Building a Personal Blog as a Backend Developer: A Journey into Frontend Simplicity

As a seasoned .NET backend developer, my expertise lies in designing and maintaining complex systems behind the scenes. My daily work involves optimizing database interactions, managing server-side logic, and ensuring backend robustness—areas usually invisible to end-users. Stepping outside this domain to build a public-facing website was both a refreshing and educational experience.

The goal was to create a straightforward, lightweight platform where I could share my insights, showcase reusable libraries I’ve developed, and connect with others. After considering various options, I chose 11ty (Eleventy) because of its reputation for simplicity and speed—perfect for a project that emphasizes speed and minimalism.

Throughout this process, I gained valuable insights into frontend development, performance optimization, and static site generation. It was a welcome change from my typical tasks focused on low-level system performance, garbage collection intricacies, and multithreaded debugging.

I’m excited to share the result of my Saturday effort: the ByteAether Blog. The site is optimized for performance, and I’ve included Lighthouse benchmarks to demonstrate its efficiency.

I hope you find the content engaging and the journey inspiring. Building this blog not only expanded my horizons but also reaffirmed that stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to rewarding results.

Feel free to explore and provide feedback—I’m eager to hear your thoughts!