Developer Tools
Developer workflow guides — from local environment setup to debugging hard production bugs. The tools and disciplines that compound across years of work.
8 articles
Half of a dev team's meeting decisions could not be found later
One month, 26 recorded meetings, 45 engineering decisions, four systems of record. Here is where each decision ended up, and why half of them are gone.
Why WordPress plugins are not cryptographically signed
WordPress shipped Ed25519 signature verification in 5.2 and has never once enforced it. Why turning it on is harder than writing it was.
How to tell whether a WordPress plugin is still maintained
Review support responses, release history, compatibility and security issues before deciding whether to keep a WordPress plugin.
Does the EU Cyber Resilience Act apply to your WordPress plugin?
Check your product and CRA role before applying a reporting deadline. Current Commission guidance distinguishes manufacturers and open-source software stewards.
Why WordPress still cannot tell you who published your plugins
WordPress has tried three times to sign its plugins and failed three times, never on the cryptography. What I found when I went looking for the next attack.
A Debugging Method That Beats Vibes
Guess-and-check debugging burns hours and usually fixes the wrong thing. A hypothesis-driven method: reproduce first, force three ranked hypotheses, run the cheapest discriminating test, then fix with a regression test.
Debugging WordPress Plugins Like a Pro
Master WordPress plugin debugging — Query Monitor, Xdebug, structured logging, and the workflows that turn an "intermittent issue" into a fixed bug.
Setting Up a Local WordPress Development Environment
Local, DDEV, Docker, Lando, or wp-now — the local WordPress dev environment landscape in 2026, what each is best for, and how to pick.