Toptal Engineering Blog

The Toptal Engineering Blog is a hub for in-depth development tutorials and new technology announcements created by professional software engineers in the Toptal network.

authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

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authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

Fine-tuning LLMs for Your Industry: Optimal Data Labeling Strategies

LLMs have a vast knowledge base, but training them with domain-specific data can extend their capabilities to specialized industries and tasks. This article delves into data labeling for fine-tuning and includes a step-by-step tutorial for training GPT-4o.

18-minute readContinue Reading

Jedrzej Kardach

Jedrzej is a machine learning engineer who specializes in AI and data science. He has delivered several NLP-based classification algorithms and reinforcement learning solutions to clients, and has worked alongside researchers at Princeton University developing ML and data analytics tools. Jedrzej has partnered with clients in multiple industries, including service, finance, and insurance.

Advanced Data Labeling Methods: From Hybrid Approaches to LLMs

It’s crucial to balance accuracy and efficiency when labeling datasets for machine learning—especially when LLMs are involved. In this article we explore a variety of techniques and assess the optimal labeling methods for different projects.

15-minute readContinue Reading

Neven Pičuljan

Neven is an artificial intelligence engineer with extensive experience in machine learning, computer vision, algorithms, and a range of AI-related technologies. Prior to founding an AI R&D consulting company, Neven helped create and train cutting-edge computer vision models used by healthcare, e-commerce, real estate, and financial services companies across the globe.

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Architecting Effective Data Labeling Systems for Machine Learning Pipelines

Machine learning models are trained on massive datasets in which each data point is labeled to give it context and meaning. This deep dive describes how to build a data labeling architecture from scratch, with a focus on workflow, security, and data quality.

16-minute readContinue Reading

Reza Fazeli

Reza is a machine learning engineer specializing in natural language processing and computer vision. At IBM, he developed machine learning algorithms designed to improve text classification and automate model training, innovations that resulted in six patents. Reza has a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Toronto.

Theory, Tools, and Business Applications: An In-depth Look at Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is challenging the realities of technology, security, and industry as we know them. Here, we investigate the nuances of quantum mechanics and how to enter the world of quantum software development with tools such as Cirq and TensorFlow Quantum.

22-minute readContinue Reading

Joao Diogo de Oliveira

Joao is an AI developer who holds a Quantum Excellence Certificate from IBM. He specializes in machine learning and deep learning and has partnered with Fortune 100 companies like Procter & Gamble and Hearst. Joao has more than 14 years of experience and holds a master’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Porto.

Increase Developer Productivity With Generative AI: Tips From Leading Software Engineers

Generative AI is revolutionizing how software developers write code. In this article, three Toptal developers share how they’re using Gen AI in their daily work and offer actionable advice for others who want to utilize this nascent technology.

13-minute readContinue Reading

Sam Sycamore

Sam Sycamore is a Senior Editor of Engineering at Toptal and an open-source web developer. He has more than a decade of experience as a writer and editor across several industries, and has worked with international tech startups and digital product agencies to provide software documentation, educational resources, and multimedia marketing content.

Using an LLM API As an Intelligent Virtual Assistant for Python Development

With proper instruction, LLMs can be highly effective coding assistants. This step-by-step guide shows you how to generate a call to an external API using Python and the OpenAI API.

16-minute readContinue Reading

Tarek Mohamed Mehrez

Tarek is a software and data engineer specializing in machine learning, software architecture, DevOps, and back-end development. He has served as CTO of Thndr, a company backed by Y Combinator, and has published several research papers on machine learning. Tarek has a master’s degree in computational linguistics from the University of Stuttgart.

Ask a Security Engineer: From DevSecOps to Cloud Security

Security engineering is a fast-moving field, and getting left behind is not an option. This ask-me-anything-style Q&A covers compliance frameworks, security checks, and the importance of a DevSecOps approach.

8-minute readContinue Reading

Gökay Pekşen

Gökay is a security developer and advisor. He built Turkey’s first DevSecOps CI/CD pipeline, and designed and constructed a world-class cybersecurity infrastructure to safeguard $8 billion in annual local payment transactions while serving as Information Security Vice President at Interbank. He is the founder and CEO of Prime Threat, a security consultancy that helps businesses navigate GDPR compliance and risk management.

Advancing AI Image Labeling and Semantic Metadata Collection

Image labeling can be a tedious, time-consuming task, compounded by the sheer volume of data needed to train deep neural networks. This article breaks down large data set processing and explains how a new SaaS product can help automate image labeling.

