Developer Portfolio Projects: What to Build to Get Hired

Your portfolio is your proof of skills. Without professional experience, it's how interviewers evaluate whether you can actually build things.

Most junior developers get this wrong. They build the same tutorial projects everyone else builds, skip documentation, and wonder why their applications disappear into the void.

This guide covers what to build, how to present it, and the mistakes that get your GitHub profile skipped.

What Makes a Portfolio Project Stand Out

Interviewers review hundreds of portfolios. Most look identical: todo apps, weather apps, calculator clones. To stand out, your projects need to demonstrate more than just following tutorials.

Real Problem Solving

The best portfolio projects solve actual problems—even small ones. A tool you built because you needed it shows more initiative than a tutorial clone.

Examples of real problem solving:

• A Chrome extension that automates something you do repeatedly
• A CLI tool that simplifies your workflow
• An app that tracks something specific to your life or hobby

What interviewers think:

• Tutorial clone: "They can follow instructions"
• Original project: "They can identify problems and build solutions"

Clean, Readable Code

Your code is on display. Interviewers will look at it.

What they check:

• Consistent formatting and naming conventions
• Logical file organization
• Appropriate use of comments (explain why, not what)
• No obvious security issues or anti-patterns

You don't need perfect code. You need code that shows you care about quality.

Deployed and Accessible

A project without a live demo is a project most interviewers won't see. They're not going to clone your repo and set up a local environment.

Deployment options:

• Frontend: Vercel, Netlify, GitHub Pages
• Backend: Railway, Render, Fly.io
• Full-stack: Vercel, Railway, or separate frontend/backend deployments

Include in your README:

• Live demo link (prominent, at the top)
• Screenshots or GIFs if there's no live demo possible

Visible Problem-Solving Process

Your commit history tells a story. A single "initial commit" with everything suggests copy-paste or tutorial following. Multiple commits showing iterative development demonstrate how you actually work.

Good commit history shows:

• Breaking work into logical chunks
• Addressing bugs and edge cases as you find them
• Iterating on features based on testing

Project Ideas by Role

Different roles need different demonstrations of skill. Build projects that match where you want to work.

Frontend Developer

What frontend projects should demonstrate:

• Responsive design that works on mobile
• Accessibility basics (keyboard navigation, proper semantics)
• State management for complex interactions
• Performance awareness (lazy loading, optimized images)

Project idea: Real-time Dashboard Build a dashboard that displays live data from a public API. Include filtering, sorting, and data visualization. Show you understand async data handling, component architecture, and user experience.

Backend Developer

What backend projects should demonstrate:

• Proper API design (RESTful conventions or GraphQL schema)
• Authentication and authorization
• Database design and relationships
• Error handling and validation
• Basic security practices

Project idea: API with Rate Limiting and Caching Build an API that wraps a third-party service (weather, stocks, news). Add rate limiting, caching, and user authentication. Document your API with OpenAPI/Swagger. This shows you understand real-world backend concerns.

Full-Stack Developer

What full-stack projects should demonstrate:

• Frontend and backend working together seamlessly
• User authentication flow (signup, login, password reset)
• Data persistence and relationships
• Deployment of both frontend and backend

Project idea: Trello-lite A simplified project management tool with boards, lists, and cards. Include drag-and-drop, user accounts, and real-time updates when collaborators make changes. This demonstrates state management, API design, WebSockets, and database relationships.

How to Document Your Projects

Documentation separates portfolio projects from abandoned experiments. A good README makes interviewers want to explore your code.

README Structure

Every project needs a README with these sections:

# Project Name
 
One-line description of what it does.
 
## Demo
 
[Live Demo](https://your-demo-url.com)
 
![Screenshot or GIF](./screenshot.png)
 
## The Problem
 
What problem does this solve? Why did you build it?
 
## The Solution
 
How does your project solve the problem? What approach did you take?
 
## Tech Stack
 
- Frontend: React, TypeScript, Tailwind
- Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL
- Deployment: Vercel (frontend), Railway (backend)
 
## Key Features
 
- Feature 1: Brief description
- Feature 2: Brief description
- Feature 3: Brief description
 
## Running Locally
 
\`\`\`bash
git clone https://github.com/you/project
cd project
npm install
npm run dev
\`\`\`
 
## What I Learned
 
Briefly describe technical challenges you overcame or skills you developed.

Screenshots and GIFs

Visual documentation makes your project accessible without running it.

Tools for screenshots:

• Browser DevTools device mode for responsive shots
• CleanShot X (Mac) or ShareX (Windows) for annotations

Tools for GIFs:

• LICEcap (cross-platform)
• Kap (Mac)
• ScreenToGif (Windows)

What to capture:

• Main user flow (2-3 key interactions)
• Responsive behavior (desktop and mobile)
• Any unique features or animations

Technical Decisions

Include a section explaining why you made certain choices. This shows you think critically about technology, not just use whatever tutorial suggested.

