Person

Varun Dubey

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Varun Dubey (also known as vapvarun) is an Indian WordPress developer, entrepreneur, and open-source contributor. He is the Founder and CEO of Wbcom Designs, a WordPress development agency established in 2013. Dubey is recognized for his contributions to the WordPress and BuddyPress communities and his expertise in building online communities, membership sites, and learning management systems.

Career

Early Career (2010-2013)

Dubey began his freelance career in 2010 through Upwork (formerly oDesk/Elance), specializing in WordPress web development. During this period, he developed expertise in WordPress customization, theme development, and plugin creation. His early work focused on building custom WordPress solutions for various clients globally.

Wbcom Designs (2013-Present)

In 2013, Dubey founded Wbcom Designs as a WordPress-specific web development agency. Under his leadership, the company has:

  • Completed over 500 projects for global clients
  • Developed more than 100 WordPress plugins
  • Maintained a 100% job success rate on Upwork with over 25,000 working hours
  • Achieved Top Rated Plus status on the platform
  • Built a team of developers, designers, and content specialists

BuddyBoss (Professional Experience)

Dubey has also worked as Support & Maintenance Manager at BuddyBoss, a company that provides community and learning management solutions for WordPress. This role enhanced his expertise in BuddyPress and community platform development.

WordPress Community Contributions

Open Source Development

Dubey is an active contributor to the WordPress ecosystem:

  • WordPress Core: Contributes 5 hours per week to WordPress teams including Community, Documentation, and Photos
  • BuddyPress: Regular contributor to BuddyPress development, bug fixes, and feature improvements
  • Plugin Development: Developed numerous free plugins available on WordPress.org
  • Translation: Serves as a Translation Contributor and Translation Editor for WordPress

Notable Contributions

  • Created multiple tickets and patches for BuddyPress core
  • Developed the popular BuddyX theme (5-star rated on WordPress.org)
  • Regular commits to WordPress plugin SVN repository
  • Active participation in WordPress Slack channels and forums

WordCamp Participation

Dubey has been an active participant in the WordPress community through WordCamp events:

Speaking Engagements

  • WordCamp Kanpur 2017: Speaker on “Engaging BuddyPress for building community sites with WordPress”
  • Multiple WordCamp presentations on BuddyPress and community building

Sponsorships

Through Wbcom Designs, he has sponsored numerous WordCamps including:

  • WordCamp Nashik 2016
  • WordCamp Pune 2017
  • WordCamp Udaipur 2017
  • WordCamp Kochi 2017
  • WordCamp Delhi 2017

Local Community Building

Dubey established and leads the WordPress Lucknow Meetup group, organizing regular face-to-face events to promote WordPress awareness in North India. He has expressed commitment to bringing WordPress education to schools and colleges in his region.

Technical Expertise

Specializations

  • WordPress Core Development
  • BuddyPress and BuddyBoss Platform
  • LearnDash and LifterLMS
  • WooCommerce and Multi-vendor Marketplaces
  • API Integrations
  • Full-stack Development
  • Community Platform Architecture

Notable Projects and Plugins

  • BuddyPress Member Blog
  • BuddyPress Stories (Instagram-style stories for BuddyPress)
  • BuddyPress Todo List
  • BuddyPress Birthdays
  • Wbcom Essential (Elementor widgets collection)
  • Reign Theme (Multi-purpose community theme)
  • BuddyX Theme

Writing and Thought Leadership

Dubey maintains a personal blog at vapvarun.com where he writes about:

  • WordPress development best practices
  • BuddyPress tutorials and guides
  • WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS)
  • Open-source ecosystem insights
  • Technical tutorials and development tips

Notable Articles

  • “The History of WordPress from 2003-2024”
  • “Understanding WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS) and Their Importance”
  • “The WordPress Open Source Ecosystem: The Power, Controversies, and Giving Back”
  • “Stop Manual Testing Nightmares – Automate visual regression testing”

Philosophy and Approach

Dubey’s professional philosophy centers on:

  • Community First: Strong belief in giving back to the open-source community
  • Continuous Learning: Emphasis on staying current with technology trends
  • Quality Focus: Commitment to WordPress Coding Standards and best practices
  • Collaboration: Belief that “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success”

Recognition

  • Upwork Top Rated Plus: 100% job success rate with over 25,000 hours
  • WordPress Badges: BuddyPress Contributor, Photo Contributor, Plugin Developer, Translation Contributor, Translation Editor, WordCamp Speaker
  • Client Testimonials: Consistently praised for expertise, communication, and delivery
  • HeroPress Essay: Featured contributor sharing his WordPress journey

Personal Interests

Outside of web development, Dubey enjoys:

  • Photography
  • Trekking
  • Travel and cultural exploration
  • Experimenting with new coding techniques

See Also

  • WordPress
  • BuddyPress
  • Wbcom Designs
  • WordCamp
  • Open-source software

References

  1. “Varun Dubey (@vapvarun) – WordPress user profile.” WordPress.org. Retrieved 2025.
  2. “Member Spotlight: Varun Dubey.” Post Status. December 7, 2023.
  3. “Speakers – WordCamp Kanpur 2017.” WordCamp Kanpur. June 1, 2017.
  4. “A Blissful Driving Force.” HeroPress. November 18, 2019.
  5. “Freelance WordPress Developer | 10 Year Experience | Varun Dubey.” vapvarun.com. Retrieved 2025.

External Links

Created by Varun Dubey

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