Toptal Blog

The Toptal Blog is the top hub for developers, designers, management consultants, executives, and entrepreneurs, featuring key technology updates, tutorials, freelancer resources, and management insights.

Toptal core team members share their experience, expertise, and perspectives on the Toptal Edge Blog

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Harness the Power of WordPress Hooks: Actions and Filters Explained

WordPress developers might be tempted to customize this popular website builder directly, but that approach creates ongoing maintenance headaches. Fortunately, there’s a clean way to extend functionality: via WordPress hooks, actions, and filters.

11-minute readContinue Reading

Tahir Shahzad

Tahir is a full-stack web developer specializing in WordPress and AI. He has been featured as a speaker at several WordPress Meetups and WordCamps.

Communicating With Investors: Best Practices for Startups

Investors aren’t patrons—they’re business partners, and startups should treat them as such. Regular updates and the occasional call for advice go a long way toward optimizing the relationship.

8-minute readContinue Reading

Christopher Holloway

Christopher is an award-winning journalist covering how technology transforms sectors like banking, manufacturing, and healthcare. Based in Latin America, he previously worked at AmericaEconomia, La Tercera, and Netmedia. He is a Senior Writer for Technology at Toptal.

Refining Your Middle-market Merger Strategy: From Acquisition to Integration

The M&A failure rate runs as high as 90%, and middle-market companies tend to fare worse than larger ones due to more limited resources. Here’s how to ensure that your next acquisition succeeds.

12-minute readContinue Reading

Michael J. McDonald

Michael is an award-winning journalist who has worked at Bloomberg News and Thomson Financial. He is the Senior Writer for Toptal’s Management Consulting Blog.

Code Writing Code: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Modern Metaprogramming

Metaprogramming is a technique in which software programs write and modify other software programs, including themselves. Learn how metaprogramming can be used to optimize and organize your code.

16-minute readContinue Reading

Will Beddow

Will is a full-stack developer with a portfolio that spans a diverse range of industries and technologies. His recent work includes machine learning applications, fintech systems design, cloud orchestration programs, and large corporate software systems. Will is the CTO of a fintech company that builds AI tools for the private equity industry.

Using Agile Spreadsheets for Discovery Estimation

Estimation tools abound but none is as flexible and accessible as the humble Agile spreadsheet. Here’s why you should consider customizing your own to calculate discovery estimates.

11-minute readContinue Reading

Mauricio Silva

Mauricio is a seasoned project manager who specializes in software and infrastructure projects. During his 30-year career, he has led complex IT projects at multinational companies including IBM and Kyndryl.

gRPC vs. REST: Getting Started With the Best API Protocol

gRPC, REST’s up-and-coming competitor, approaches synchronous communication from another angle, offering protocol buffers and typed contracts. What does that mean for your project?

9-minute readContinue Reading

Laszlo Gyori

Laszlo is a solution architect, software developer, and expert on microservices architecture, gRPC, and REST. He has a master’s degree in IT from Budapest Institute of Technology.

NFTs for Designers: An Introduction

The global NFT market relies on designers to support artists, Web3 platforms and marketplaces, and major global brands. Toptal designer Gabor Molnar offers insights from his experience breaking into this emerging field.

10-minute readContinue Reading

Gabor Molnar

Gabor is a 3D generalist and designer in the fast-paced world of crypto and NFTs. He is a creator of the NFT collection Omnimorphs and a consultant for other NFT brands. He is also a product designer with a background in business economics, user experience design, user interface design, and branding.

Redefining Retirement: The Benefits of Freelancing After 60

Modern freelancing is easier and more rewarding than older workers may think. Toptal’s chief economist breaks down the advantages of freelancing in semiretirement.

6-minute readContinue Reading

Erik Stettler

Erik is a co-founder of a global venture capital fund that has invested in 50 startups (raising more than $500 million) and has realized six exits. He serves as Toptal’s Chief Economist and holds an MBA from Harvard.

Efficiency at Scale: A Tale of AWS Cost Optimization

Understanding total spend is a common challenge for cloud users, especially on projects with complex pricing models. This article explores the top AWS cost optimizations that will help you scale your platform effectively.

11-minute readContinue Reading

Rudolf Eremyan

Rudolf is a data scientist who has architected big data processing infrastructures on AWS and implemented data engineering solutions for Fortune 500 companies, including Disneyland Hong Kong and Philip Morris. He was invited to participate in NASA’s 2021 International Space Apps Challenge as a speaker and judge.