👋 Hi, I'm Marios Sofokleous

Web performance engineer & JAMStack architect

I build blazing-fast, SEO-optimized web architectures using Next.js, Astro, and headless CMS platforms. I help businesses achieve perfect Core Web Vitals and seamless content delivery.

Explore my projects

ABOUT ME

Architecting the modern web for speed and scale

With 8 years of experience in web development, I specialize in solving complex performance and infrastructure bottlenecks for high-traffic platforms. My career began in agency environments delivering custom CMS solutions, which taught me the critical importance of aligning technical architecture with business and marketing goals.

During my time in the fintech sector at IronFX, I modernized development workflows, built scalable full-stack architectures, and introduced containerized environments to ensure reliable, fast deployments.

Today, I focus on decoupling monolithic websites using modern headless architectures (Strapi, Decap CMS) and building blazing-fast frontends with Next.js and Astro. My core focus is bridging the gap between engineering and growth—delivering secure, heavily optimized platforms that achieve perfect Core Web Vitals scores, ensure strict accessibility, and rank flawlessly on search engines.

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TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Specialized in JAMStack, performance optimization, and headless architecture

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Architecting high-performance digital platforms

Web performance engineer
Freelance
September 2024 - Present
Paphos, Cyprus
Engineering headless, zero-JS web architectures and high-conversion digital platforms for the real estate, architecture, and luxury sectors.

Decoupled architecture & i18n: Engineered multilingual websites with RTL support for design studios using Astro and Decap CMS. Implemented GSAP scroll animations and strict typography systems while maintaining zero-JS performance baselines.

Advanced technical SEO: Architected automated JSON-LD schemas, dynamic XML sitemaps, and advanced asset delivery via the Astro Fonts API and responsive image optimization to achieve 90+ Core Web Vitals.

WordPress performance optimization: Overhauled a heavy real estate platform (200+ active properties). Integrated HubSpot CRM for automated lead capture and deployed server and edge caching to achieve 95+ PageSpeed scores on shared hosting infrastructure.

Interactive UI & compliance: Developed a high-performance luxury property landing page featuring an interactive SVG masterplan and Leaflet.js mapping. Engineered a custom, lightweight GDPR consent system to prevent third-party script bloat.

Open-source development: Architected and published a production-ready headless CMS template using Next.js, Tailwind, and Strapi, featuring Zod for API validation and a middleware for rate limiting.

DevOps & CI/CD automation: Configured automated deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions across diverse environments, including Coolify on self-hosted Linux VPS for dynamic applications (Next.js/Strapi) and Netlify/Cloudflare for edge-delivered static sites.

Toolset

Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Leaflet.js, Astro, Decap CMS, Netlify, Strapi CMS, Zod, REST API, Apache ECharts, Coolify, Git/GitHub, Cloudflare, VS Code, GitHub Copilot
Frontend developer
IronFX
January 2022 - August 2024
Limassol, Cyprus
Engineered dynamic frontend architectures, modernized deployment workflows, and spearheaded SEO-driven framework migrations for a trading platform.

Headless architecture: Led the technical evaluation to decouple monolithic WordPress using WPGraphQL and Next.js. Directed the engineering team away from client-side React by demonstrating the critical SEO risks, successfully advocating for Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to protect marketing search visibility.

Real-time API integrations: Engineered live financial data solutions by independently navigating and integrating JavaScript APIs (Solace) for real-time price feed delivery.

Payment infrastructure & vendor integration: Reverse-engineered existing third-party payment infrastructure (PayRetailers) to architect and deploy custom support for PIX transactions. Collaborated directly with external vendor engineering teams to build, test, and secure the new payment pipeline.

Strategic frontend architectures: Deployed React to architect highly dynamic, client-side rendered interfaces, such as filterable event boards and career directories within the CMS. Managed state and decoupled API data fetching to deliver seamless, app-like experiences for specific marketing features where rich interactivity was prioritized over strict SEO indexing.

UI performance & localization: Systematically improved bloated legacy code to drive frontend performance and maintenability. Took ownership of Right-to-Left (RTL) localization by proactively auditing and resolving widespread layout bugs, establishing strict RTL testing standards to ensure flawless accessibility for Arabic and Farsi audiences.