## Technical Decisions
 
**Why PostgreSQL over MongoDB?**
The data has clear relationships (users have projects, projects have tasks).
A relational database made querying and maintaining data integrity easier.
 
**Why no Redux?**
The app state is simple enough that React Context handles it well.
Adding Redux would increase complexity without clear benefits.

GitHub Profile Optimization

Your GitHub profile is often the first thing interviewers see. Make it count.

Profile README

Create a repository named after your username (e.g., github.com/yourname/yourname) to add a profile README.

Keep it brief:

• Who you are (1-2 sentences)
• What you're interested in or working on
• How to reach you
• Links to portfolio or LinkedIn

Avoid:

• Walls of text
• Excessive badges and stats
• Claims without proof ("10x developer")

Pinned Repositories

You can pin up to 6 repositories. Choose carefully.

Pin:

• Your 2-3 best portfolio projects
• Open source contributions (if substantial)
• Useful tools you've built

Don't pin:

• Tutorial follow-alongs
• Forked repos you haven't modified
• Half-finished experiments

Contribution Graph

The green squares matter less than you think. Interviewers care about the quality of your pinned repos, not whether you commit every day.

What actually matters:

• Recent activity (shows you're currently coding)
• Meaningful commits (not just "fix typo" spam)
• Contributions to your own projects (not just random PRs)

What doesn't matter:

• Perfect streak
• Dark green every day
• Contributions from years ago

Common Portfolio Mistakes

These patterns appear repeatedly in weak portfolios. Avoid them.

Tutorial Clones Without Modification

Every bootcamp grad has a todo app, weather app, and e-commerce clone. If you build these, modify them significantly.

Bad: Todo app that matches the tutorial exactly

Better: Todo app with drag-and-drop, categories, recurring tasks, and dark mode

Best: A different project entirely that solves a problem you actually have

No Live Demos

If interviewers can't see your project running, most won't bother reviewing the code. Deployment is part of the skill set.

Free deployment options:

• Vercel: Great for Next.js and React
• Netlify: Static sites and serverless functions
• Railway: Backend services with database
• GitHub Pages: Static sites

Missing or Minimal READMEs

A repository without a README looks abandoned. Even a brief README with a description, tech stack, and setup instructions shows professionalism.

Too Many Half-Finished Projects

Ten repositories with "WIP" or no recent commits suggests you don't finish what you start. Better to have 3 complete projects than 10 abandoned ones.

Clean up your GitHub:

• Archive or delete abandoned projects
• Make unfinished work private
• Keep only projects you'd want interviewers to see

Outdated Dependencies and Broken Builds

If your project uses React 16 when React 19 is current, it signals you haven't touched the project in years. If the build is broken, it signals you don't maintain your work.

Maintenance checklist:

• Update dependencies periodically
• Ensure the build passes
• Fix any security vulnerabilities
• Test that the live demo still works

Building Your Portfolio Strategy

Quality over quantity. Here's how to approach portfolio building strategically.

Start with One Strong Project

Don't try to build five projects simultaneously. Build one complete, polished project first.

A strong first project has:

• Clear problem it solves
• Clean, well-documented code
• Live demo
• Comprehensive README
• Meaningful commit history

Add Variety Gradually

Once you have one strong project, add variety:

For frontend roles:

• One interactive SPA (shows component architecture)
• One design-focused project (shows CSS skills)
• One project with complex state (shows data management)

For backend roles:

• One REST API (shows API design)
• One project with database relationships (shows data modeling)
• One project with authentication (shows security awareness)

For full-stack roles:

• One complete application (shows end-to-end skills)
• One frontend-focused project
• One backend-focused project

Contribute to Open Source (Optional)

Open source contributions show you can work with existing codebases and collaborate with others. But they're not required.

Good first contributions:

• Documentation improvements
• Bug fixes with clear reproduction steps
• Small feature additions

Don't:

• Make trivial PRs just to show activity
• Contribute to projects you don't understand
• Expect open source to replace portfolio projects

Quick Reference

Portfolio essentials:

• 2-3 well-documented, deployed projects
• Quality over quantity
• Real problem-solving over tutorial clones

README must-haves:

• Live demo link
• Screenshots or GIF
• Problem and solution description
• Tech stack
• Setup instructions

GitHub profile:

• Profile README (brief)
• 2-3 pinned best projects
• Recent activity

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Tutorial clones without modification
• No live demos
• Missing READMEs
• Too many half-finished projects
• Outdated dependencies

Related Articles

If you found this helpful, check out these related guides:

• Complete Technical Interview Career Guide - The full interview process from application to offer
• Technical Interview 2026: What to Expect - How companies evaluate candidates today
• Complete Frontend Developer Interview Guide - Technical prep for frontend roles
• Complete Node.js Backend Developer Interview Guide - Technical prep for backend roles

What's Next?

Your portfolio gets you interviews. Your interview skills get you offers.

Build 2-3 strong projects, document them well, and keep them deployed. Then focus on the skills that actually matter in technical interviews—problem-solving, communication, and technical depth.