51 Best Resources for Learning Web Development
If you are an aspiring web developer, you have a vast amount of courses, videos, blogs where you can develop your skill set right now!
In this day of age, you can get a job without going the traditional route. With the amount of information available online, you can teach yourself the concepts and the required skills, create your own project and show your skills to a future employer.
In this article, I will give you a huge selection of resources where you can learn web development by yourself. Some of these are free and some are paid courses.
I will divide the resources into three different sections:
- Front-End development resources: This is what happens on the client side or the browser. Users are the ones who will interact with the front-end of the website. A good-looking, engaging and intuitive front-end is a must for today’s world. Examples are HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Angular, React, and Vue.js etc.
- Back-end development resources: Every single website is hosted on a server. With proper backend development, it’s possible to improve the performance and quality user experience. Examples are ASP.NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.
- Database resources: Databases are responsible for housing all the accumulated data of the internet. Examples are SQL Server, MySQL, MongoDB, etc.
General Web Development Resources
Tutorial Sites
W3Schools is one of the finest resources for web developers. It has tutorials on both front-end and back-end web development for free! After mastery, you can also participate in W3Schools certification programs.
The tutorials are divided into small chunks and easy to understand, even if you are a beginner. There are many examples where you can try out the code yourself.
I highly recommend this site for beginners or people who want to freshen up their skills. I will link to several W3Schools tutorials later in this post.
This site has a huge library of coding lessons where you also can learn development and earn certificates.
Every lesson has exercises where you must enter code or markup as directed by the assignment. You have to pass the tests provided before you can move on to the next lesson.
Every module has about 300 hours of content each and is 100% free.
3. CodeAcademy (Free and paid)
CodeAcademy uses interactive tutorials much like FreeCodeCamp. This is a very popular site which has been around for a long time. The training will take on small lessons with ample explanation of every single step. The courses are designed in a way that unless you complete one, you can’t progress towards the next one.
You are able to take courses in HTML, CSS, Python, JavaScript, SQL, Java and much more.
Although CodeAcademy has a lot of free content, there is also a paid feature. With this pro feature, you will get quizzes, projects, customized paths, etc.
Founded in 2012 by two Stanford professors in computer science.
Their catalog contains courses with a huge span of topics like machine learning, mobile app development, and general computer science.
Every course is about 6 to 10 weeks long. You have access to a lot of free courses, but you have to pay a fee for extra features like certification and quizzes.
Udacity is yet another awesome online learning service that offers tons of free and paid courses for those who need them.
There are numerous courses on various sectors – AI, data science, autonomous systems and of course, various programming courses.
Edx is one of the largest collaborations of university e-courses that offers legendary value for the online learners. Edx offers tons of tutorials on 20+ categories.
Get started with your favorite online course right away on eDx.
Subscription Sites
Over 300 courses. The focus is mainly web development and the training is targeted for people from beginners to intermediate.
TeamTreehouse offers a 7 days free trial.
Pluralsight has been around for a long time and has a huge catalog with over 6800 courses. Pluralsight has a lot of web development resources but also has other topics like IT Ops, Security, etc.
Pluralsight is geared more toward professionals than TeamTreehouse.
The thing I like most about Egghead.io is that there is no fluff talk. Everything is right to the point. This means the videos are short but also very informative.
The site has quite a few free courses, but if you want to access everything, you need to pay for a subscription.
On Egghead you can learn things like React, JavaScript, Node.js, CSS, and Angular.
Has over 1100 video courses, 240 plus ebooks and a lot of tutorials. You can learn a lot of different skills here in addition to code, for example, audio, design or business.
YouTube Channels (Everything is Free)
The guy on this channel is hilarious! He focuses on JavaScript and has a bunch of code challenges.
It is impressive to watch his skills while he is solving various coding challenges, and you are sure to pick up some tips along the way.
A jack of all trades with tutorials on React.js, Angular, Python, SEO, command line and more.
Been inactive for a long time, but it’s worth checking out his huge video archive.
A channel filled with tutorials. What I really like about Derek Banas is that he is going through tutorials with a fast speed, but it is still easy to follow along.
He also teaches almost everything about programmings like Java, C#, Python, JQuery, JavaScript, C++ and much, much more.
