Our Gatsby tag archive is a treasure trove for web developers. Gatsby, an open-source framework based on React, is known for its ability to create blazing-fast websites and apps. Our collection of tutorials and articles under the Gatsby tag provides a deep dive into this powerful tool. From understanding the basics to exploring advanced features, we cover a wide range of topics. Whether you're a beginner just starting out or an experienced developer looking to upskill, our Gatsby content is designed to help you enhance your web development journey. Learn how to leverage Gatsby's strengths, such as its rich data plugin ecosystem, excellent performance optimization, and robust routing capabilities. Our Gatsby tag archive is more than just a learning resource. It's a community of like-minded developers sharing knowledge and insights. So, start exploring now and take your web development skills to the next level with Gatsby.

The Gatsby tag archive features a wide range of tutorials and articles aimed at helping developers master Gatsby, a popular open-source framework based on React.

React

This tutorial will guide you through the process of building a portfolio website using React and Gatsby. A portfolio website is a crucial tool for software developers to showcase their skills and projects to potential employers and clients. React and Gatsby, a static site generator powered by React, provide a powerful and efficient way to build fast and interactive websites.

![building portfolio website react gatsby](https://dopebase.com/media/cover15.jpg)
## Introduction

### What is a portfolio website?

A portfolio website is a collection of work samples, projects, and achievements that demonstrates a developer's skills and expertise. It serves as a visual representation of their capabilities and can greatly enhance their chances of landing new opportunities.

### Why use React and Gatsby?

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It provides a component-based architecture and enables developers to create reusable UI components. Gatsby, on the other hand, is a static site generator that utilizes React to build fast and performant websites. It optimizes the website for speed, improves SEO, and enables easy deployment.

### Setting Up the Project

To get started, you need to have Node.js installed on your machine. Node.js comes with npm, the package manager for JavaScript. Open your terminal and run the following command to install Gatsby CLI globally:

```shell
npm install -g gatsby-cli
```

Once the installation is complete, you can create a new Gatsby project by running the following command:

```shell
gatsby new my-portfolio-website
```

This will create a new Gatsby project with the folder structure necessary to get started.

## Building the Layout

### Creating the header

The first step is to create a header component for our portfolio website. This component will contain the navigation and other elements that will be visible on every page. Create a new file called `Header.js` in the `src/components` directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react"

const Header = () => {
  return (
    <header>
      <nav>
        <ul>
          <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
          <li><a href="/projects">Projects</a></li>
          <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
          <li><a href="/contact">Contact</a></li>
        </ul>
      </nav>
    </header>
  )
}

export default Header
```

In this code, we define a functional component `Header` that returns the HTML markup for the header section. It contains a navigation menu with links to the different sections of our portfolio website.

### Adding navigation

To include the `Header` component in our layout, open the `src/layouts/index.js` file and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react"
import Header from "../components/Header"

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <>
      <Header />
      <main>{children}</main>
    </>
  )
}

export default Layout
```

Here, we import the `Header` component and include it at the top of the layout. The `children` prop represents the content of each page and is rendered within the `<main>` element.

### Designing the main content area

Now that we have the basic layout in place, let's design the main content area of our portfolio website. Create a new file called `index.js` in the `src/pages` directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react"
import Layout from "../layouts"

const Home = () => {
  return (
    <Layout>
      <h1>Welcome to my Portfolio Website</h1>
      <p>Here, you can explore my projects and learn more about me.</p>
    </Layout>
  )
}

export default Home
```

In this code, we import the `Layout` component and wrap our content within it. We display a heading and a paragraph to introduce our portfolio website.

## Creating Components

### Building reusable components

To keep our code organized and maintainable, we'll create reusable components for different sections of our portfolio website. For example, we can create a `Project` component to display information about each project. Create a new file called `Project.js` in the `src/components` directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react"

const Project = ({ title, description }) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h2>{title}</h2>
      <p>{description}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

export default Project
```

Here, we define a functional component `Project` that accepts `title` and `description` as props. It renders the project title and description within a `<div>` element.

