Last updated: 12 November 2026
- What recruiters check in 60 seconds
- 15 project ideas by level and stack
- How to write a project case study (with a sample)
- GitHub hygiene checklist
- Web developer portfolio: what to show
- Data analyst portfolio: 5 project ideas
- Where to host it
- Mistakes and fixes
- Recruiters spent an average of 7.4 seconds on an initial resume scan in a 2018 eye-tracking study. A portfolio link is how you earn the next minute.
- GitHub Pages hosts a static site free from a public repository. Your site lives at username.github.io.
- A GitHub profile shows up to 6 pinned repositories. A repository with the same name as your username shows its README on your profile.
- GitHub said in 2023 that it had crossed 100 million developers. Your profile competes for attention, so curation matters more than volume.
Sources: Ladders eye-tracking study (2018); GitHub Docs; GitHub blog (January 2023).
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Most recruiters are not engineers. They open your portfolio between two calls, click a few things and decide whether to pass you to the hiring manager. The hiring manager then spends longer, but only on the project you put first. Here is what each of them looks at, in order.
| Seconds | What they check | What passes | What fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | Headline and role | "Frontend developer, React and TypeScript, Bengaluru" | "Passionate coder | Tech enthusiast" |
| 10–20 | First project card | Screenshot, one-line outcome, live link | A list of 14 tutorial repos |
| 20–35 | Live demo | Loads in a few seconds, works on mobile | Blank page, expired free host, login wall |
| 35–50 | Code link | Clean README, clear folders, recent commits | No README, one giant commit called "final" |
| 50–60 | Contact and resume | Email, LinkedIn, resume PDF that matches | Contact form only, or a resume with different dates |
Notice what is missing: skill bars, animated logos and lists of 20 technologies. Nobody scores those. A recruiter wants proof that you can ship one thing that works. A hiring manager wants to see how you think.
15 project ideas by level and stack
Pick projects that match the job you want, not the tutorial you happened to finish. Three good projects beat ten copies. If you apply for backend roles, at least two should be backend-heavy.
| # | Project | Level | Stack | What it proves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personal portfolio site with a blog | Beginner | HTML, CSS, JavaScript | You can ship and deploy |
| 2 | Expense splitter for flatmates (₹ amounts, who owes whom) | Beginner | React, local storage | State, forms, simple logic |
| 3 | Weather or AQI dashboard for Indian cities | Beginner | JavaScript, a public API | API calls, error states |
| 4 | Quiz app for an exam like IBPS or GATE practice | Beginner | React or Vue | Components, scoring, timers |
| 5 | URL shortener with click counts | Beginner–Mid | Node.js, Express, a SQL database | REST APIs, database basics |
| 6 | Kirana store inventory app with low-stock alerts | Mid | Django or Spring Boot, PostgreSQL | CRUD, auth, real users |
| 7 | Job tracker with a kanban board | Mid | Next.js, Prisma, PostgreSQL | Full stack, drag and drop |
| 8 | Real-time chat with rooms | Mid | Node.js, WebSockets, Redis | Real-time systems |
| 9 | UPI-style payment flow mock (no real money) | Mid | Spring Boot or Go, a message queue | Idempotency, retries, ledgers |
| 10 | Mobile habit tracker | Mid | Flutter or React Native | Mobile UI, offline storage |
| 11 | Resume parser that extracts skills into JSON | Mid | Python, FastAPI, an NLP library | Text processing, APIs |
| 12 | Rate limiter or URL cache service with load tests | Advanced | Go or Java, Redis, k6 | Performance, measuring results |
| 13 | Multi-tenant SaaS starter with billing stubs | Advanced | Next.js, PostgreSQL, Docker | Architecture, auth, roles |
| 14 | RAG chatbot over your college's public notices | Advanced | Python, an LLM API, a vector store | AI apps, evaluation |
| 15 | Open-source contribution: 3 merged PRs to one project | Any | Whatever the project uses | Reading other people's code, teamwork |
A simple rule: freshers need two beginner or mid projects plus one mid project done well. Developers with 2–5 years of experience should show one advanced project and one piece of work-related writing (a design note or a talk), because their resume already proves they can build CRUD apps.
