This Website
Updated on 24th April 2024
A small story about how I built this website.
Introduction
I bought the hasathcharu.com domain back in May, 2021. I wanted to experience the process of purchasing a domain, configuring DNS, and using the CPanel to host a website. I hosted a simple static website that I built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The website was hosted on a shared hosting server. Today, this website is built with Next.js and Tailwind CSS.
This article is a small story about how this website has evolved over the years.
History of hasathcharu.com
The HTML - Mid 2021
The first version of this website was a simple static website that I built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The whole website was a single page with a header, a hero section, a projects section, a resume section, and a contact section. I hosted this website on a shared hosting server and used the CPanel to manage the website. The website was very simple, but it was a great learning experience for me.
The Vanilla JS - Late 2021
Then I was able to slowly use some more advanced JavaScript to make the site more interactive with cards that could be opened in a modal. This site still had a single page, but I'd say it was a bit more refined than the first one.
The Webpack - Early 2022
The site evolved slowly, and I was able to implement dark and light themes for the site which consisted of a simple toggle. The UI seemed definitely evolved and I was able to migrate the site to use Webpack for bundling. I still vividly remember the struggles I had to go through to get Webpack working properly, as I went through the process manually, without even using React. The site was written in Vanilla JS, HTML, and CSS. I also remember the times I wondered why my pushes were taking so long, only to realize that I was pushing the node_modules folder as well.
The React - Mid 2022
I finally transitioned the site to use Next.js with React. It was a great experience, but however, deployment was not smooth at all. It turns out that the shared hosting server I was using did not support Node.js, and I had to find a workaround. I ended up going for Heroku, but unfortunately, they cut off their free tier shortly after. So I had to find another solution. I ended up purchasing a Droplet from DigitalOcean and deployed the site there.
The Blog - Mid 2023
This update, although seemed minimal, added a lot more information. I added some articles about my projects to the site. At the time, I was just having a page for each article, and I had to manually write the markup for each article. However, it was a very fun experience.
Present Day - Mid 2024
Today, this website is built with Next.js and Tailwind CSS. I have a blog section where I write articles about my projects and experiences. Moreover, the articles are now written in MDX, which allows me to write articles without needing markup. I am really happy with how the site has evolved over the years, and I am excited to see where it goes in the future.
