8 standout examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples that actually get interviews

Real examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples worth studying

Let’s start with actual, public sites. These are real examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples that show different styles, stacks, and career stages. Don’t copy their design pixel‑for‑pixel; copy the thinking behind them.

1. Dan Abramov – deep technical writing tied to career narrative

Dan Abramov’s personal site (overreacted.io) is a classic example of a software engineer blog portfolio that turned into a career engine. He doesn’t even have a flashy “Projects” grid on the homepage. Instead, the blog is the portfolio.

What works here:

• Posts are long, opinionated, and technical, but written in plain language.
• Each article showcases his ability to explain complex frontend topics, which is exactly what employers and collaborators care about.
• The archive doubles as a timeline of his growth and interests.

This is a strong example of how a blog can substitute for a traditional portfolio when your writing clearly demonstrates your depth.

2. Julia Evans – approachable, visual, and highly shareable content

Julia Evans (jvns.ca) is another standout example of software engineer blog portfolio examples that attract both hiring managers and peers. Her posts and zine-style explanations make systems topics feel accessible.

Why this works:

• Topics match the kind of problems she wants to be hired to solve: debugging, networking, Linux.
• Posts often include practical how‑tos and concrete examples, not just theory.
• Her blog is clearly linked to side projects and resources she maintains.

For your own portfolio, this is a reminder that clarity and teaching ability can be as impressive as raw algorithm chops.

3. Swyx (Shawn Wang) – career storytelling plus technical depth

Shawn Wang’s site (swyx.io) is a textbook example of how to combine career narrative with technical blogging. His portfolio is not just a list of apps; it’s a story about how he moved into software engineering and what he’s learned.

Why recruiters pay attention:

• Posts about learning in public show consistency and persistence over time.
• Deep dives into frameworks and tools demonstrate real-world experience.
• The blog is tightly integrated with talks, open source work, and a clear “Hire me” message.

This example of a software engineer blog portfolio shows how your writing can connect the dots between your past roles and the jobs you want next.

4. Tania Rascia – project-focused tutorials that mirror real work

Tania Rascia (taniarascia.com) runs one of the best examples of a software engineer blog portfolio for frontend and full‑stack developers.

Highlights:

• Posts often walk through building complete apps, from setup to deployment.
• Articles are organized by technology (React, Node, databases), making it easy for a recruiter to scan for relevant experience.
• Her blog posts map directly to GitHub repos, so readers can see both code and explanation.

If you want your portfolio to feel like a live coding sample, this style is a strong model.

5. Vaidehi Joshi – concept-first explanations for backend and CS fundamentals

Vaidehi Joshi’s writing (including her work on basecs) is a strong example of software engineer blog portfolio examples built around teaching core concepts rather than just showing off side projects.

Why it stands out:

• Posts target foundational topics: data structures, algorithms, and architecture.
• Diagrams and step‑by‑step reasoning demonstrate communication skills that matter in senior roles.
• Employers can see how she would mentor teammates or write internal documentation.

If you’re aiming for roles where systems thinking and mentoring matter, this approach is worth studying.

6. Jason Lengstorf – blog as a hub for demos, streams, and talks

Jason Lengstorf (lengstorf.com) uses his blog as a central hub for live coding sessions, demos, and written guides.

What this example shows:

• Each post is anchored to a concrete outcome: a demo, a performance improvement, a deployment.
• The blog integrates well with video and live content, which is increasingly common in 2024–2025.
• Posts often include real metrics or performance comparisons, which gives them more weight.

This is a strong example of a software engineer blog portfolio for developers who like to teach via multiple formats.

7. A data/ML engineer pattern: project reports as blog posts

Many data and machine learning engineers in 2024 are turning their project write‑ups into public blog posts. A typical example of a software engineer blog portfolio in this space might include:

• A detailed post about building an end‑to‑end ML pipeline, including dataset choices and evaluation metrics.
• A write‑up comparing model architectures with charts and tradeoffs.
• A postmortem of a failed experiment and what changed in the next iteration.

These examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples are powerful because they mirror the kind of documentation teams expect internally. Even if you’re using synthetic or public datasets, the structure shows you can reason about data, not just run notebooks.

8. A junior engineer pattern: learning-in-public logs

For newer developers without big-name employers or massive projects, learning logs are some of the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples that still land interviews.

A strong pattern looks like this:

• Weekly posts summarizing what you learned, with small code snippets.
• Occasional deep dives into bug fixes or refactors.
• Honest reflections on mistakes and how you corrected them.

Hiring managers don’t expect a junior portfolio to look like a senior architect’s. They want to see evidence of consistency, curiosity, and the ability to explain what you’re doing.

Key patterns in the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples

Looking across these real examples, some patterns repeat. These patterns matter more than which framework or static site generator you pick.

Clear positioning: who you are and what you do

The best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples don’t make visitors guess:

• A short intro above the fold says what you do now and what you’re aiming for.
• Your tech stack and interests are obvious from your recent posts.
• There’s a visible way to contact you and, ideally, a short “Work with me” or “Open to roles” section.

This is where many portfolios fail. They look like disconnected tutorials without any clear signal of what the author actually wants.

Posts that map to real job responsibilities

Strong examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples mirror the day‑to‑day work of the roles they target. For instance:

• Backend engineer: posts about API design, database migrations, performance tuning, observability.
• Frontend engineer: posts about accessibility, design systems, state management, performance budgets.
• DevOps / platform: posts about CI/CD pipelines, incident response, infrastructure as code.

If your dream job involves scaling systems, but your blog is only about solving coding challenge puzzles, that mismatch can confuse recruiters.

