This talk discusses recent progress in some topics relevant for deep inelastic scattering at small x. We discuss first differences and similarities between conventional collinear factorization and the dipole picture of deep inelastic scattering. Many of the recent theoretical advances at small x are related to taking calculations in the nonlinear saturation regime to next-to-leading order accuracy in the QCD coupling. On the experimental side significant recent progress has been made in exclusive and diffractive processes, in particular in ultraperipheral nucleus-nucleus collisions.