United Kingdom

Zisis
Kostakakis

Software Engineer & Cloud Architect

I build cloud systems in Python and AWS, automate infrastructure with Terraform, lead teams to MVP delivery, and integrate private AI/LLM systems.

Explore my workGet in touch
PythonPython
TypeScriptTypeScript
JavaJava
C++C++
BashBash
SwiftSwift
FlutterFlutter
TerraformTerraform
AWSAWS
DockerDocker
VercelVercel
KubernetesKubernetes
HCP CloudHCP Cloud
ProxmoxProxmox
PythonPython
TypeScriptTypeScript
JavaJava
C++C++
BashBash
SwiftSwift
FlutterFlutter
TerraformTerraform
AWSAWS
DockerDocker
VercelVercel
KubernetesKubernetes
HCP CloudHCP Cloud
ProxmoxProxmox
01about

About me

I'm a Software Engineer & Cloud Architect working across backend development, infrastructure automation, and technical leadership. I build AWS systems with Terraform and Python, and I automate away the manual work that slows engineering teams down.

On the DevSecOps side I do system hardening, penetration testing, and private AI/LLM integration. I also work with virtualisation (Proxmox), disaster recovery, and self-healing infrastructure.

Toolkit

Programming Languages

PythonTypeScriptJavaC++BashSwiftFlutterTerraform

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWSDockerVercelKubernetesHCP CloudProxmox

Cloud

AWS solutions built with Lambda, EC2, Terraform, and CloudFormation

DevSecOps

System hardening, penetration testing, CI/CD pipelines, and private LLM/AI integration

Automation

Self-healing infrastructure, monitoring tools, and removing manual toil

Technical Leadership

Leading cross-functional teams to MVP, conducting interviews, and translating business needs into architecture

02experience

Where I've worked

  1. Full Stack Engineer

    Zerion Software

    Apr 2026 - Present
    permanentBelfast, Northern Ireland

  2. Software Engineer & Cloud Architect

    Paiwe

    2025 - Present
    contractUnited Kingdom
    • Directing project to MVP, leading cross-functional team and collaborating with CEO to translate business needs into scalable infrastructure
    • Conducting interviews for full-stack and senior software engineer roles
    • Developed scraping software to collect and catalogue watches and attributes
    • Architected cloud solutions with data pipelines and ingestion using Terraform and GitHub Actions
    • Built internal database tool for watch management
    • Created automated scripts for EC2 provisioning using Terraform and Bash
    PythonTerraformAWS LambdaAPI GatewayDynamoDBECRIAMCognitoEC2BashDocker

  3. Software Engineer

    Farmdrive.io

    2025 (6 Months)
    contractRemote
    • Engineered custom OCR solution to automate digitisation of market cattle documentation
    • Executed penetration testing across cloud platform for security hardening
    • Provided strategic consulting on software infrastructure architecture
    PythonOCRAWSPenetration Testing

  4. Software Development Engineer R&D

    StormHarvester Limited

    Aug 2022 - Apr 2026
    permanentBelfast, Northern Ireland
    • Architected automated cloud monitoring using AWS CloudFormation, reducing incident response times by 30%
    • Developed "Crontab Health Check" monitoring tool that eliminated missed cron job failures
    • Built self-service automation tools that removed the need for engineering support on routine tasks
    • Decomposed monolithic codebases into modular components for EC2 distribution
    • Enhanced CI/CD with Jenkins pipelines integrated with AWS services
    • Deployed private LLM knowledge base (Llama3 8B) via Docker and OpenWebUI with RBAC
    • Managed end-to-end Linux server provisioning and maintenance
    PythonAWS CloudFormationEC2JenkinsDockerBashLinuxLLM
03projects

Things I've built

A selection of production systems, tools, and experiments, each with a full case study covering architecture, features, and lessons learned.

homelab media stack
Homelab Media Stack screenshot
FeaturedInfrastructure2026

Homelab Media Stack

Fully automated, self-healing Docker media stack with VPN kill switch, cascade restart recovery, centralised Loki/Grafana logging, and encrypted off-host backups.

  • All download traffic routed through ProtonVPN WireGuard with firewall kill switch
  • Cascade restart monitor automatically recovers all VPN-dependent services on Gluetun restart
  • Centralised logging: Promtail ships every container log to Loki (90-day retention) with Grafana dashboards
Docker ComposeBashPythonWireGuard VPNGluetunPlexSonarr+11 more
Read case study
stackfordev.zisiskostakakis.com
StackForDev screenshot
FeaturedFull Stack2026

StackForDev

CLI tool and web app that generates tailored Dockerfiles so developers only need Docker, with no language runtimes to install locally.

  • Generates Dockerfiles for Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, and Java with 20+ stack variants
  • CLI tool published on PyPI (`pip install stackfordev`)
  • Interactive and non-interactive CLI modes
PythonAWS LambdaAWS API GatewayAWS S3AWS ECRTerraformSvelteKit+4 more
Read case study
property-pal-analyser.zisiskostakakis.com/
PropertyPal Investment Analyzer screenshot
FeaturedAutomation2026

PropertyPal Investment Analyzer

Scrapy-based web scraper for extracting property listings with AI-powered investment ratings and geocoding analysis.

  • Automated property data extraction with pagination support
  • AI-powered investment ratings via Perplexity Housing Agent
  • Geocoding with distance calculations from custom destinations
PythonScrapyPerplexity APIPydanticWeb ScrapingData PipelinesGeocoding
Read case study

More projects

Student Loan Checker screenshot
Automation2025

Student Loan Checker

Automated Python bot using Playwright to log into the Student Loans Company portal and retrieve loan balance information.

PythonPlaywrightWeb ScrapingAutomation+1
Details
Date Calculator screenshot
Full Stack2025

Date Calculator

Web application for calculating and tracking days across custom date ranges with configurable anchor periods.

Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwind CSS+6
Details
Transport Info screenshot
Full Stack2023

Transport Info

Full Stack Web App on AWS that uses public transport data to provide information to users.

PythonFlaskAWS LambdaDynamoDB+4
Details
CameraOCR screenshot
Mobile Development2023

CameraOCR

IOS App that uses OCR to detect text from camera and ML Emotion Detection.

SwiftCoreMLVisionOCR+1
Details
Connect 5 Java Game screenshot
Game Development2023

Connect 5 Java Game

Java Game with Graphical User Interface and AI Implementation.

JavaSwingAI/ML
Details
04contact

Get in touch

I'm currently open to full-time roles, contract engagements, and interesting problems you think I can help with. Answer a few quick questions and I'll get back to you.

business@zisiskostakakis.com
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