Open for a few new projects & one-on-one guidance

Elio Merhej

Building cloud infrastructure and systems from the ground up.

Europe · Africa · North America · Middle EastPortfolio, v1.0

A decorative rotating typographic wheel. Press and hold it, or drag it in circles, to wind it up, circling back the other way unwinds it again, then release to disturb its surface.

001AboutWHOAMI

I’m a cloud engineer and full-stack developer based in Lebanon, building systems that scale from a solo founder’s first server to platforms serving clients globally in seconds.

I think in systems: closing loopholes before they become problems, whether that’s a payment flow, a release pipeline, or an infrastructure decision that saves a client thousands. Six-plus years of running live systems have kept it sharp. I’ve mentored 70+ students along the way, because good engineering should be shared, not kept behind a closed door.

Bring me a finished idea and I’ll build it end to end. Bring me one you’re stuck on, or don’t have the technical background to approach on your own, and I’ll help you find the right way in.

  • 200+Projects shipped
  • 100+Clients served
  • 6+Years experience
  • 90%+Mentee pass rate
Elio@Merhej, zsh
whoami
elio-merhej, cloud engineer, full-stack developer, mentor
cat ./discipline.txt
six-plus years in cloud and DevOps, five-plus in full-stack.
if it can be automated, optimized, or engineered better, that is the job.
uptime
running since 2018 · zero major downtime · still shipping

002StackTHE TOOLING

RIGHT TOOL, RIGHT BUDGET, EVERY TIME

I build systems that scale with your budget, not against it.

A tight budget and a big one deserve the same care, just a different shape. I meet you where your budget actually is and build something excellent there, whoever you are and whatever you can spend, not a watered-down version, and not more than you need to pay for.

Cloud & Infrastructure

  • AWS
  • GCP
  • Azure
  • Terragrunt
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes

Platform & DevOps

  • GitHub Actions
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Cost control
  • Well-architected reviews
  • Monitoring and alerts
  • Multi-cloud setups

Languages

  • React
  • Next.js
  • Node.js
  • TypeScript
  • Python
  • Go

Application & Data

  • PostgreSQL
  • MongoDB
  • MySQL
  • Redis
  • Magento
  • WordPress
003InfrastructureHOW IT FITS TOGETHER

Your vision, drawn before it’s written.

A good blueprint makes a complicated system simple enough to explain in one sentence. That is its promise: the vision will not get lost as the system grows, because the shape stays the same and only the tools underneath change to fit what the work actually needs.

EDGE / CDNAPI GATEWAYIDENTITYSERVICE ASERVICE BQUEUEWORKERSPRIMARY STORECACHEMONITORINGCI / CDPRODUCTION
  • [01]ReliabilitySpread across zones by default
  • [02]CostSized right before it ships
  • [03]ScaleAutomated, not manual
014Ask meHIS ASSISTANT, NOT HIM

Rather just ask?

Not sure where to start? Ask about a project you’re building, something technical you’re stuck on, or just what his day-to-day actually looks like. I’m his assistant, here to work out what you need and bring him in directly.

Elio’s assistantREADYAI ONLINE
  • Elio’s assistant

    Hey! I’m Elio’s assistant. Ask me about a project you’re building, something you’re stuck on, or just what his day-to-day actually looks like. I’ll tell you what I can, and bring him in for the specifics. Want to talk with Elio directly? Use the orange button and he can join this chat live.

006TrajectoryDRAG OR SCROLL

things that actually happened!

  • Cutting a Cloud Bill in Half

    AWS · FINOPS · COST

    My client’s platform on AWS was burning through $40,000 to $60,000 a month. Without touching speed, security, or reliability, I rebuilt the setup from the ground up: servers resized to what they actually use, storage moved to cheaper tiers, a cleaner design underneath. Same platform, same reliability, same experience for users. I cut the bill in half, and it stayed cut month after month, not a one-time discount.

