Mario Ciavarella

Dependency-free implementation of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in modern JavaScript, covering the block cipher and the supporting primitives in plain code. The aim is a transparent, self-contained implementation, prioritizing code readability and portability for verifying logic or running in environments lacking native crypto APIs.

The library implements the full AES spectrum (128/192/256-bit) along with every major block mode, including GCM for integrity protection. It comes as a comprehensive toolkit with hashing and key derivation utilities, keeping the API compact but capable enough for prototypes and teaching environments.

A research blockchain prototype exploring DAG-based sequencing, ZK provers, intent auctions and UTXO state models. It implements an intent-centric execution layer where solvers compete via verifiable sealed-bid auctions with Groth16 proofs — all stake-backed and slashable for accountability.

The project combines Poseidon-based Merkle trees, commit-reveal auction mechanics, Circom/snarkjs circuits for proof generation and a SQLite persistence layer, serving as a lab for learning how accountability, deterministic ordering and zero-knowledge verification can be engineered as system properties rather than afterthoughts.

A technical audit kernel for financial workflows, built to transform transparency from a regulatory concept into a data structure. The framework intercepts every AI decision—applying deterministic checks (LTV, DSR), monitoring statistical drift and protecting sensitive data (ε-DP)—before sealing everything in a tamper-proof Merkle ledger.

It is a minimalist, pure-Python project designed as an architectural sandbox: it demonstrates how to build systems where integrity isn’t an afterthought, but the foundation of the runtime itself.

A poker bot built with Discord.js, a MySQL-backed API and a lightweight control panel to run casual Texas Hold’em and Blackjack games inside private servers. It automates lobbies, seating, betting rounds, card reveals and bankroll tracking while persisting player stats and audit logs in a relational database.

First assembled as a weekend project and revived later, it now acts as a playground for asynchronous flows, fairness checks and incentives like streaks and leaderboards. The newer iterations focus as much on the surrounding tooling such as rate-limited endpoints, structured logging, access controls and a web dashboard, so the bot behaves like a small, observable multiplayer system rather than a one-off script.

A modular heatmap dashboard for equity markets, built as a browser client that flips between an offline simulation and a Finnhub feed. State, transport and rendering stay isolated: tiles live in a state manager, updates travel through an event-driven controller and the renderer batches DOM work on animation frames to keep interactions fluid.

It doubles as a UI-heavy JavaScript lab where I postpone picking a framework. Views own the DOM quirks (filters, sliders, modals) while a small services layer handles WebSocket traffic, rate limits, API keys and mode switches, leaving room to tune performance and reuse patterns in tougher dashboards.

A digital garden built to be owned, not just rented. It abandons static site defaults for a bespoke Astro architecture featuring a persistent MySQL interaction layer, live synchronization with GitHub releases and an idle-state eco-mode. No templates, no heaviness.

Ideally, a portfolio is static; practically, a learning space needs state. This site bridges that gap, serving as a living proof-of-concept for how I architect software: strictly typed, component-driven and obsessed with performance.