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.
Featured in
World-class articles, delivered weekly.
How to Build a Role-based API with Firebase Authentication
Nearly every app requires an authorization system on top of an authentication system. We often need a fine-grained permissions model to allow only specific users to access certain resources while simultaneously restricting access for everyone else.
In this tutorial, Toptal Freelance Firebase Developer Joaquin Cid teaches how to build just such a system. Called role-based authentication, we’ll learn how to implement this system in an API using Node.js and Firebase.

Joaquin Cid
Joaquin is a full-stack developer with over 12 years of experience working for companies like WebMD and Getty Images.
Looks That Thrill: Inside the Booming Beauty Industry
How has the beauty industry become extremely innovative? How did Glossier and The Ordinary approach (and crack) the problem of enticing consumers, building brand loyalty and creating unique experiences? The lessons are relevant for all DTC companies.

Natasha Ketabchi
Natasha is a management consultant with experience in capital markets, government, financial restructuring, and venture investments. She has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and transitioned to venture capital after a career in banking at JPMorgan, HSBC, and Alvarez & Marsal.
Home Smart IoT Home: Domesticating the Internet of Things
By adopting the smart home, are we forfeiting the security and intimacy our home—our most personal space—has given us over millennia?

Kent Mundle
Kent is a globally recognized environmental designer who uses design to create innovative and transformative experiences.
Make Your App Profitable, Part 2 – Harnessing the Mobile Funnel
Subscription-based apps need a special approach when it comes to analytics. Learn how a variation on the traditional sales funnel helps you work with LTV, subscriber retention, and churn rates to make your app better—and more profitable.

Matthew Knippen
Having built 60+ iOS apps since 2008 using Swift and Objective-C, Matthew is most known for going from idea to App Store within eight weeks.
Branding Is Dead, CX Design Is King
CX design encompasses EVERY interaction that a customer has with a business. By adopting a CX mindset, brand designers will learn to meaningfully engage customers at multiple touchpoints.

Micah Bowers
Micah helps businesses craft meaningful engagement through branding, illustration, and design.
Creating Your First GraphQL API
GraphQL is a domain-specific language for data query and manipulation by Facebook. It is meant to replace the de facto REST standard in API creation.
In this article, Toptal Freelance GraphQL Developer Ioram Gordadze creates a GraphQL API from scratch, summarizing problems new GraphQL developers face. He also teaches us to rethink the standard methods used in REST APIs in a more GraphQL-friendly manner.

Ioram Gordadze
Ioram has designed and developed databases, API services, and more for both private and government organizations.
Mini Tutorial: A Guide to Font Combinations
Effective font combinations are a hallmark of good design. It’s vital that designers master this skill if they want to create exceptional designs that set them apart from their contemporaries.

Cameron Chapman
Cameron comes from a design background and is the author of two web design books: Color for Web Design and The Smashing Idea Book.
Equity Levels of Value: The Logic Behind Premiums and Discounts
Business value is much more than just the sum of discounted future cash flows. There are strategic elements related to equity control that also determine true worth. These factors manifest through control, liquidity, marketability, and synergistic discounts and premiums.

Nathan Krishnan S
During his two-decade career in Asia and the US, Nathan has consulted in strategy, valuations, corporate finance and financial planning.
Increase Code Maintainability With React Integration Testing
Integration tests provide a lot of value considering the time and effort required for testing. React integration tests improve code maintainability, yet they don’t slow down development.
In this article, Toptal Software Developer Anton Rublev demonstrates how you can harness the power of react-testing-library to create superior code without wasting time.

Anton Rublev
Anton is a full-stack developer with a strong technical background. He specializes in JavaScript and he’s a fan of test-driven development.
Most-read Articles

An Angular 5 Tutorial: Step by Step Guide to Your First Angular 5 App

Adobe XD vs. Sketch – Which UX Tool Is Right for You?

The History of Remote Work, 1560-Present (with Infographic) (Updated)
World-class articles, delivered weekly.
Toptal Developers
- Android Developers
- App Developers
- AWS Developers
- Azure Developers
- BigCommerce Developers
- Blockchain Developers
- Coders
- Database Developers
- Embedded Software Engineers
- Flutter Developers
- HTML5 Developers
- Java Developers
- Joomla Developers
- Kubernetes Developers
- Laravel Developers
- Magento Developers
- .NET Developers
- Next.js Developers
- Odoo Developers
- Outsourced Developers
- PHP Developers
- Power BI Developers
- Prototype Developers
- Python Developers
- React Developers
- React Native Developers
- Remote Developers
- Ruby on Rails Developers
- Salesforce Developers
- Security Engineers
- SharePoint Developers
- Shopify Developers
- Software Developers
- Squarespace Developers
- Startup Developers
- Svelte Developers
- Twilio Developers
- Vue.js Developers
- Web Developers
- Web Scrapers
- WooCommerce Developers
- WordPress Developers
- View More Freelance Developers
Toptal Designers
- Accessible Web Designers
- Adobe After Effects Designers
- Adobe Illustrator Experts
- CAD Designers
- Canva Designers
- Data Visualization Designers
- E-commerce UX Designers
- E-commerce Website Designers
- Fintech Designers
- Graphic Designers
- Illustrators
- Interactive Designers
- Landing Page Designers
- Logo Designers
- Mobile App Designers
- Mobile UX Designers
- Photoshop Experts
- Presentation Designers
- Product Designers
- Prototype Designers
- Responsive Web Designers
- Shopify Designers
- Startup Design Experts
- SVG Designers
- UI Designers
- UX Designers
- Visual Designers
- Web Designers
- Webflow Designers
- WooCommerce Designers
- View More Freelance Designers
Toptal Management Consultants
- 409A Valuation Consultants
- Bankruptcy Consultants
- Blockchain Consultants
- Business Consultants
- Business Plan Writers
- Cash Flow Consultants
- CFO Consultants
- Corporate Finance Consultants
- CPAs
- Crowdfunding Consultants
- Excel Experts
- Financial Consultants
- Financial Managers
- Financial Modelers
- Financial Planning Consultants
- Fintech Consultants
- FP&A Analysts
- Fractional CFOs
- Fractional COOs
- Fundraising Consultants
- Hedge Fund Consultants
- Interim CFOs
- Interim COOs
- Interim Financial Controllers
- M&A Consultants
- Market Research Analysts
- McKinsey Consultants
- Part-time CFOs
- Pitch Deck Consultants
- Pricing Consultants
- Private Equity Consultants
- Quantitative Analysts
- Salesforce Consultants
- Small Business Operations Consultants
- Startup Consultants
- Startup Funding Consultants
- Stock Market Experts
- Tax Professionals
- Virtual CFOs
- View More Freelance Consultants
Toptal Project Managers
- Agile Coaches
- Agile Consultants
- Agile Team Leads
- Blockchain Project Managers
- Business Delivery Managers
- Delivery Managers
- Digital Project Managers
- E-commerce Project Managers
- ITIL Certified Service Delivery Managers
- Jira Experts
- Mobile Project Managers
- Monday.com Experts
- PMP Project Managers
- Program Managers
- Project Management Consultants
- Scrum Coaches
- Scrum Masters
- Solutions Architects
- Startup Project Managers
- Waterfall Project Managers
- Web Project Managers
- Wrike Consultants
- View More Freelance Project Managers
Toptal Product Managers
- Agile Product Managers
- App Product Managers
- Artificial Intelligence Product Managers
- Business Analysts
- Contract Product Managers
- Data Product Managers
- Digital Product Managers
- E-commerce Product Managers
- Finance Product Managers
- Fractional CIOs
- Ideation Consultants
- Interim CPOs
- Outsourced Product Management Professionals
- Principal Product Managers
- Product Consultants
- Product Development Managers
- Product Leaders
- Product Management Consultants
- Remote Product Managers
- Robotics Product Managers
- Scrum Product Managers
- Scrum Product Owners
- Virtual Product Managers
- View More Freelance Product Managers
Toptal Marketing Experts
- Amazon SEO Experts
- Blog Writers
- Community Managers
- Content Managers
- Conversion Rate Optimization Experts
- Copy Editors
- Copywriters
- Customer Journey Mapping Consultants
- Digital Marketers
- Digital Media Specialists
- Display Ads Specialists
- E-commerce Consultants
- E-commerce Marketers
- Event Marketers
- Event Planners
- Fractional CMOs
- Google AdSense Experts
- Google Ads Experts
- Influencer Marketers
- Integrated Marketing Strategists
- Local SEO Experts
- Mailchimp Experts
- On-page SEO Experts
- PPC Experts
- Press Release Writers
- Salesforce Pardot Consultants
- SEO Audit Specialists
- SEO Copywriters
- SEO Experts
- Shopify SEO Experts
- Social Media Managers
- Social Media Marketers
- Video Editors
- Wordpress SEO Experts
- View More Freelance Marketers
Join the Toptal® community.











