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Portfolio Platform Architecture

Professional consultancy platform built with Next.js 14, automated CI/CD workflows, and enterprise-grade AWS deployment architecture demonstrating modern web development and infrastructure capabilities.

TECHNOLOGY STACK

Next.js 14TypeScriptTailwind CSSGitHub ActionsAWS S3CloudFrontRoute 53AWS Lambda

Project Overview

Strategic Purpose

Design and implement a professional consultancy platform that demonstrates technical capabilities while serving as a business development tool. The platform needed to showcase both documentation expertise and full-stack development skills.

Technical Requirements

  • • Modern React framework with server-side rendering
  • • Professional design system with dark theme
  • • Automated deployment and content delivery
  • • Global performance optimization
  • • Version control integration and workflow automation

Platform Metrics

< 2s
Page load time globally via CloudFront
100%
Automated deployment success rate
5 Pages
Comprehensive project showcase

Architecture & Technology Decisions

Framework Selection

Next.js 14 with App Router

Modern React framework providing server-side rendering, static generation, and optimal performance characteristics.

TypeScript Integration

Strict typing for component interfaces, API interactions, and development workflow reliability.

Tailwind CSS System

Professional design system with custom neutral palette and responsive component architecture.

Next.js Configuration

JavaScript
/** @type {import('next').NextConfig} */
const nextConfig = {
  output: 'export',
  trailingSlash: true,
  images: {
    unoptimized: true
  },
  assetPrefix: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' 
    ? 'https://clever-technical-writing.com' 
    : '',
  
  // Enable static optimization
  experimental: {
    optimizeCss: true,
    optimizePackageImports: ['tailwindcss']
  },
  
  // Build optimization
  compiler: {
    removeConsole: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
  }
};

export default nextConfig;

AWS Infrastructure Implementation

The platform utilizes a comprehensive AWS architecture for global content delivery, security, and performance optimization. Every component is configured for enterprise-grade reliability and scalability.

GitHub Actions Deployment Workflow

YAML
name: Deploy to AWS S3 and CloudFront

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    steps:
    - name: Checkout repository
      uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
    - name: Setup Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      with:
        node-version: '18'
        cache: 'npm'
        
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
      
    - name: Build application
      run: npm run build
      
    - name: Configure AWS credentials
      uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
      with:
        aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
        aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
        aws-region: eu-west-2
        
    - name: Sync to S3
      run: |
        aws s3 sync ./out s3://clever-technical-writing.com \
          --delete \
          --cache-control "public, max-age=31536000, immutable" \
          --exclude "*.html" \
          --exclude "*.json"
          
        aws s3 sync ./out s3://clever-technical-writing.com \
          --delete \
          --cache-control "public, max-age=0, must-revalidate" \
          --include "*.html" \
          --include "*.json"
          
    - name: Invalidate CloudFront
      run: |
        aws cloudfront create-invalidation \
          --distribution-id ${{ secrets.CLOUDFRONT_DISTRIBUTION_ID }} \
          --paths "/*"

Content Strategy & Component Architecture

Design System Principles

  • Neutral Professional Palette: Executive-level aesthetics
  • Modular Components: Reusable UI elements across pages
  • Responsive Design: Mobile-first with desktop optimization
  • Performance Focus: Optimized loading and interaction
  • Accessibility Compliance: WCAG standards implementation
  • SEO Optimization: Meta tags and structured data

Component Examples

ProjectHeader

Standardized project introduction with tech stack, status, and GitHub integration.

OutcomeCarousel

Interactive expertise showcase with responsive navigation and outcome metrics.

EmbeddedPreview

Secure iframe integration for live system demonstrations within project pages.

Performance & Security Implementation

The platform implements enterprise-grade performance optimization and security measures, demonstrating production-ready development practices and AWS best practices.

CloudFront CDN

  • • Global edge location distribution
  • • Intelligent cache control headers
  • • Automatic HTTPS enforcement
  • • Custom error page handling

S3 Configuration

  • • Static website hosting optimization
  • • Bucket policy security controls
  • • Versioning and lifecycle management
  • • Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS)

Route 53 DNS

  • • Custom domain configuration
  • • Health checks and monitoring
  • • SSL certificate management
  • • Global DNS optimization

Business & Technical Outcomes

This platform serves dual purposes: demonstrating technical capabilities to potential clients while providing a scalable foundation for business development and content management. The architecture decisions reflect enterprise development practices.

Key Achievements

Technical Demonstration

Showcases modern web development, AWS infrastructure, and CI/CD automation capabilities to potential clients.

Professional Positioning

Positions expertise beyond documentation into full-stack development and cloud architecture.

Scalable Foundation

Provides extensible platform for content expansion, case studies, and business growth.

Cost Optimization

Efficient AWS resource utilization with S3 storage and CloudFront caching minimizing operational costs.