### Styling with CSS-in-JS

To style our components, we'll use CSS-in-JS, specifically the `styled-components` library. Install it by running the following command:

```shell
npm install styled-components
```

Then, create a new file called `styled.js` in the `src/styles` directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import styled from "styled-components"

export const Container = styled.div`
  max-width: 800px;
  margin: 0 auto;
  padding: 0 16px;
`

export const Heading = styled.h1`
  font-size: 32px;
  color: #333;
`

export const Paragraph = styled.p`
  font-size: 16px;
  color: #666;
`
```

In this code, we define styled components for a container, heading, and paragraph. These components will be used to style our layout and content.

## Fetching Data

### Using GraphQL

To fetch data for our portfolio website, we'll use GraphQL, a query language for APIs. Gatsby has built-in support for GraphQL, making it easy to query data from various sources. Create a new file called `projects.js` in the `src/pages` directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react"
import { graphql } from "gatsby"
import Layout from "../layouts"
import { Container, Heading, Paragraph } from "../styles/styled"

const Projects = ({ data }) => {
  const projects = data.allProjectsJson.edges

  return (
    <Layout>
      <Container>
        <Heading>Projects</Heading>
        {projects.map(({ node }) => (
          <div key={node.id}>
            <Heading>{node.title}</Heading>
            <Paragraph>{node.description}</Paragraph>
          </div>
        ))}
      </Container>
    </Layout>
  )
}

export const query = graphql`
  query {
    allProjectsJson {
      edges {
        node {
          id
          title
          description
        }
      }
    }
  }
`

export default Projects
```

In this code, we import the necessary dependencies and define a functional component `Projects`. We use the `graphql` function from Gatsby to perform a query for the project data. The queried data is then rendered within the component.

### Querying data from external sources

To fetch data from external sources, we can use plugins in Gatsby. For example, we can use the `gatsby-source-filesystem` plugin to read data from JSON files. Install it by running the following command:

```shell
npm install gatsby-source-filesystem
```

Then, open the `gatsby-config.js` file and add the following configuration:

```javascript
module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    {
      resolve: "gatsby-source-filesystem",
      options: {
        name: "data",
        path: `${__dirname}/src/data/`,
      },
    },
  ],
}
```

This configuration tells Gatsby to read data from the `src/data` directory. Create a new file called `projects.json` in the `src/data` directory and add some sample project data:

```json
[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "title": "Project 1",
    "description": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet."
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "title": "Project 2",
    "description": "Consectetur adipiscing elit."
  }
]
```

Now, when you run `gatsby develop`, Gatsby will read the data from the JSON file and make it available for querying in GraphQL.

## Optimizing Performance

### Code splitting

To optimize the performance of our portfolio website, we can utilize code splitting. Code splitting allows us to split our JavaScript bundle into smaller chunks, which can be loaded on demand. Gatsby automatically performs code splitting, so we don't have to do anything extra.

### Image optimization

To optimize the images used in our portfolio website, we can use the `gatsby-image` plugin. Install it by running the following command:

```shell
npm install gatsby-image
```

Then, modify the GraphQL query in your component to include image data:

```jsx
export const query = graphql`
  query {
    allProjectsJson {
      edges {
        node {
          id
          title
          description
          image {
            childImageSharp {
              fluid(maxWidth: 800) {
                ...GatsbyImageSharpFluid
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`
```

Here, we query for the `fluid` image data, which is optimized for different screen sizes. We can then use the `gatsby-image` component to render the image.

## Deploying the Website

### Building for production

To build our portfolio website for production, run the following command:

```shell
gatsby build
```

This command generates a production-ready build of our website, optimized for performance and ready for deployment.

### Hosting options

There are several hosting options available for deploying our Gatsby website. Some popular choices include Netlify, Vercel, and AWS Amplify. Choose the hosting provider that best fits your needs and follow their deployment instructions.

## Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have explored the process of building a portfolio website using React and Gatsby. We covered the initial project setup, building the layout and components, fetching data with GraphQL, optimizing performance, and deploying the website. By following these steps, you can create a professional and efficient portfolio website to showcase your skills and projects as a software developer. Happy coding!

Building a Portfolio Website with React and Gatsby

This tutorial will guide you through the process of building a blog using Gatsby and React. We will start by setting up the project, then move on to building the blog layout, creating blog posts, adding navigation, styling the blog, and finally deploying it to production.

![building blog gatsby react](https://dopebase.com/media/cover1.jpg)
## Introduction

Gatsby is a static site generator that uses React as its frontend framework. React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Together, Gatsby and React provide a powerful combination for creating fast and interactive blogs.

## Setting Up the Project

To get started, you'll need to have Node.js installed on your machine. Once you have Node.js installed, you can proceed with the following steps.

### Installing Gatsby

To install Gatsby, open your terminal and run the following command:

```
npm install -g gatsby-cli
```

This will install the Gatsby CLI globally on your machine.

### Creating a new Gatsby project

Next, navigate to the directory where you want to create your new Gatsby project and run the following command:

```
gatsby new my-blog
```

This will create a new Gatsby project with the name "my-blog".

### Adding React to the project

By default, Gatsby comes with React already integrated. However, if you want to add additional React components to your blog, you can do so by installing the required packages. For example, to install the React Router package, run the following command:

```
npm install react-router-dom
```

This will install React Router, which will be used later for creating navigation in our blog.

## Building the Blog Layout

Now that we have our project set up, let's start building the layout for our blog.

### Creating the header component

First, let's create a header component that will be displayed at the top of every page. Create a new file called "Header.js" in the "src/components" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react";

const Header = () => {
  return (
    <header>
      <h1>My Blog</h1>
    </header>
  );
};

export default Header;
```

In this code, we import React and create a functional component called Header. The component returns a header element with the title of our blog.

### Designing the main content area

Next, let's design the main content area of our blog. Create a new file called "Layout.js" in the "src/components" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import Header from "./Header";

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <Header />
      <main>{children}</main>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Layout;
```

In this code, we import React and the Header component. We create a functional component called Layout that takes a prop called "children", which represents the content that will be displayed inside the main content area. The component returns a div element with the header component at the top and the "children" prop wrapped inside a main element.

### Implementing the sidebar

Now, let's implement a sidebar component that will be displayed on the left side of our blog. Create a new file called "Sidebar.js" in the "src/components" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react";

const Sidebar = () => {
  return (
    <aside>
      <h3>Categories</h3>
      <ul>
        <li>Category 1</li>
        <li>Category 2</li>
        <li>Category 3</li>
      </ul>
    </aside>
  );
};

export default Sidebar;
```

In this code, we create a functional component called Sidebar. The component returns an aside element with a heading and a list of categories. You can customize the categories according to your blog's needs.

To display the sidebar component in our layout, open the "Layout.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import Header from "./Header";
import Sidebar from "./Sidebar";

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <Header />
      <div>
        <Sidebar />
        <main>{children}</main>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Layout;
```

In this code, we import the Sidebar component and add it inside a div element, alongside the main content area.

## Creating Blog Posts

Now that we have our blog layout set up, let's move on to creating blog posts.

### Setting up a blog post template

First, let's create a template for our blog posts. Create a new file called "BlogPostTemplate.js" in the "src/templates" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react";

const BlogPostTemplate = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h2>Blog Post Title</h2>
      <p>Blog post content goes here...</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default BlogPostTemplate;
```

In this code, we create a functional component called BlogPostTemplate. The component returns a div element with a title and some placeholder content. Later, we will fetch the actual blog post data and render it dynamically.

### Fetching blog post data

To fetch the blog post data, we will use GraphQL. Gatsby has built-in support for GraphQL, which allows us to query our data directly from our components.

Create a new file called "gatsby-node.js" in the root directory of your project and add the following code:

```jsx
exports.createPages = async ({ actions, graphql, reporter }) => {
  const { createPage } = actions;

  const result = await graphql(`
    query {
      allMarkdownRemark {
        edges {
          node {
            frontmatter {
              slug
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  `);

  if (result.errors) {
    reporter.panic("Error creating blog posts", result.errors);
    return;
  }

  const blogPostTemplate = require.resolve("./src/templates/BlogPostTemplate.js");

  result.data.allMarkdownRemark.edges.forEach(({ node }) => {
    createPage({
      path: node.frontmatter.slug,
      component: blogPostTemplate,
      context: {
        slug: node.frontmatter.slug,
      },
    });
  });
};
```

In this code, we export a function called "createPages" that takes some parameters, including "actions", "graphql", and "reporter". Inside this function, we use the "graphql" function to query all the markdown files in our project and retrieve their slugs. We then use the "createPage" function to create a new page for each blog post, using the "BlogPostTemplate" component as the template and passing the slug as a context variable.

### Rendering blog post content

Now that we have our blog post template and data, let's render the actual blog post content.

Open the "BlogPostTemplate.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import { graphql } from "gatsby";

const BlogPostTemplate = ({ data }) => {
  const { markdownRemark } = data;
  const { frontmatter, html } = markdownRemark;

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>{frontmatter.title}</h2>
      <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: html }}></div>
    </div>
  );
};

export const query = graphql`
  query($slug: String!) {
    markdownRemark(frontmatter: { slug: { eq: $slug } }) {
      frontmatter {
        title
      }
      html
    }
  }
`;

export default BlogPostTemplate;
```

In this code, we import the "graphql" function from "gatsby" and use it to query the blog post data. We extract the title and HTML content from the "markdownRemark" object, which represents the blog post data. We then render the title and the HTML content using JSX.

## Adding Navigation

To make our blog more user-friendly, let's add navigation links.

### Creating a navigation component

First, let's create a navigation component that will be displayed at the top of every page. Create a new file called "Navigation.js" in the "src/components" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import { Link } from "gatsby";

const Navigation = () => {
  return (
    <nav>
      <ul>
        <li>
          <Link to="/">Home</Link>
        </li>
        <li>
          <Link to="/about">About</Link>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
  );
};

export default Navigation;
```

In this code, we import the "Link" component from "gatsby" and create a functional component called Navigation. The component returns a navigation element with a list of links. You can customize the links according to your blog's needs.

### Implementing navigation links

To display the navigation component in our layout, open the "Layout.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import Header from "./Header";
import Sidebar from "./Sidebar";
import Navigation from "./Navigation";

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <Header />
      <div>
        <Navigation />
        <Sidebar />
        <main>{children}</main>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Layout;
```

In this code, we import the Navigation component and add it before the sidebar component in our layout.

### Adding active link styling

To highlight the active link in our navigation, we can use CSS-in-JS with styled-components.

First, install the styled-components package by running the following command:

```
npm install styled-components
```

Next, create a new file called "NavLink.js" in the "src/components" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
import styled from "styled-components";
import { Link } from "gatsby";

const StyledNavLink = styled(Link)`
  color: ${({ active }) => (active ? "red" : "black")};
  font-weight: ${({ active }) => (active ? "bold" : "normal")};
`;

export default StyledNavLink;
```

In this code, we import the "styled" function from "styled-components" and the "Link" component from "gatsby". We create a new styled component called "StyledNavLink" that extends the "Link" component. The styled component takes an "active" prop and applies different styles based on its value.

To use the styled component in our navigation, open the "Navigation.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import StyledNavLink from "./NavLink";

const Navigation = () => {
  return (
    <nav>
      <ul>
        <li>
          <StyledNavLink to="/" activeClassName="active" exact>
            Home
          </StyledNavLink>
        </li>
        <li>
          <StyledNavLink to="/about" activeClassName="active">
            About
          </StyledNavLink>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
  );
};

export default Navigation;
```

In this code, we import the StyledNavLink component and use it instead of the regular Link component. We also add the "activeClassName" prop to highlight the active link.