13-minute readContinue Reading

Neven Pičuljan

Apache Spark Optimization Techniques for High-performance Data Processing

Apache Spark is an analytics engine that can handle very large data sets. This guide reveals strategies to optimize its performance using PySpark.

11-minute readContinue Reading

Necati Demir, PhD

Necati is a software engineer specializing in data science, machine learning, back-end development, and DevOps. He is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect and AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialist with a doctorate in computer engineering. Necati serves as Chief AI Officer and CTO of Datagran, a machine learning automation company that he co-founded.

WordPress-powered Angular: JWT Authentication Using GraphQL

Setting up authentication in an app with a disparate front end and back end is tricky. This tutorial proposes an innovative solution using JWT and GraphQL.

15-minute readContinue Reading

Sajjad Hossain Sagor

Sajjad is a WordPress developer who specializes in developing themes, plugins, and WooCommerce add-ons. He has led high-budget projects for companies around the world and set up the back end for a WordPress website with more than 200,000 active users and millions of YouTube subscribers. He is also a core contributor to the WordPress community.

Next.js Rendering Techniques: How to Optimize Page Speed

Next.js is best known for server-side rendering, but these innovative strategies can help developers configure web apps for more speed, reduced server load, improved SEO, and much more.

14-minute readContinue Reading

Subhakar Tikkireddy

Subhakar is a front-end developer with extensive experience using React, Next.js, and TypeScript. He specializes in creating MVPs for startups and has worked on projects ranging from cross-platform progressive web and React Native apps to AI-powered browser extensions and a crypto web app used by more than 10,000 investors.

In this ask-me-anything-style Q&A, leading Toptal cybersecurity expert Ilia Tivin responds to colleagues’ questions on AI in cybersecurity and provides data and network protection tips and best practices.

5-minute readContinue Reading

Ilia Tivin

Ilia is a cybersecurity professional and developer with wide-ranging experience in the government, defense, manufacturing, and finance sectors. A former cloud security architect at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, he now advises executive clients on planning, prioritizing, and executing strategic security initiatives.

5 Pillars of Responsible Generative AI: A Code of Ethics for the Future

Generative AI advances raise new questions around data ownership, content integrity, algorithmic bias, and more. Here, three experts at the forefront of NLP present recommendations for developing ethical generative AI solutions.

12-minute readContinue Reading

Madelyn Douglas

Madelyn is the Lead Editor of Engineering at Toptal and a former software engineer at Meta. She has more than six years of experience researching, writing, and editing for engineering publications, specializing in emerging technologies and AI. She previously served as an editor at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering and her research on engineering ethics was published at IEEE’s NER 2021 conference.

Computer Vision Pipeline Architecture: A Tutorial

Build a simple, reusable foundation for your video processing apps and alleviate the common challenges of video manipulation.

10-minute readContinue Reading

Nathan Babcock

Nathan is a front-end developer and video processing expert. He developed Hypetrigger, an open-source computer vision tool for use with streaming services. Nathan also spent five years as a full-stack engineer at Motorola Solutions, where he worked with React, Angular, Svelte, and native web components, and led the development of the company’s internal design system.

Tested Solutions: Working With React Design Patterns

Design patterns offer a convenient way to tackle challenges with tried-and-tested solutions, saving developers time and effort. Here’s how React design patterns allow for coherent modules with less coupling.

15-minute readContinue Reading

Mudassir Ijaz

Mudassir is a full-stack software engineer specializing in JavaScript frameworks and libraries. He has built many React apps as a senior engineer and has worked across the globe at companies like SAP, Bit, Kwanso, and VoicePing.

In this ask-me-anything-style Q&A, leading Toptal AI developer Joao Diogo de Oliveira fields questions from fellow engineers about resources for pivoting to ML, approaches to large language models, and the most critical future applications of AI.

6-minute readContinue Reading

Joao Diogo de Oliveira

Joao is an AI developer with more than 10 years of experience at Fortune 100 companies like Procter & Gamble and startups in the healthcare, energy, and finance industries. Joao holds a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Porto and has multiple certifications in ML and deep learning.

Toptal Engineering Expert

Gabriel Courtemanche

Gabriel is a highly efficient and reliable professional who possesses a broad skill set for web application development. He's been working on a range of products and clients—from working on scalability problems in production engineering teams at Shopify and Autodesk to launching new applications for startups. Most of his work consists of leading technical teams, by creating an easy development environment, fixing technical debts, providing best practices code examples, and mentoring devs.