Portfolio Template

Portfolio Template is a Jekyll-based portfolio website template that takes YAML data files and Markdown project posts and generates a static personal portfolio site deployable to Netlify or GitHub Pages.

What is the Portfolio Template?

Portfolio Template is a Jekyll website template designed to quickly help you get a portfolio website up and running. It ingests your data from _config.yml, _data/projects.yml, _data/experience.yml, and _data/education.yml, plus optional Markdown posts in the projects folder, and outputs a complete static portfolio site. The template is provided as a GitHub template repository, so you can click the "Use the Template" button to start a new repo with the full structure.

Key Features

• YAML-driven content — Add portfolio data by editing three YAML files in the _data folder: projects.yml (title, event, date), experience.yml (role, company, dates, logo), and education.yml (course, institute, dates, logo); logos are referenced as SVG files.
• Project blog posts — Create a new Markdown file inside the projects directory with title and layout: page in the front matter, then connect it to a project entry by adding a page-name field to that entry in projects.yml.
• Simple configuration — Update _config.yml to set your site's url (make sure it ends with a /) to define where the site will be hosted.
• GitHub template workflow — Use the "Use the Template" button on GitHub to create your own repository pre-populated with the Jekyll template, then push your changes.
• Netlify and GitHub Pages deployment — Deploy by connecting the repository to Netlify or pushing to GitHub Pages; the template notes that it only works at a root domain like username.github.io, not at a sub-path like username.github.io/repo-name.
• Local development — Run bundle install --path vendor/bundle and bundle exec jekyll serve to preview the site locally; this requires Ruby and Bundler installed on your machine.

Who is it for?

• Student developers and bootcamp grads: Build a portfolio to showcase machine learning projects, hackathon events, and fellowship experiences by filling in the YAML data files.
• Job seekers in tech: Create a static, low-maintenance portfolio that deploys for free on Netlify or GitHub Pages, with sections for work experience, education, and detailed project write-ups.
• Jekyll users: Use a ready-made template that follows the standard Jekyll folder structure (_data, _config.yml, projects), making it easy to customize layouts and styling further.

What can you do with the Portfolio Template?

• Showcase projects: Add project entries with title, event, and date in projects.yml, and expand any of them into a full post by creating a Markdown file in projects and referencing it with page-name.
• List experience and education: Fill in experience.yml and education.yml with roles, companies, dates, and optional SVG logos to build a professional history section.
• Deploy your personal site: Connect the GitHub repo to Netlify or publish via GitHub Pages to go live at your personal subdomain.

How does the Portfolio Template work?

1. Click "Use the Template" on the GitHub repository to create your own copy of the template.
2. Edit _config.yml — change the url value to your hosting URL and ensure it ends with a slash.
3. Fill in the three data files inside _data with your projects, experience, and education.
4. (Optional) Add project posts as Markdown files in the projects folder and link them via page-name in projects.yml.
5. Deploy the repository to Netlify or GitHub Pages using their standard workflows.

FAQ

Is the Portfolio Template free to use?

The template is distributed as a public GitHub template repository, so you can use it to create your own portfolio site without paying a licensing fee. It uses open-source Jekyll and can be hosted for free on Netlify or GitHub Pages.

What do I need to run the template locally?

You need Ruby and Bundler installed on your machine. After cloning your repo, run bundle install --path vendor/bundle to set up dependencies and bundle exec jekyll serve to start a local development server.

Can I deploy to GitHub Pages with this template?

Yes, GitHub Pages is one of the supported deployment targets. The template notes that it only works at the root username.github.io address — deploying to a sub-path like username.github.io/repo-name will not resolve correctly.

How do I update my portfolio information?

Edit the YAML files in the _data folder. For example, add a project entry to projects.yml with a title, event, and date. The site regenerates automatically when you deploy changes.

Will my project posts show up on the portfolio?

Yes. Create a Markdown file in the projects folder with the required front matter (title and layout: page), then add the page-name field to the corresponding entry in projects.yml to link the post to the project listing.