Writing that shows how you think, not just what you know

Good technical writing is essentially a thinking transcript. Many of the best examples include:

• A short description of the problem or context.
• The constraints or tradeoffs considered.
• The final decision and why alternatives were rejected.

This structure aligns with how interviewers evaluate candidates: not just “Can you code?” but “Can you make decisions under constraints and explain them?”

For more on how communication shapes hiring and promotion, it’s worth looking at research on workplace skills from sources like the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET database at onetcenter.org. You’ll see communication show up repeatedly as a predictor of success.

Structuring your own example of a software engineer blog portfolio

If you’re building your own site, you don’t need a complex setup. You need a clear structure that makes it easy for a hiring manager to understand you in under two minutes.

A simple layout that works in 2024–2025

A modern example of a software engineer blog portfolio might follow this structure:

Homepage

• A short, specific headline: “Backend engineer focused on high‑traffic APIs and observability,” not just “Software Engineer.”
• A brief summary of what you’re working on now.
• Links to 3–6 standout posts that showcase the kind of work you want to do more of.

Blog index

• Posts grouped by topic or technology.
• Short descriptions so a recruiter doesn’t have to click blindly.

Projects page

• A handful of projects with links to corresponding blog posts.
• For each project, a short paragraph describing the problem, your role, and outcomes.

This matches what hiring managers are used to scanning: quick overview, then deeper links if they’re interested.

What to write about: topics that actually signal skill

If you’re stuck on ideas, look at the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples and notice how often they write about:

• Debugging hard problems and how they found the root cause.
• Tradeoffs between two tools, frameworks, or architectures.
• Performance improvements with measurements before and after.
• Security or reliability considerations in real projects.

You can also mine your day job or personal projects for material. Any time you hit a wall, that’s potential blog content. If you had to read three Stack Overflow threads and two docs pages to fix something, write the post you wish had existed.

2024–2025 trends shaping software engineer blog portfolios

The landscape has shifted over the last few years. A few trends are especially visible in current examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples.

AI and tooling posts are everywhere (and that’s fine if you’re specific)

You’ll see many engineers writing about large language models, code generation tools, and AI‑assisted workflows. The difference between forgettable and memorable posts is specificity:

• “How I used an LLM to cut our test runtime by 30%” beats “AI in software engineering.”
• “Comparing prompt strategies for API schema generation” beats “Playing with ChatGPT.”

If you’re going to join the AI conversation, tie it to real outcomes and clear experiments.

More engineers are mixing writing with video and live coding

Several of the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples now embed recordings of conference talks, live coding streams, or short explainer videos. The blog post serves as:

• A written summary for people who prefer text.
• A place to add links, code snippets, and references.
• A stable URL to share on resumes and LinkedIn.

You don’t need Hollywood production quality. A clean screen recording with good audio, plus a thoughtful write‑up, is enough.

Hiring managers are scanning portfolios faster

Recruiters and hiring managers often skim dozens of resumes and portfolios in a single sitting. Research on attention and information overload in digital environments, such as work discussed by the National Institutes of Health at nih.gov, aligns with what engineers report anecdotally: people skim, not read.

That means your blog portfolio should:

• Use clear headings and short sections.
• Put your strongest posts and projects near the top.
• Avoid burying your contact info or current status.

How to use these examples without copying them

Looking at examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples is helpful, but cloning someone else’s layout or tone will backfire. Instead:

• Borrow the structure: how they organize posts, how they connect projects to write‑ups.
• Borrow the habits: consistent posting, clear explanations, honest retrospectives.
• Keep your own voice: if you’re more direct and less chatty than some of these writers, lean into that.

Think of your blog portfolio as a long‑running experiment. Early posts won’t be perfect. That’s fine. What stands out in real examples is not perfection; it’s consistency and a clear through‑line of interests and growth.

FAQ: examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples

What are some good examples of a software engineer blog portfolio for beginners?

Good beginner examples include learning logs, small project write‑ups, and posts about fixing specific bugs. A junior engineer might write about building a to‑do app, but the standout part is the explanation: why they chose a certain framework, how they structured components, and what they’d change next time. Even a single, well‑written post can be a strong example of a software engineer blog portfolio if it shows clear thinking.

How many posts do I need before my blog counts as a portfolio?

There’s no fixed number, but many of the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples have at least a handful of substantial posts. Think in terms of coverage rather than count: do you have posts that show you can debug, design, and deliver? Three to six strong posts that match your target role can be more persuasive than twenty thin tutorials.

Should I focus on tutorials, opinion pieces, or project write‑ups?

Look at real examples and you’ll notice a mix. Tutorials show you can teach; opinion pieces show you can reason about tradeoffs; project write‑ups show you can ship. If you’re short on time, prioritize project write‑ups and debugging stories, because they map most directly to what you’ll do on the job.

Can I use my company work in my blog portfolio examples?

You need to respect confidentiality and any agreements you’ve signed. Many engineers write about patterns, anonymized incidents, or general lessons learned rather than specific proprietary systems. When in doubt, focus on public side projects or concepts instead of internal details. For guidance on professional ethics and confidentiality, organizations like the Association for Computing Machinery at acm.org publish codes of ethics that are worth reading.

How do I make my blog portfolio stand out in 2024–2025?

Use the patterns from the best examples of software engineer blog portfolio examples: clear positioning, posts that mirror real job work, honest tradeoffs, and visible outcomes. Tie your posts to real metrics where possible, keep your layout simple, and update at least occasionally so your site doesn’t look abandoned. Over time, your blog becomes a living record of your skills, not just a static list of links.