Under the Hood
Curious how this site works? Here's a peek at the tech stack, architecture, and design choices that make it all run.
Why I Built This
First off, thanks for stopping by! This portfolio is an evolution of my journey as a Software Engineer. I wanted a personal space on the internet that truly reflects my technical growth, skills, and design aesthetics.
This website is open source, feel free to explore the code, fork it, and learn from it.
rikidaniel/my-portfolio on GitHub
The 2026 Iteration
In 2026, I rebuilt this portfolio from scratch utilizing the modern web ecosystem. I embraced Server-Side Rendering, robust state management, and modern animations to deliver a premium user experience.You are totally welcome to follow the design patterns and architecture I'm sharing here. I pushed myself to learn new concepts and build a platform I am truly proud to showcase. Fast, clean, and dynamic—a true representation of my capabilities as an engineer today.
How I Built This
I broke it down into three main building blocks. Each one handles a specific part of the site:
Foundation
Server-side rendering, type safety, and rapid styling.
Motion
Smooth animations and delightful interactions.
Data
State management with full type safety.
Tech Stack
Here's what powers this site. Nothing fancy, just solid tools that work:
How It's Built
I keep things simple with a component-based setup. Everything is modular, so I can swap pieces in and out without breaking stuff. Pages are built with reusable components, state management keeps data flowing smoothly, and the backend handles all the heavy lifting.
The whole thing runs on Next.js, which gives me server-side rendering for speed and SEO. Database queries go through Prisma for type safety, and I use React Query to cache data so you're not waiting around for the same stuff to load twice.
Design Philosophy
I'm all about keeping things clean and simple. No crazy animations that distract you, no walls of text that make your eyes glaze over. Just smooth interactions and a layout that makes sense.
Everything here is designed to work on any device. Phone, tablet, desktop, whatever. I also make sure it's accessible, so everyone can use it comfortably. And yeah, it's fast because nobody likes waiting for pages to load.
Domain Identity
The decision to host my digital presence under rikidaniel.dev was intentional. Here's a brief background on my domain identity:
The .dev top-level domain is inherently secure (enforcing HTTPS by default) and universally recognized as the home for developers and tech innovators. It's the perfect digital namespace to showcase my code, projects, and professional journey.
Having a unified identity under one primary domain eliminates confusion, centralizes my professional footprint, and provides a clear, memorable URL for collaborators and clients to reach out.
Design Inspiration & Credits
The user interface and design aesthetics of this portfolio were heavily inspired by the amazing work of Ryan Aulia (aulianza.com). Huge thanks to him for sharing such a beautiful and well-crafted digital garden.
A Note for Us
If you're reading this, we're probably on the same journey. Building, learning, creating. Whether we're taking our first steps or have years of experience behind us, we're all constantly evolving and discovering new ways to bring our ideas to life.
The journey isn't always smooth. We hit walls, face bugs that make no sense, and question our choices. But here's what I've learned: those moments are where real growth happens. Every problem we solve makes us stronger. Every project we finish teaches us something new.
So let's keep building. Keep learning. Keep pushing ourselves to try new things. Our next project could be the one that changes everything. Stay curious, stay humble, and never stop creating. The world needs what we're building.
Best regards,
Riki Daniel