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Cade White
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Launch
Portfolio
Next.js

We're Live! My Portfolio Journey

March 22, 2026
4 min read

After months of planning, building, and refining — my developer portfolio is officially live!

What I Built

This portfolio is a full-stack Next.js application that showcases my projects, skills, and a bit about who I am as a developer. It's not just a static page with links — it's a fully functional web application with:

  • Server-side rendering for fast load times and SEO
  • A working contact form with PostgreSQL database storage
  • Google reCAPTCHA v3 for spam protection
  • Rate limiting to prevent abuse
  • Dark/light theme toggle that respects system preferences
  • Vercel Analytics for tracking visitor engagement
  • Full accessibility support with ARIA labels and keyboard navigation

The Tech Stack

I chose technologies that are industry-standard and that I genuinely enjoy working with:

  • Next.js 14 with the App Router
  • TypeScript for type safety
  • Tailwind CSS for styling
  • Prisma as the ORM
  • PostgreSQL (hosted on Neon) for the database
  • Vercel for deployment
  • Resend for transactional emails

Why This Stack?

Next.js gives me the best of both worlds — React's component model with server-side capabilities. TypeScript catches bugs before they hit production. Tailwind lets me move fast without fighting CSS. And Vercel makes deployment effortless.

What's Next

This launch is just the beginning. I plan to:

  • Add more projects as I build them
  • Write technical blog posts about what I'm learning
  • Continuously improve based on analytics and feedback

If you're a recruiter, hiring manager, or fellow developer — thanks for stopping by. Feel free to reach out through the contact form or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Let's build something great together.