## Styling the Blog

To make our blog visually appealing, let's style it using CSS-in-JS with styled-components.

### Using CSS-in-JS with styled-components

Styled-components allows us to write CSS directly inside our JavaScript code. It provides a convenient way to create reusable and scoped styles for our components.

To demonstrate CSS-in-JS with styled-components, let's create a simple theme for our blog.

Create a new file called "theme.js" in the "src" directory and add the following code:

```jsx
const theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: "#007bff",
    secondary: "#6c757d",
    danger: "#dc3545",
  },
};

export default theme;
```

In this code, we define a theme object with some color variables.

Next, install the styled-components package by running the following command:

```
npm install styled-components
```

Now, let's use styled-components to style our blog.

Open the "Header.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import styled from "styled-components";

const StyledHeader = styled.header`
  background-color: ${({ theme }) => theme.colors.primary};
  color: white;
  padding: 1rem;
`;

const Header = () => {
  return (
    <StyledHeader>
      <h1>My Blog</h1>
    </StyledHeader>
  );
};

export default Header;
```

In this code, we import the "styled" function from "styled-components" and create a new styled component called "StyledHeader". We use the styled component to style the header element by applying a background color, text color, and padding.

### Customizing the blog's theme

To use the theme in our styled components, we need to wrap our application with the "ThemeProvider" component from styled-components.

Open the "gatsby-browser.js" file in the root directory of your project and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import { ThemeProvider } from "styled-components";
import theme from "./src/theme";

export const wrapRootElement = ({ element }) => (
  <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>{element}</ThemeProvider>
);
```

In this code, we import the "ThemeProvider" component from "styled-components" and the "theme" object from our "theme.js" file. We wrap the root element of our application with the "ThemeProvider" and pass the theme object as a prop.

### Adding responsive design

To make our blog responsive, we can use CSS media queries with styled-components.

Open the "Layout.js" file and update it as follows:

```jsx
import React from "react";
import Header from "./Header";
import Sidebar from "./Sidebar";
import Navigation from "./Navigation";
import styled from "styled-components";

const StyledLayout = styled.div`
  display: flex;

  @media (max-width: 768px) {
    flex-direction: column;
  }
`;

const StyledMain = styled.main`
  flex-grow: 1;
`;

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <Header />
      <StyledLayout>
        <Navigation />
        <Sidebar />
        <StyledMain>{children}</StyledMain>
      </StyledLayout>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Layout;
```

In this code, we create two new styled components: "StyledLayout" and "StyledMain". The "StyledLayout" component applies a flex layout to its children and changes the direction to column when the screen width is less than or equal to 768 pixels. The "StyledMain" component ensures that the main content area takes up the remaining space.

## Deploying the Blog

Once you have finished building your blog, it's time to deploy it to production.

### Generating a production build

To generate a production build of your blog, open your terminal and navigate to the root directory of your project. Run the following command:

```
gatsby build
```

This command will generate a production-ready build of your blog in the "public" directory.

### Choosing a hosting provider

There are several hosting providers you can choose from to deploy your Gatsby blog. Some popular options include Netlify, Vercel, and AWS Amplify.

### Deploying the blog to production

To deploy your Gatsby blog to production, you can follow the deployment instructions provided by your chosen hosting provider. The exact steps may vary depending on the provider you choose.

## Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to build a blog using Gatsby and React. We started by setting up the project, then built the blog layout, created blog posts, added navigation, styled the blog using CSS-in-JS with styled-components, and finally deployed the blog to production. By following this tutorial, you should now have a basic understanding of how to build a blog with Gatsby and React. Happy coding!

Building a Blog with Gatsby and React

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Gatsby Tutorials & Articles - Enhance Your Web Development Skills

Building a Portfolio Website with React and Gatsby

Building a Blog with Gatsby and React

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