Resources
Field notes from teams who ship
Practical writing on production AI, reliable engineering, product design, and the culture behind long-term partnerships. No thought-leadership fluff.
Databricks Lakebase: what it is and how to prepare
Databricks Lakebase merges your operational database with the lakehouse. What it actually changes, and how to get your data foundation ready for it.
PCI DSS in AWS: a technical implementation guide
A practical guide that translates each PCI DSS control family into the AWS architecture decisions it actually implies, written for engineering and platform teams.
AI & DataHow to build your 2026 AI summer reading list
A method for building an AI reading list that can change your mind: pair opposing books, favor falsifiable claims, and weight the papers above the books.
CultureWho sets your software partner's growth targets?
Outside capital is good for plenty of companies. When your software development partner takes it, someone who is not you starts setting their growth targets.
AI & DataProduction AI vs. the demo: what actually ships
A convincing AI demo takes an afternoon. A dependable AI feature takes evals, guardrails, and a data foundation. Here's the gap, and how to close it.
AI & DataRAG that doesn't hallucinate: grounding your data
Retrieval-augmented generation is the most reliable way to put an LLM to work on your data, if you get the retrieval right. A guide to the parts that matter.
EngineeringThe Tarmac 10, explained: how we de-risk delivery
Quality isn't a promise you make on a sales call. It's a process you can point to. Here's the set of engineering practices behind every Tarmac engagement.
Product & DesignFirst UX, then UI: research-led product design
Beautiful screens built on the wrong assumptions are expensive to unwind. Why we resolve the workflow before we style the pixels.
EngineeringCutting cloud spend by 50%: a FinOps playbook
Cloud bills balloon quietly, one convenient default at a time. The unglamorous moves that have cut client cloud spend by half, without slowing anyone down.
CultureWhy 85% of our new work comes from referrals
The most honest metric a services firm can share isn't a survey score. It's whether clients stake their own reputation on you. Ours do, 85% of the time.
Engineering · DownloadThe Tarmac 10 Field Guide (free download)
A practical, printable checklist of the ten engineering practices we use to de-risk delivery on every project, with the questions to ask your own team.
AI & DataDatabricks Data Engineer Associate (2025): a study guide
During the month of June this year, I successfully passed the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate exam with a high score.
AI & DataFrom a Whiteboard during Client Week to a Stage at the Databricks Data + AI Summit
Back in January, during our Client Week in Montevideo — an annual in-person event hosted by Tarmac for our clients — an idea was born inside a windowless room we.
EngineeringBeyond Cloud Migration: Why the real challenge has only just begun
Back in 2020, I, like many others, believed the hardest part of cloud adoption was almost behind us and opportunities laid ahead if only we could get our cloud.
Product & DesignThe Tome of Communication: Pixel-Perfect Conversations
Communication is the bridge between ideas and reality — especially in the world of design.
AI & DataHow AI is Transforming the Market and the Future of Software Development
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and revolutionizing the ways companies operate, develop products, and interact with customers.
EngineeringPractical Cloud Cost Control: Insights and Strategies
When it comes to AWS, those tiny cents can quickly balloon into dollars — and if you’re not paying attention.
Product & DesignCritical Thinking in the Design Process — Thoughts, challenges, and application
I will try not to give you any spoilers but watching the Zima Blue episode from Love, Death & Robots really clicked something for me,it explores how, in the end.
CultureRemote work: boosting productivity in changing scenarios
How a fully remote, globally distributed team stays productive when the ground keeps shifting. Practical habits from Tarmac's engineers.
EngineeringCreate Web 3D experiences with Godot (it’s open source!)
If you’re thinking of making a 3D or 2D web-gamified experience or even games that run on various platforms, Godot is the way to go!
EngineeringMongoDB secrets every beginner must know
The MongoDB lessons a beginner usually learns the hard way: indexes, aggregation pipelines, counting documents, unique values, and Atlas.
Product & DesignTarmac6 for Design
The design practices Tarmac uses on every project, from doing UX before UI to writing things down, and how they cut design debt and communication problems.
Product & DesignYou Suck At Estimating! (but don’t worry there is a better way)
You suck at estimating. It is ok, we all do. Why software estimates are fundamentally flawed, and what to measure instead if you want to deliver predictably.
EngineeringCrafting Digital Realms: The Diverging Paths of Infrastructure as Code
In the dawn of digital construction, crafting cloud infrastructure was akin to forging swords in medieval smithies— tedious, skill-intensive.
CultureCandidate experience: leading candidates the right way
Clear communication, real feedback, and a hiring process that treats candidates like people, not ticket numbers. How Tarmac runs candidate experience.