Worked example: picking 3 projects for a target role
Say you are a 2026 B.Tech graduate applying for ₹6–9 LPA full-stack roles in Pune. Look at 20 job posts on LinkedIn and Naukri and count the stack words. If React shows up in 16, Node.js in 11 and PostgreSQL in 9, your three projects are: the job tracker (#7), the URL shortener (#5) with tests, and the expense splitter (#2) as a polished frontend piece. That covers 3 of the top 3 keywords with proof, not just a skills list.
How to write a project case study
A case study is the 150–300 words under each project. It turns a repo into a story a hiring manager can follow. Use this order: problem, your role, stack, one hard decision, result, what you'd do next. Numbers help, even small ones: users, load time, test coverage, rows processed.
Sample case study (fresher, frontend)
Project: FlatSplit – expense splitter for shared flats Live: [link] · Code: [link] Problem My four flatmates and I tracked rent, groceries and Wi-Fi in a WhatsApp group. Every month we argued over who owed whom. Existing apps felt heavy for five people. My role Solo project. I designed, built and deployed it in three weekends. Stack React, TypeScript, Vite, Firebase Auth and Firestore. Deployed on a free static host. The hard part Settling debts with the fewest payments. My first version produced 9 transfers for 5 people. I switched to a greedy approach that matches the biggest debtor with the biggest creditor, which cut it to 4 transfers in the same test case. I wrote 12 unit tests for edge cases like a ₹0 balance and rounding paise. Result Our flat has used it for 4 months. 3 other flats from my building signed up. Average settle-up time went from a 20-minute argument to under 2 minutes. Next Add UPI deep links so people can pay from the settle screen, and a monthly PDF summary.
Notice the tone: first person, specific, short sentences, and one honest technical trade-off. You don't need a big audience. "Used by my flat for 4 months" is real and believable. Never invent users or numbers; interviewers ask follow-up questions.
Case study length by experience
| Profile | Words per project | What to emphasise |
|---|---|---|
| Fresher / student | 150–250 | Problem, what you learned, tests, deployment |
| 1–3 years | 200–300 | Trade-offs, performance, how you'd scale it |
| 4+ years | 250–400 | Architecture, team impact, incidents and fixes (no confidential detail) |
GitHub hygiene checklist
For many developers, GitHub is the portfolio. Spend one evening cleaning it. Our GitHub portfolio website guide covers building a full site on GitHub Pages; this is the quick clean-up.
| Area | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Profile README | Two lines on who you are, your stack and what you're looking for | It's the first thing people see |
| Pinned repos | Pin your best 4–6, in order of strength | Recruiters rarely scroll past pins |
| README per project | Screenshot, live link, setup steps, stack, what you'd improve | Shows you can document work |
| Commits | Small commits with clear messages ("Add rounding test for paise") | Shows how you work day to day |
| Secrets | No API keys or .env files in history; rotate any key you leaked | A leaked key is a red flag |
| Forks and tutorials | Unpin course clones; archive or make private dead repos | Less noise around your real work |
| Licence and tests | Add a licence and at least a few tests on your top project | Signals care and maturity |
Sample GitHub profile README
Hi, I'm Arjun. I build web apps with React, Node.js and PostgreSQL. Currently: final-year B.Tech (CSE), Pune. Open to full-stack roles from June 2026. Best work: FlatSplit (expense splitter, used by 4 flats) and JobBoard (kanban job tracker). Contact: arjun.dev@example.com · LinkedIn: [link]
Web developer portfolio: what to show
A web developer portfolio is judged on the site itself. If you claim frontend skills, the portfolio is project zero. Keep it fast, readable and accessible: proper headings, alt text on images, good contrast and a layout that works on a ₹12,000 Android phone.
- Hero: name, role, stack, city or "remote", one line on what you want next.
- Projects: 3–5 cards with a screenshot, one-line outcome, live and code links.
- Case study pages: one per top project, using the structure above.
- About: 80–120 words. Education, years of experience, one human detail.
- Resume and contact: a PDF that matches the site, plus email and LinkedIn.
You don't have to code it from scratch. Builders such as Webflow, Framer, Wix or Carrd, or a template on GitHub Pages, are fine for backend or data roles where the site isn't the skill being tested. Compare options in our roundup of the best AI portfolio makers. If you just need something shareable this week, Day, Weekday's AI job agent, can turn the resume you already have into a cleaner, website-style portfolio on WhatsApp.
