Building a Fast Portfolio Website with Astro in 2026 – Why I Left React
astro, portfolio, webdev, performance
I used to build portfolios with React + Next.js like everyone else. But after discovering Astro, I made the switch — and the difference is night and day.
Why Astro feels like cheating
- Insanely fast loading times (especially important in Kenya with fluctuating networks)
- Almost zero JavaScript on the client side by default
- Excellent SEO out of the box
- Amazing developer experience with partial hydration
In this post, I share my complete migration journey from DeveloperFolio (React) to Astrofy, the challenges I faced, and the massive performance gains I achieved.
If you’re a developer thinking of building or rebuilding your portfolio in 2026, this is a must-read