Creating my website#
One of the first projects I set out to complete was creating a personal website and portfolio that was not a basic Wordpress or Wix site. I wanted to create a site that would be a reflection of my skills and showcase my work, and not have to pay a monthly fee or have other limitations provided by common website builders.
With this in mind, I did a lot of research and found a suitable framework that would allow me to create a website that was both professional and (mostly) unique. I also knew I wanted to host it on Azure, as a further demonstration of my technical ability and also to learn more about the cloud platform.
Another element of this project was to learn how to use Git and GitHub. I had never pushed anything to GitHub before, so I wanted to get that experience and learn how to use Git for version control. It has been one of the easier parts of the project to pick up, and thankfully Microsoft provides a lot of great tools in Visual Studio Code that integrate with GitHub, making the process of configuring the site files, and committing and pushing them to GitHub a breeze.
Enter Hugo and Azure Static Web Apps#
Hugo as a platform for building a website is shockingly simple, even for a beginner like myself. In a matter of minutes, I was able to install the Hugo CLI, create a new project, and start working on my website. The documentation was clear and concise, and the community support is impressive. I was able to find a theme that I liked, and using the power of free YouTube tutorials I was able to customize it to my liking.
The real fun started when I wanted to deploy my submitted website to Azure Static Web Apps. The first hurdle was learning the process of creating a resource in Azure, and that was the easiest part as the Azure resource creation process is very straightforward. The part that I struggled with the most was learning how to deploy the website to the Azure Static Web Apps resource I had created.
The whole process was supposed to be automated and simple, just point the resource to the GitHub repo, and watch the magic happen. However, this was not the case… I troubleshot this process for 4 days straight, bouncing off the same wall over and over again. The site would fail to build and deploy, and I would get errors at all different stages of the GitHub workflow.
Thankfully, the Hugo community and documentation was useful here, as well as YouTube once again. The most surprising source of help was actually GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code. Normally, I am not one for AI assistance, but this time it was a lifesaver in helping me sift through log files and find the root causes of the issues.
Thankfully, the remaining hurdle of applying my custom domain to the website was a simple one. Azure and my domain host provider, PorkBun, both made the process very easy and there was very little friction. Finally, I had a working website that I was proud of.
What I learned#
This whole project has been a great learning experience for me. Hugo was likely the least useful skill, but a fun experience and satisfying to explore. I was able to get experience in Git and GitHub, which is a skill that is in high demand and essential. Azure Static Web Apps is a great resource for hosting simple websites for free, and has a tight integration with GitHub. Since I am pursuing Azure as a focus for my career, I think this was the smartest choice and a great way to learn outside of certification training and knowledge bases.
I think the greatest lesson I have learned from this project is the importance of persistence and the experience of troubleshooting a problem with very little guidance or strong personal experience. Sorting through log files, debugging errors, and trying to figure out how to get to the finish line is a skill that I will be able to use in many areas of my career going forward, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn through the process.
Hopefully you have enjoyed the fruits of my labor, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out!