đź‘‹ Hi, I'm Marios Sofokleous
I specialize in modernizing legacy web infrastructure. I build highly secure, decoupled architectures that prioritize system stability, exceptional Core Web Vitals, and strict compliance with EU GDPR and WCAG accessibility standards.
Engineering secure, scalable, and highly performant web systems
With over 5.5 years of professional experience in custom CMS development and software architecture, I specialize in engineering secure, highly optimized web systems. My background as a Computer Engineer (BSc, University of Cyprus), alongside my pending professional registration with the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), provides a rigorous foundation in algorithmic logic and system architecture. This ensures that the digital platforms I build are both robust and scalable.
Throughout my career across agency and enterprise environments, I have managed the full technical lifecycle of digital platforms. My hands-on experience ranges from maintaining municipal web infrastructure and architecting custom database schemas to engineering secure, real-time API data feeds. I have a proven track record of modernizing internal IT workflows through containerized environments and proactive technical documentation, ensuring that every system I deploy is stable, scalable, and fully supported.
Today, my focus is on digital modernization. I have transitioned from legacy monolithic architectures toward modern JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystems. I leverage frameworks like Next.js and Astro for their component-driven architecture and composability, drastically reducing development overhead. My core mandate is to deliver secure web applications that protect user privacy, achieve perfect Core Web Vitals, and follow best practices for GDPR compliance and accessibility.
The modern stack for speed, system stability, and secure content operations
Delivering scalable IT solutions across enterprise and agency sectors
Freelance
Paphos, Cyprus
Architecting decoupled, high-performance web experiences and conversion-driven funnels using Next.js, Astro, and headless platforms.
srcset/sizes and native lazy-loading). Engineered Real User Monitoring (RUM) to correlate speed with conversion rates by injecting live web-vitals telemetry directly into the dataLayer. Furthermore, architected a WordPress real estate platform (200+ properties), overcoming constrained shared hosting by deploying Cloudflare Edge caching and automated image processing to guarantee elite 95+ mobile Lighthouse Performance scores.HTML, enforcing strict ARIA standards, and optimizing UI legibility. Replaced AJAX-based filtering with indexable page routes, and structured custom data using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), automated JSON-LD schemas, and XML sitemaps to maximize organic search visibility.Google Tag Manager (GTM), preserving attribution data without blocking the main CPU thread. Integrated CookieYes with Google Consent Mode v2 via GTM, utilizing cookie-less pings to maintain behavioral modeling under stringent EU privacy laws.dataLayer payloads to segment lead tracking, routing behavioral indicators to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) while structuring encrypted user_data schemas for ad network APIs. Secured data pipelines by embedding native HubSpot CRM scripts, implementing strict Zod validation, and deploying anti-scraping obfuscation alongside honeypot spam protection.View Transition API) to ensure third-party marketing telemetry and consent managers remained perfectly stable across routes. Authored custom build scripts to compile scoped Sass into dynamic RTL stylesheets for global market localization.Coolify to deploy full-stack decoupled environments (Strapi/Next.js). Established webhook-driven CI/CD pipelines to Netlify Edge, ensuring zero-downtime deployments and enabling rapid, autonomous marketing iterations.Next.js, Astro, TypeScript, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, HubSpot CRM, Strapi, Cloudflare, Netlify, Coolify, WordPress, Advanced Custom Fields, Decap CMS, Tailwind CSS, GSAP, Zod, CookieYes, web-vitals, Lighthouse
IronFX
Limassol, Cyprus
Webmors
Remote
Enigma Global
Paphos, Cyprus
Architecting decoupled web systems and open-source software
Provisioned a self-hosted cloud server using Coolify to deploy full-stack environments and open-source tools, ensuring strict data sovereignty. The system integrates directly with Git repositories to enable automated, zero-downtime deployments across multiple production web applications.
Engineered fully decoupled JAMstack websites utilizing API-driven Strapi and Git-based Decap CMS platforms. Built with Next.js and Astro, these architectures feature Static Site Generation, interaction-driven telemetry, and deep frontend optimizations achieving 0ms Total Blocking Time.
Developed robust Single-Page Applications that seamlessly integrate into legacy monolithic systems to bypass server-rendering constraints. These applications leverage client-side state management, frontend image processing, and serverless databases like Firebase to deliver secure, zero-latency user experiences.