EngineeringMemory Mayhem: From Scrimping Bytes to Splurging Gigabytes
Once upon a byte, in a not-so-far-off land of punch cards and blinking terminal screens, lived a group of heroic beings known as software developers.
EngineeringHow I reduced the total execution time of backend integration tests by 15x
Get ready to improve your team productivity with the tips presented on this article.
EngineeringFeature Flags setup in Flutter with Firebase Remote Config
This article aims to teach how to setup some feature flags logic in your flutter app using Firebase Remote Config free service.
EngineeringCentralized remotely configurable exception handler in Flutter
In this article you will learn how to implement a centralized exception handler in Flutter.
AI & DataFeeling uninspired? Let the AI assist you with your end-of-day status emails!
Being a developer is not just about coding. We need to keep good communication with the people involved on our projects.
CultureWhy speed matters: the benefits of swift recruitment
Why Tarmac keeps hiring fast and low on bureaucracy: speed wins the best candidates, and it shows respect for their time before they ever join.
EngineeringWhat do you know about Shadow DOM?
If you are web developer, you need to know about this feature. One common problem of web development is encapsulation.
CultureTarmac at 10: strategies for a unique workplace culture
Ten years in, the thing that held Tarmac together was never perks. It was people, trust, and clarity about what is expected. A look back at the culture.
EngineeringThe Problem With Modern Software Architecture
Today is more true than ever that everyone is in a rush. That is even more accurate when you put it in the context of software.
AI & DataTruck loads of data
The global telematics market is highly competitive and businesses must continually innovate in order to meet customer demand while delivering cost efficient.
EngineeringDevOps Launch Control
Greenfield projects feel pure until the problems pile up. Five ground rules for launching a project properly, starting with security you build in from day one.
EngineeringHow to convert a React Class Component to a Function Component
Since the React 16.8 update which added hooks to function components, you might have seen function components replacing class components everywhere.
CultureWe’re hiring — Usetrace Head of Sales
We are looking to hire a Head of Sales for our new Usetrace entity. The experience we are looking for, and what the role involves day to day.
CultureTarmac just bought a SaaS company via Zoom. This is what I learned
Rollback to 2019, a time when we could travel, meet people and have a beer in a pub. Oh, how I miss those days.
EngineeringA good way to auto-save on change events
If you don’t want to drown your application with API calls and updates, but still retain the wonderful auto-save on input change for a web form.
CultureTarmac acquires Finnish SaaS company Usetrace
Acquisition enhances Tarmac’s automation service offering, helps companies reach market faster.
EngineeringReact useMemo() hook simple example
Cutting right to the point where and when to use the useMemo() hook for code optimization.
EngineeringMocking React higher-order components(HOC) with Jest
Testing a React component wrapped in a higher-order component can stall your whole suite. How to mock the HOC with Jest and get moving again.
EngineeringThe Cloud Arms Race
Think the race to the cloud is over? Migration was the easy part. The next phase is what you do with the platform once you are on it.
EngineeringSomeone changed your terraform!
Someone deployed with Terraform, someone else changed it, and now it is your turn to fix it. Working through the drift on a Google Cloud Functions setup.
EngineeringGitflow with Github and Cloud Build
How to implement Gitflow using GitHub and Google Cloud Build, and why a well defined branching process keeps a team consistent and makes onboarding faster.
EngineeringTo mesh or not to mesh
I was told that a Service Mesh such as Linkerd, Consul or Istio, adds a lot of overload in my cluster.
EngineeringYour software needs to be hopeless
Over the years of working in IT, first as a developer, now as DevOps, I’ve seen a certain recurring pattern in all aspects of software development that I believe.
EngineeringOnce you drop, you can’t stop
In the essay “Why software is eating the world” from a decade ago Marc Andreessen makes the case for why “every company needs to become a software company”.
EngineeringDevSecOps Toolbox: MFA
DevSecOps and its tooling are a subject one can write tomes on. One blog post could not possibly do that. But a series of posts just might.
CultureWorking remote? Start with Good Morning
At the risk of being the 100th blog post you’ve read this week on remote work techniques.
CultureWill the delayed IR35 rules still impact the flexibility of your business?
The coronavirus situation has highlighted the importance of flexibility in every business.
Culture6 Tips to Keep Morale High while Working Remote
Companies everywhere, including many of our clients are implementing remote work practices for the first time.
CultureYou’re outsourcing for the wrong reason.
Having worked previously with outsourced teams, the experience was often hit and miss and the results rarely matched expectations.
EngineeringContinuous Delivery to Test Flight with Ionic and Cordova on CircleCI without Fastlane
It’s a stormy summer Sunday in Minneapolis as I do this write-up on an interesting engineering challenge I was handed this week.
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