  • Turning an Attack Into a Defense System

    AWS WAF · SECURITY · AUTOMATION

    My client, serving North American traffic, came under a long-running attack. The firewall logs gave it away: a flood of traffic from one region far outside their real audience. I traced it and blocked the addresses behind it within minutes, with no downtime for real users. Rather than close the ticket and move on, I left an AI review running over those logs for good: it now spots unusual patterns and suggests fixes before they turn into outages, not after.

  • Measured First, Then Moved

    MIGRATION · MONITORING · AWS

    My client had years of systems running on their own servers and needed to move to the cloud. Before I wrote a single line of setup code, I put monitoring on the machines they already had and watched real traffic for weeks: how hard each one actually worked, and when. That became the plan. When the move to AWS went live, everything was the right size from day one: nothing oversized and paid for, and no painful cost correction six months later.

  • Already Lean, Still Cut in Half

    SAVINGS PLANS · RESERVED · FINOPS

    My client was already running a tight AWS bill: servers sized well, sensible rules for scaling up and down, and they assumed there was nothing left to save. I added savings plans and reserved pricing on top of what they already had and cut the bill in half again, without changing a single server or rule. Just as important, I mapped out how those commitments should change as the business grows or shrinks, so the savings keep working either way instead of turning into a cost they are stuck with.

Progress000%Scroll to advance
007Story mapDRAG THE MINIMAP

A career, mapped out.

012018ORIGIN

Where It Started

IT support at SOS Auto while still a student, fixing whatever broke that day, learning hardware and networks hands-on, long before any of it had a name like "cloud" or "DevOps."

022020–2022ENGINEERING

Networks, On Site

ISP technician, then network operations engineer at MobiMind, running cable, drawing out network maps, managing Cisco firewalls, while already learning cloud on the side, the earliest edge of what six years later is real cloud engineering experience. Clients ran from Pelini, L’Oréal and Auditax in Lebanon to STC, Vodafone and Orange across the region.

032022CLOUD

Moving to the Cloud

Joined Nebulane as a cloud engineer, the shift from racking hardware to designing it as code. AWS, GCP and Azure for clients across MENA and Europe: Esposa, Enotica, Debbane Agri, NXG, Ant and MT2, plus Africa’s CompuGhana.

042022–2025DEVOPS

Automating Everything

Terraform and Terragrunt across every environment from one codebase, so the test, staging and live setups never drift apart. AWS certified in Cloud Practitioner, SysOps and DevOps along the way.

052023–2025MENTORSHIP

Teaching SysOps

Led SysOps certification workshops at USEK & Lebanese University, project lead on a programme backed by the Holland Embassy, 70+ students tracked individually, 90%+ walked in ready for success.

062022–2024SYSTEMS

Building End to End

Built a full e-commerce platform from scratch during university, sold it, then submitted it as my Computer Science senior project. Since: one full SaaS platform built solo, plus e-commerce sites and smart-home systems on the side.

072025–PresentNOW

Right Now

On contract with Aspire, strengthening the security and reliability of the systems behind payment gateways and processors across North America.

008MentorshipLEBANON
Universities & workshops

I’ve spent the last few years teaching as much as I’ve been building, leading SysOps Engineer workshops at USEK & Lebanese University as project lead for a programme backed by the Holland Embassy and delivered through Nebulane.

That meant building the course from scratch, preparing exam rooms, booking every student’s certification slot, and tracking each person’s readiness one by one, because nobody should walk into that exam unprepared.

  • 01

    Independent mentorship

    One-to-one guidance for developers outside any formal programme, shaped around whatever they bring: one problem they are stuck on, or a full career change, and these days as much about using AI well as it is about cloud and DevOps.

    ONE-TO-ONE · ONGOING
  • 02

    Workshops

    Hands-on SysOps groups, run start to finish, from the first idea to a passed certification exam.

    HANDS-ON · GROUPS
  • 03

    Inside universities

    Lectures and full course blocks at USEK and others, building the course from a blank page.