A channel focusing on front end development. Started by an awesome guy named Travis, but has been taken over by some (also awesome) Swedish guys.
Contains a mix of tutorials and topics/challenges developers face in life.
Focus on JavaScript and related frameworks like Angular, React, Vue.js, Node.js, etc.
In addition to the YouTube channel, they have created a lot of courses on Udemy. I have seen several of their courses and I’m a big fan. The courses are action packed with thorough content.
I’m going to recommend several of their courses in this article.
The same guys who run the Devtips channel. Very informative and entertaining.
The focus is on JavaScript.
I really enjoy this channel. You can tell that this guy knows what he’s talking about.
Contains a lot of tutorials and some tips/insight on web development in general.
The tutorials are top notch. I urge you to go and subscribe to his channel at once.
Blogs
You have probably heard of Medium. It is a massive blog about everything. They also have a lot of development content which are worth reading.
A lot of free tutorials on a number of topics. You can also get access to all their courses and books for a cheap price.
Has a lot of written content with very high quality. Focuses on front end development.
Also has video courses, both free and premium.
A blog 100% focusing on CSS. If I have CSS challenges, I often come over their articles when I’m googling.
Coding Challenges
Coding challenges is a great way to improve as a developer. With regular practice, you will be able to really get to know the programming. In return, you will also be comfortable to solve algorithms without too much trouble.
There are a ton of code challenge sites out there. I have chosen to just recommend two sites which I’ve been using a lot.
My favorite code challenge site with over 700 code challenges. The challenge description is easy to understand. You get links to relevant documentation if you are stuck. After completing the challenge, you get access to several solutions from the community which is very educational.
The reason this site is my favorite is that of the clean and intuitive interface.
You can code with the following languages: JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Swift, C++, C# and Java.
This is a huge site with hundreds of challenges. You have the option to choose almost any programming language that exists today.
It is very similar to Edabit that the community is creating the challenges and you get to see the community’s solution after you’ve completed the challenge.
Git and Version Control
Git is one of the best features and powerful weapons for today’s open-source development cycle.
Git is a version control system (VCS). Whenever you change your program and commit the file to a VCS, the system will keep track the history of that file since its creation. It gives programmers tremendous power in lots of situations. For example, if something wrong happens, it’s easier to roll back to the previous version with just a few clicks. Need an important code that you deleted? Get it back right now!
Generally, when committing, the source codes are stored on a local repository. Here comes GitHub into play. GitHub offers a completely free public repository where all the programming files are stored. Don’t worry; you can still host a private project with a subscription. Check out the GitHub subscription plan.
All the files hosted on the public GitHub are available for all other developers to download. They can either contribute to your project or use your code in their project. It’s a land of programming freedom!
With such powerful features of Git and GitHub, it’s very important that you have the necessary experience with Git and GitHub.
24. Article: What is GitHub and how does it work (Free)
25. Udemy course: Git a Web Developer Job: Mastering the Modern Workflow (Paid)
Front-End Foundation
HTML
HTML is a markup language which describes how a website should look. This is the first technology you should learn since it is the basis of web pages.
There is no reason to buy an expensive course on HTML as you can teach yourself most of the important parts of the internet. If you are a total beginner, I would just check out the two free resources I’ve outlined here. You will dive deeper into HTML when we start learning CSS and JavaScript.
26. W3Schools: HTML Tutorial (Free)
W3Schools is a great way to get started on any technology. The information is short and concise.
What I like most is for every concept, you have the opportunity to try it yourself in the browser.
This way, you will actually be learning by doing, making the information stick.
27. YouTube: HTML Crash Course For Absolute Beginners (Free)
If you are an absolute beginner, I would recommend this video by travesty media. This is a YouTube channel I highly recommend you, since the content there is king.
CSS
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the style you put on your HTML pages. This is when you are making your website look good! It’s the CSS that makes every single element of a website look as it looks like. As a matter of fact, CSS is the second major building block of the World Wide Web.
I recommend you have a basic understanding of HTML before you start learning CSS.
28. W3Schools: CSS Tutorial (Free)
Go through the CSS Tutorial on W3Schools. You will get your feet wet and get a basic understanding of CSS.
29. