Toptal Engineering Blog

Nearly all computer applications rely on either JSON or XML. Today, JSON has overtaken XML, but is it better? In part 1 of this series on JSON vs. XML, we take a closer look at the history of the web to uncover the original purpose of XML and JSON and analyze how JSON became the popular choice.

Nearly all computer applications rely on one of two principal message standards: JSON and XML. Today, JSON is the most widely used format, having overtaken XML within the last 5 years, but is JSON better than XML? In part 1 of this multi-part series on JSON vs. XML, Toptal Freelance Full-stack Developer Seva Safris will take a closer look at the history of the web to uncover the original purpose of XML and JSON, and analyze the software trends in recent years that lead to JSON becoming more popular than XML.

Rails 6 is finally here, featuring major improvements and clever new features that should make development easier and faster than ever. In this article, Toptal Ruby on Rails Developer Avant Mittal dives into the Rails 6 changelog to introduce you to these new features and explain how you will be using them in your next Rails project.

Test automation engineers continuously research the latest tools and techniques to ensure that their test automation framework stays fast, stable, and easy to use. In this article, Toptal Freelance Java Developer Simon Stratton will take a look at some tips that you can use to update your framework for 2019 by improving your use of Selenium Grid, Java’s wait function, and Chrome DevTools.

Chatbots are revolutionizing the way people interact with technology. In recent years, their simplicity and low cost have helped drive adoption across various fields and industries. In this article, Toptal Natural Language Processing Developer Ali Abdel Aal demonstrates how you can create and deploy a Telegram chatbot in a matter of hours.

Natural language processing (NLP) has become one of the most researched subjects in the field of AI. This interest is driven by applications that have been brought to market in recent years. In this article, Toptal Deep Learning Developer Maximilian Hopf introduces you to Google’s Natural Language API and Google AutoML Natural Language.

It's no secret that the WordPress codebase is a mess. Many developers use its legacy code as an excuse for writing sloppy code themselves, even if its newer additions follow best practices. If this is you, it's time to level up your skills!

In the past few years, we've seen the introduction of a lot of new technologies in JavaScript, but we needed time to see how the market was going to adopt them. In this article, Toptal Freelance JavaScript Developer Alejandro Hernandez takes a look at how popular JavaScript is becoming and the factors that may have affected this popularity, and he tries to predict what the future of JavaScript will look like.