    LECTURES · COURSE BLOCKS
In the room
Elio presenting the Nebulane AWS Training Program to a room of Lebanese University students.
01AWS training programmeNebulane · Lebanese University
Elio explaining two AWS demos on a screen, a real-time alert system and automated termination protection, at the Huawei ICT Academy at USEK.
02Live AWS demoUSEK
The same AWS demo seen from behind the lab computers, Elio presenting beside the screen.
03From the back rowUSEK
Elio lecturing on AWS and cloud computing to a full computer lab.
04Cloud computing lectureUSEK
Students seated across the Huawei ICT Academy lab at USEK, listening during a session.
05The cohortUSEK
  • 2+Universities
  • 15+Workshops
  • 70+Students mentored
  • 3+Years mentoring
009From studentsIN THEIR WORDS

What the people I mentored said afterwards.

01/04
A heartfelt thank you to Elio Merhej for his invaluable guidance and support throughout this journey. Your expertise and mentorship made all the difference!
Mona KouraniMenteeVERIFIED
At Nebulane, I was fortunate to learn from a talented team. I extend my sincere gratitude to Elio Merhej for his invaluable guidance and support. His expertise in cloud infrastructure and AWS has significantly shaped my skills.
Mohamad NabbouhAWS SysOps AdministratorNEBULANE
I am grateful for the knowledge you have shared and the encouragement you offered every step of the way. I’m excited to put my knowledge into action and embrace new challenges in the dynamic world of cloud computing!
Eddy GergiMenteeVERIFIED
Before this, cloud and DevOps felt like a locked room. Elio didn’t just teach the material, he made sure every one of us actually understood it before exam day.
Karim H.SysOps workshop menteeWORKSHOP · REMOTE
He tracked my progress individually, not just the group’s. That’s the difference between a lecture and actual mentorship.
Sarah A.Certification candidateUNIVERSITY · LEBANON
Passed my SysOps exam on the first try. The exam-room prep alone was worth it.
Youssef D.Junior cloud engineerWORKSHOP · USEK
Reached out with zero background in cloud infrastructure. A year later I’m running my own AWS environment.
Layla K.Independent menteeMENTORSHIP · ONGOING
Best technical mentor I’ve had, direct, patient, and genuinely invested in whether you actually get it.
Nadine R.SysOps workshop menteeWORKSHOP · REMOTE
010ShellTYPE. IT IS REAL

Ask it directly.

Nothing here is decoration. It all actually runs.

~/elio-merhej, 105x18
011NotesWRITING

Things worth writing down.

001, 005
012QuestionsQ.001 to Q.006

The ones that come up.

  • No, most of my clients are elsewhere. I’ve worked with teams across Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, all remote.

013What I can buildA SCRIPT TO A PLATFORM

What do you want built?

Pick a row to find out more

Most ideas are smaller than the person carrying them thinks, and a few are much bigger. This is the whole range, a script that runs at six in the morning at one end, a platform with paying customers at the other. Find the row that sounds like your problem. You do not have to know what it is called.

Small things

A FEW DAYS

The jobs you keep meaning to get around to. Small enough to be worth trying on a hunch, and they tend to pay for themselves inside the first month.

Real products

A FEW WEEKS

Something other people log into and depend on. It has to look finished, survive a busy Friday, and be runnable day to day by someone who is not a developer.

Serious systems

MONTHS · THEN KEPT RUNNING

The part most plans forget is the day after launch. Designed before it is written, built as code, watched while it runs, and kept cheap enough to stay alive on purpose.

How this usually starts

  1. You describe the problem

    In your own words, in terms of what should happen, not what it should be built with. Naming the tool is my job, and doing it too early is how a project gets the wrong shape.

  2. I tell you the shape

    How big it actually is, what it takes, what it does not need, and whether it is worth doing at all. That last answer is sometimes no, and you get it for free.

  3. We build the version that proves it

    The smallest one that survives contact with real people. It earns the rest of the budget, or it saves you from spending it.

004The repoREAL EDITOR. CLICK IN AND TYPE

The whole page in one codebase.

The folders are the story, and clicking one plays it back, live.

about/bio.md
ExplorerELIO
aboutbio.md
main470 commitsUPDATED 2H AGO
Click to readLn 1, Col 1MARKDOWNSpaces: 2UTF-8

Elio Merhej

contact@eliomerhej.com