Building my portfolio like it's infinity gauntlet

Published: 1 week ago (January 31, 2026 at 02:23 PM EST)

2 min read

Source: Dev.to

This is a submission for the New Year, New You Portfolio Challenge Presented by Google AI

About Me

Hi there! I’m Zacky, a Full‑stack Developer enthusiastic about building applications that solve real‑world “people problems”.

I work across the stack to bring ideas to life, primarily utilizing JavaScript, Node.js, PHP, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. Recently, I’ve also been diving deep into the world of Rust.

My development philosophy centers on creating tools that help others. For example, I created and maintain RLI, an open‑source React component library of elegant loading indicators that has growing popularity on NPM.

I built this portfolio to showcase not just my projects, but my ability to blend technical “how‑to” with creative, interactive design.

Portfolio

(If the embed above doesn’t work, you can view the live site here: zacky.dev)

How I Built It

The Stack & Tools

Framework: Remix.js (Full‑stack React framework)
Noteworthy Libraries: Three.js, Material UI
Language: TypeScript
Deployment: Google Cloud Run
Code Editor: Antigravity

Design Decisions

Hybrid Architecture: Remix gives a snappy SPA feel while securely handling sensitive credentials and logic on the server side.
Performance: Implemented lazy loading for pages so the initial load is instant, fetching resources only when needed.
Accessibility & UX: Dark and Light modes let users control their viewing preference; the UI is modern and intuitive without clutter.
SEO: Server‑Side Rendering enables the website to serve pre‑rendered pages, boosting SEO rankings.

The AI Assistant

I utilized Google Gemini 3.0 and the Antigravity code editor throughout development. Gemini acted as a personal tutor, breaking down complex logic and explaining the “why” before the “how”.

What I’m Most Proud Of

1. Successful GCP Deployment

Deploying the portfolio to Google Cloud Run was a significant achievement. The process was smooth, and the documentation helped me navigate every step.

2. The 3D Interactive Experience

I created a custom 3D interactive page using Three.js and hand‑written shaders. Gemini 3.0 was instrumental in bridging the gap between my JavaScript knowledge and the complex math required for shader programming, resulting in a fluid, interactive visual that showcases the portfolio.

3. Fully Responsive Design

The site works seamlessly on all devices thanks to a combination of CSS media queries and JavaScript, ensuring a consistent experience everywhere.

4. Solving Problems (The RLI Library)

I’m proud to feature my open‑source work directly on the site. Showcasing RLI (React Loading Indicators) demonstrates that I build solutions other developers rely on, and seeing it gain traction on NPM motivates me to keep shipping open‑source code.

Thank you for reading this far. Your thoughts and feedback are much appreciated.