<p>I wanted a living snapshot of my GitHub activity—followers, key repo stars/forks—without adding a full analytics layer.</p>
<h2>Design Constraints</h2>
<ul>
<li>Keep client bundle lean (no heavy SDK)</li>
<li>Avoid rate limit surprises</li>
<li>Cache server-side just enough to feel fresh</li>
</ul>
<h2>Approach</h2>
<ol>
<li>API routes (<code>/api/github-profile</code>, <code>/api/project-repos</code>) fetch with <code>fetch</code> + auth header.</li>
<li>Aggregate minimal fields (name, login, avatar, followers/following, stars, forks).</li>
<li>SWR on client with a long <code>dedupingInterval</code> (15 min+) prevents thrash.</li>
<li>Graceful fallback if API fails—UI silently hides metrics.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Caching</h2>
<p>Vercel's edge and SWR together reduce repeated hits. Additional in-memory map caches repo slug lookups so project cards display instantly.</p>
<h2>UI Integration</h2>
<ul>
<li>Projects page gets a compact profile card</li>
<li>Dashboard shows only the essentials (no noisy graphs)</li>
</ul>
<h2>Error Handling</h2>
<ul>
<li>Try/catch around fetch; on non-200, return <code>{ error:true }</code></li>
<li>Client checks <code>!data.error</code> before rendering</li>
</ul>
<h2>Future Ideas</h2>
<ul>
<li>Language breakdown mini-bar</li>
<li>Highlight recently active repos (commit recency)</li>
</ul>
<p>A small, purposeful slice of data beats a sprawling stats page. This approach keeps the feel of "live" without complexity.</p>
