Colophon
How this site is built, and the tools and decisions behind it.
Stack
Astro 5 — Static site generator. Fast builds, zero client JS by default, and first-class support for MDX content collections. The right tool for a content-driven portfolio.
Tailwind CSS — Utility-first styling with the Typography plugin for prose content. Custom color palette built around a blue–purple–green triad.
MDX — Markdown with components. Project pages and blog posts live as content collections with typed frontmatter schemas.
TypeScript — End to end. Config, utilities, content schemas — everything is typed.
Hosting & Deployment
Netlify — Automatic deploys from Git, form handling for the contact page, and edge-optimized CDN. Push to main and it's live.
Design
Custom design — No template. Dark theme with a gradient hero (animated blue–purple–green), hand-tuned spacing, and a color system built from primary, secondary, tertiary, and pop scales.
Typography — Helvetica/Arial stack for body text. Clean and readable without a custom font download.
Syntax highlighting — Shiki with the
github-dark-dimmed theme. Matches the site's dark palette. Built with
Cursor + Neovim — Primary editors. Cursor for AI-assisted workflows, Neovim for speed.
Git CLI — Version control the old-fashioned way.
Conventions
This site follows a few community conventions I appreciate:
- /now page — what I'm focused on right now
- /uses page — the tools and hardware in my daily setup
- This page — a colophon, documenting how the site itself was built