DevOps modernization: Transformed the team's development environment by introducing Docker containerization and modern JavaScript tooling, standardizing local development and drastically reducing deployment times.

Technical leadership & standards: Awarded "Top Tech Contributor" for architectural leadership on the Xlence website. Established strict documentation standards for seamless team onboarding, and acted as the technical bridge between design and engineering to enforce UI consistency, maximize component reusability, and accelerate development cycles.

Tech stack

React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Sass, React Hook Form, Zod, Recoil, REST/WebSocket APIs, WPGraphQL, SendGrid API, YouTube Data API, Postman, Docker, Vite, WebPack
Web developer
Webmors
August 2019 - December 2021
Remote
Established core development workflows and delivered custom October CMS websites across multiple sectors.

Delivered 20+ custom October CMS websites for real estate, e-commerce, and other sectors, handling the full lifecycle from Figma mockups to deployment.

Developed themes and plugins using Twig and component-based structures to improve maintainability and code reusability.

Established core development workflows and best practices for a new agency, setting technical standards for project delivery.

Guided designers in Figma and web design principles to ensure design-to-code alignment.

Provided ongoing technical support and training for seamless project delivery.

Toolset

October CMS, Laravel, Twig, Figma, Gulp, Bootstrap, Saas, VS Code
WordPress developer
Enigma Global
June 2018 - July 2019
Paphos, Cyprus
Managed full lifecycle of WordPress projects and introduced modern development tools to accelerate delivery.

Managed the full lifecycle of WordPress projects, from requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance.

Developed custom themes and provided tailored web solutions for clients across various industries.

Introduced and championed Elementor adoption, significantly accelerating the custom design process and reducing project time and costs.

Collaborated with designers and clients to deliver high-quality, performant websites.

Delivered training, documentation, and ongoing technical support to ensure client success.

Toolset

WordPress, jQuery, Elementor

FEATURED WORK

High-performance web architectures and headless CMS builds

JobLister plugin

React-powered WordPress plugin delivering fast job listings with search, filters, and secure application forms.

Next.js, Strapi Portfolio Starter

Open-source, production-ready headless CMS starter template built with Next.js, Strapi, and Tailwind CSS for optimal SEO.

Sentiero Luxury Villas

High-performance property sales page featuring interactive SVG masterplan, amenity mapping, and GDPR-compliant consent management.

Studio Theta

Elementor-built architecture portfolio with SEO-friendly project categories and light/dark theme options.

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PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

What 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.

— George Kalaitzides, Architect & Founder, GK Architects

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!

— Christophoros Demetriou, Product manager, IronFX

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.

— Marios Kleanthous, CEO, Webmors

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!

— Pavlina Kyriacou, WordPress developer, IronFX

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.

— Marios Polyviou, PHP developer & online marketing manager, Enigma Global

LATEST POSTS

Sharing knowledge & technical insights

Posted on:: 18/09/2025

A smarter heading hierarchy for embeddable React apps

Adaptive React headings that respect any host page. Learn accessible hierarchy, dynamic level mapping, and safe CMS HTML sanitization without brittle, hardcoded levels.

Posted on:: 25/07/2025

Protecting API keys in frontend apps with Netlify Functions

Build a secure Netlify serverless proxy to hide API keys from client-side code. Includes cross-domain setup and CORS handling.

Posted on:: 11/04/2025

How to self-host Supabase with Coolify and migrate your project from the official Supabase platform

Discover how to self-host Supabase with Coolify, gain full control of your infrastructure, and seamlessly migrate your project from the official platform!

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Technical strategies and business value

Why do you advocate for headless CMS and component-driven architecture?

Monolithic systems often force a compromise between content management ease and frontend performance. 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 gives marketing teams an intuitive publishing interface while guaranteeing zero-bloat delivery, tighter security, and scalable infrastructure without traditional database constraints.

How do you guarantee high-performance Core Web Vitals?

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 lowers ad CPC and maximizes campaign ROI.

How do you bridge the gap between engineering and marketing teams?

In competitive markets, engineering must empower growth teams rather than block them. I build infrastructure that allows non-technical staff to launch campaigns safely and autonomously without risking the site's layout or speed. This includes setting up secure editing dashboards and configuring third-party analytics without blocking the main browser thread.

Web performance engineer & JAMStack architect

ABOUT ME

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE