Next.js App Router Patterns
Static params, page shells, and detail routes that stay fast as content grows.
The App Router shines when your portfolio content is structured data. Projects and blogs become arrays, routes become `[id]`, and `generateStaticParams` prebuilds the pages.
I keep a PageShell for navbar and footer so detail pages inherit chrome without copy-paste. Home stays a composition of sections; subpages stay focused.
Server Components are perfect for article bodies. Client Components handle carousels, GSAP, and command menus. That split keeps JavaScript honest.
Metadata functions give each project and blog real titles and descriptions. SEO is not optional when your site is your resume.
Shared data modules in `/data` are intentionally simple. When content is still founder-owned, a typed TypeScript file beats an underused CMS.
As the blog count grows to twenty and beyond, static generation remains a friend. Rebuilds are fine; runtime database complexity is not required yet.
Choose boring content architecture early. Fancy rendering cannot save a tangled folder story.