Data analyst portfolio: 5 project ideas
A data analyst portfolio is less about code and more about questions and answers. Each project should state a business question, show the cleaning you did, present 2–3 charts and end with a recommendation a manager could act on. Use public datasets; describe them honestly and credit the source in your README.
| # | Project | Dataset (described generally) | Tools | The business question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail sales dashboard | A public e-commerce or superstore sales dataset with orders, regions and discounts | Excel or Power BI | Which regions lose money because of discounts? |
| 2 | Indian rainfall and crop yield | Government open-data tables on state-wise rainfall and crop production | Python (pandas), Tableau | How much does a weak monsoon year cut yield by state? |
| 3 | Customer churn analysis | A public telecom churn dataset with tenure, plan and complaints | SQL, Python | Which customers are most likely to leave, and why? |
| 4 | Food delivery reviews | A public restaurant ratings dataset for Indian cities | Python, basic NLP | What do low-rated restaurants have in common? |
| 5 | HR attrition study | A public, anonymised HR attrition dataset | SQL, Power BI | Which teams lose people in the first year? |
Sample: data analyst project summary
Question: Which regions lose money because of discounts? Data: 9,994 order rows from a public superstore dataset. Removed 17 duplicates and fixed 3 date formats. Finding: Orders with discounts above 20% made a loss in 3 of 4 regions. The Central region lost the most on furniture. Recommendation: Cap furniture discounts at 20% in Central for one quarter and compare margin. Tools: SQL for cleaning, Power BI for the dashboard. Dashboard link and SQL file in the repo.
Recruiters for analyst roles often open the dashboard, not the notebook, so publish an interactive version where you can. Also list the tools in your resume's skills section exactly as job posts write them: SQL, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Python.
Where to host it
| Option | Best for | Cost (check current pricing) | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Pages | Developers comfortable with Git | Free for public repos | Static site |
| Webflow / Framer | Polished sites without much code | Free plan with limits | Website on a subdomain |
| Notion | Fast, simple project pages | Free plan available | Public page |
| Carrd | One-page link-in-bio style sites | Free plan with limits | Single page |
| Day on WhatsApp | Turning an existing resume into a portfolio fast | Free | Website-style portfolio |
Mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Ten tutorial clones (to-do, calculator, weather) | Keep one, replace the rest with a project solving a real problem |
| Dead live links on a free host that went to sleep | Check every link before applying; add a screenshot or short video as backup |
| Skill bars ("JavaScript 90%") | Replace with projects that use the skill |
| No README | Add screenshot, live link, setup steps and what you'd improve |
| Portfolio and resume tell different stories | Same project names, dates and numbers in both |
| Invented metrics | Use real, small numbers; you will be asked about them |
Once it's ready, put the link at the top of your resume and in your LinkedIn featured section. Then apply widely: AI job apply with Day sends your profile only to roles you approve. For design roles, read our UI/UX portfolio guide; for the basics of building any portfolio, see how to make a portfolio.
FAQs
What should a developer portfolio include?
A short intro with your role and stack, 3–5 projects with live and code links, a case study for each top project, a resume PDF and contact details.
How many projects should a fresher put in a developer portfolio?
Three to five. Two or three strong, deployed projects with good READMEs beat ten tutorial clones.
Is GitHub enough as a portfolio?
For many backend roles it can be, if your profile README, pinned repos and READMEs are clean. A simple site helps recruiters who aren't engineers.
What is a good web developer portfolio?
One that loads fast, works on mobile, shows 3–5 real projects with screenshots and case studies, and links to working demos and code.
What should a data analyst portfolio include?
3–5 projects, each with a business question, the data source, the cleaning steps, 2–3 charts or a dashboard, and a clear recommendation.
Where can I host my portfolio for free?
GitHub Pages is free for public repos. Notion, Carrd, Framer and Webflow offer free plans with limits; check current pricing.
Do I need a custom domain?
No. A custom domain looks a little more polished, but a working subdomain with good projects is what matters.
Can I make a portfolio from my resume using AI?
Yes. Day, Weekday's free AI agent on WhatsApp, can turn your resume into a better-designed, website-style portfolio you can show recruiters.
Should I include college projects?
Yes, if they solve a real problem and you can explain your part. Add a case study and remove group projects you can't speak about in detail.
