.
5. An easy way to contact you
A clear email or a simple contact form. Don't make people hunt for it.
I tried to nail all of these in a portfolio template I built with React, Vite &
Tailwind. If you want to skip the setup, you can check it out here:
Live demo: devfolio-template-vercel-app.vercel.app
What would you add to this list? 👇