Engineered custom themes and plugins for official CMS marketplaces that successfully passed strict public code-review standards. With over 500 active installations across WordPress and October CMS, these open-source extensions provide robust, highly customizable business solutions.
Engineering scalable web applications, custom plugins, and secure digital platforms
A headless architectural portfolio engineered with Astro and Decap CMS. Achieved 0ms Total Blocking Time (TBT) and perfect Core Web Vitals while architecting robust, GDPR-compliant telemetry pipelines.
Read more, about GK Architects
A production-ready decoupled architecture leveraging Next.js and Strapi. Features Static Site Generation (SSG) and automated JSON-LD schemas to deliver lightning-fast load times and optimal search visibility.
Read more, about Next.js, Strapi Portfolio Starter
A React SPA engineered for WordPress to eliminate constant server round-trips. By fetching data through a single initial payload, it delivers instantaneous search, lag-free filtering, and seamless hash-routed navigation to secure application forms.
Read more, about JobLister plugin
A privacy-first property landing page engineered for secure lead generation, featuring strict GDPR consent management, anti-spam protections, and interactive web components while maintaining elite 90+ PageSpeed scores.
Read more, about Sentiero Luxury VillasWhat teams and stakeholders say about my work
Marios has been professional, collaborative, efficient, and honest. With strong technical knowledge and natural creativity, he helped us communicate our vision through a streamlined and attractive website.
A great professional, very hardworking and able to tackle any challenge on time. It was a great pleasure working with Marios. He is an amazing person, with top notch technical skills and experience in building beautiful highly responsive web applications. I wish we have the chance to work together in the nearest future Marios. I am sure you will thrive even more in the tech industry. Nowadays, is not so common to find professionals like you. All the best!
An expert in front-end web development with great attention to detail. We have worked together during several projects, and Marios has delivered beautiful and fully responsive UIs every time.
Having worked with Marios for almost a year as a fellow WordPress developer, I must say he instills positive energy in the team and is a true professional. What makes him stand out is his willingness to help others. I am impressed by his work ethic, communication skills and the fact that he easily adjusts to any given situation and can perform under pressure. I am glad to have worked with him!
Marios is one of the most hardworking persons I had the pleasure of working with, always willing to go above and beyond to complete a project assigned to him.
Sharing knowledge & technical insights
Adaptive React headings that respect any host page. Learn accessible hierarchy, dynamic level mapping, and safe CMS HTML sanitization without brittle, hardcoded levels.
Read more, about A smarter heading hierarchy for embeddable React appsBuild a secure Netlify serverless proxy to hide API keys from client-side code. Includes cross-domain setup and CORS handling.
Read more, about Protecting API keys in frontend apps with Netlify FunctionsDiscover how to self-host Supabase with Coolify, gain full control of your infrastructure, and seamlessly migrate your project from the official platform!
Read more, about How to self-host Supabase with Coolify and migrate your project from the official Supabase platformTechnical strategies and system stability
In public and enterprise sectors, infrastructure must prioritize security and accessibility. I build decoupled architectures that allow organizations to deploy digital portals safely and autonomously. This includes setting up secure, role-based editing dashboards and configuring third-party integrations without compromising system stability or violating WCAG accessibility guidelines.
Standard third-party scripts often destroy performance and risk privacy violations. I implement interaction-driven telemetry. By deferring heavy tracking containers until explicit user intent is detected, I ensure organizations maintain vital metrics while the site maintains a 0ms Total Blocking Time (TBT) and strictly adheres to EU GDPR and Consent Mode v2 requirements.
Monolithic systems often force a compromise between content management ease and frontend performance, while exposing the database to security vulnerabilities. I use component-driven engineering to assemble interfaces block-by-block, decoupling the backend (Strapi, Decap CMS) from highly optimized frontends (Next.js, Astro). This guarantees zero-bloat delivery, tighter security protocols, and scalable infrastructure without traditional database constraints.
Performance isn't an afterthought; it is the foundation of the architecture. I refuse to use bloated legacy themes or heavy page builders. Instead, I prioritize shipping zero JavaScript to the client by default using Astro or leveraging Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG) with Next.js. By optimizing LCP through edge caching, automated image pipelines, and critical CSS extraction, I ensure pages load instantly, which reduces server load, ensures high availability, and delivers an optimal, accessible user experience.
I engineer secure, headless web architectures that streamline operations, ensure data privacy, and deliver exceptional performance. Let's discuss how we can scale your platform.