đź‘‹ Hi, I'm Marios Sofokleous
I build and run secure, stable, well-documented systems: websites, servers, email and the accounts behind them, with respect for privacy (GDPR) and accessibility (WCAG).
Building and running secure, stable, well-documented systems
I am a Computer Engineer (BSc, University of Cyprus) and a registered member of the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), under the branch of Electronic Engineering including Informatics Engineering. I have over 5.5 years of professional experience in agency and enterprise environments, building and maintaining web systems for small businesses, a municipality and a financial services company.
Across these roles, I have handled the full lifecycle of digital platforms: requirements, development, deployment, maintenance and user support. I also improved how teams worked by introducing containerized development environments, Git workflows and technical documentation that made onboarding new developers faster.
Since 2024, I have worked independently. I support long-term clients with their websites, domains and email, build new websites, and run my own self-hosted Linux server with VPN-only access, encrypted backups, monitoring and a documented recovery plan. I care most about systems that are secure, stable and easy for the next person to maintain, with respect for privacy (GDPR) and accessibility (WCAG).
Tools and skills across web development, infrastructure and security
Delivering scalable IT solutions across enterprise and agency sectors
Self-employed
Paphos, Cyprus
IronFX
Limassol, Cyprus
Webmors
Remote
Enigma Global
Paphos, Cyprus
Running, securing and recovering self-hosted systems, alongside client web development
I run a self-hosted Linux server on Hetzner, managed with Coolify, for full data sovereignty. It hosts my public website and private services: Forgejo (Git), Vaultwarden (passwords), WireGuard (VPN), LibreChat (AI chat), Strapi (CMS) and Duplicati (backups). Deployments run automatically from Git.
No web or SSH ports are open to the internet. Web traffic reaches the server through an outbound-only Cloudflare Tunnel, and private services are reachable only over the VPN, enforced by firewall rules. Admin panels and public sign-ups are disabled, and every service requires authentication.
I designed a risk-segmented email and account structure on my own domain to limit the impact of any breach. Accounts that control the domain, DNS and hosting use an independent recovery address, so a domain failure can't lock me out. Passkeys and two-factor codes are centralized in Vaultwarden.
Layered backups go to private S3 storage, including AES-256 encrypted volume backups with Duplicati. A custom Bash script copies everything to an encrypted local drive. Healthchecks.io alerts me to both failed and missed jobs, and an offline recovery kit allows a full rebuild from backups.
I build headless websites with Next.js and Astro, using Strapi and Decap CMS, with a focus on performance, accessibility and GDPR-compliant analytics. I also build React single-page applications, including apps embedded in WordPress and apps using Firebase for authentication and storage.
I publish open-source work on GitHub, including a Next.js and Strapi portfolio template with static site generation, JSON-LD and a spam-protected contact form; it also powers this website. I also published JobLister, a React-based job board plugin for WordPress that passed the official plugin review.
Engineering scalable web applications, custom plugins, and secure digital platforms
A headless architectural portfolio built with Astro and Decap CMS, with 0ms Total Blocking Time across tested pages, 93–100 Lighthouse performance scores and GDPR-compliant analytics.
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
Build 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 platformDiscover how I created an interactive masterplan for Sentiero Luxury Villas, blending architectural visualization with web interactivity to redefine real estate exploration.
Read more, about Building an interactive masterplan for Sentiero Luxury VillasBridging software configuration with physical electronic architecture
Beyond web architecture, I have engineered custom FPV quadcopters. As an EASA A1/A3 certified pilot registered with the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation, I use this cross-domain discipline to seamlessly bridge precision hardware integration with software logic.
Engineered a robust aerial platform optimized for carrying action-camera payloads while maintaining absolute environmental and structural resilience.
Engineered a low-acoustic, sub-250g platform operating under strict spatial constraints, primarily optimized for ultra-quiet efficiency in urban environments.
How I approach security, reliability and maintenance
I use layered backups: automated copies to off-site storage, encrypted backups of important data, and a separate local copy, so no single failure can destroy everything. A backup is only useful if you know it ran, so monitoring alerts me to both failed and missed jobs. I also keep a written recovery procedure, because restoring a system under pressure is much harder without one.
Admin tools shouldn't be reachable from the public internet. On my own server, no web or SSH ports are open: public traffic arrives through an outbound-only Cloudflare Tunnel, and private services are only reachable over a VPN. I also disable public sign-ups and unused admin panels, require authentication everywhere, and use two-factor authentication or passkeys wherever they're supported.
Lockouts often come from circular dependencies, for example when the recovery email for a domain depends on that same domain. I keep the accounts that control domains, DNS, hosting and email recovery on an independent address, store passwords and two-factor codes in a password manager, and keep offline recovery codes. The same principle applies to any organization: every critical account needs a documented, working recovery path.
I connect a consent management platform to Google Consent Mode v2, so tags only use cookies after the visitor agrees. To protect performance, I load Google Tag Manager only after the first user interaction, such as a scroll or tap. On the GK Architects website, this kept Total Blocking Time at 0 ms across the tested pages.
I start with as little JavaScript as possible, using static generation with Astro or Next.js where it fits, and optimize images and fonts at build time. I also think about the people who maintain the site: validated CMS fields for editors, version control for code, and documentation so the next developer isn't left guessing. When a client's budget or existing setup calls for WordPress, I work within it rather than forcing a rebuild.
I'm looking for a stable role in IT support, systems administration or web development, ideally where reliability, security and good documentation are valued. I'm also open to selected freelance projects.
I'm open to roles in IT support, systems administration and web development, as well as freelance projects. Let's talk.