Ask DN: How important is a Git portfolio for a front-end developer?

over 2 years ago from , Front-end Developer

I've been wondering how important a GIT portfolio is for a front-end developer. Lot's a companies are asking for your Git profile before they take you for a meeting. Is it getting more important then just a nice looking portfoliowebsite?

13 comments

  • Jason AmorJason Amor, over 2 years ago

    I first read your question as "gif portfolio" and was prepared to respond "very important."

    11 points
  • Mike HeitzkeMike Heitzke, over 2 years ago

    IMO it's pretty nice for weeding folks out. Potentially, it shows what kind of code you write, what you like to write in, as well as show you're at least familiar with git as version control (take that with a grain of salt).

    I also like to see people contributing to open projects. I've always operated under the thought that if you make money with open source software, you should contribute if you find yourself able.

    3 points
  • Nick SchadenNick Schaden, over 2 years ago

    I like examining a candidate's commit history if on their CV or otherwise they claim to be actively using git as a dev tool.

    But otherwise I generally separate git from the equation and focus more on a candidate's overall code examples and coding style. If it's sample I can actively access in git, great. If not, but the code shows good experience and knowledge elsewhere, that's fine as well.

    2 points
  • Rachel WhiteRachel White, over 2 years ago (edited over 2 years ago )

    I personally don't think that git is a good gauge of a persons merit unless you're doing a lot of open source contributions or personal projects.

    For example, here's my publicly viewed git history:

    public git

    And here's my view when I'm logged in since I work for a company that doesn't publicly post the work we're doing:

    private git

    People put too much weight on the commit history. I'm considering just doing some kind of cron job to auto push ever so often so it's always green and people stop being judgey.

    2 points
  • Thomas ChauThomas Chau, over 2 years ago

    IMO it is very valuable; when I look at candidates it's by no means a deal-breaker but an opportunity to really shine. A GitHub profile is a great way to show off cool ideas and how you think about building things.

    0 points
  • Paul DessertPaul Dessert, over 2 years ago

    For a font-end job? No. Front end code is executed in the browser. If I want to look at your code "View page source". Done. Or, www.yoursite.com/css/style.css or whatever...

    Now, with that said, some companies ask for it. If you want to work for them you might need to set one up.

    In my opinion, front end code can easily be discovered and inspected by someone that knows what they're looking for. If that person does not know how to do that, I'd question working for the company.

    0 points
    • Patrick SmithPatrick Smith, over 2 years ago

      A lot off CSS and JS these days is minified, preventing view source being a nice experience, even if it prettified later.

      3 points
      • Paul DessertPaul Dessert, over 2 years ago (edited over 2 years ago )

        Agreed, there will be those cases. For those, the hiring manager can still get a good sense of design style just by visiting the site. Then, if they are still interested, they can request code samples.

        But, I'd argue against your statement that, "a lot" of code is minified. After visiting your site, I only see one example that is minified. ;)

        0 points
    • Mike JohnsonMike Johnson, over 2 years ago

      Not only should this code be minified, but JavaScript MVC frameworks are getting popular too. You're not going to be able to make sense of an entire Angular or Backbone site by viewing page source. Plus you're not going to see dependency management or task runner tools that the dev is using.

      1 point
  • Timothy Kempf, over 2 years ago

    Very important.

    In my job search in the San Francisco Bay Area, items in my GitHub profile were mentioned in every interview. Having a public profile of your code, work habits, and the projects that interest you can help interviewers get a better idea of what kind of developer you are. Moreover, every company I interviewed with used GitHub (or similar) in their day-to-day process, and they expected their prospects to know how to use it on a conceptual and technical level.

    As a developer, nothing speaks louder than your code.

    0 points
  • Jonathan White, over 2 years ago (edited over 2 years ago )

    I would say having a Git portfolio is important since a number of my employers have asked me for my Github. However, instead of treating using it like a chore, just actively use Git as a tool to keep track of your code. Pretty soon, you'll start to enjoy using it as more people view, fork, and star your repos.

    0 points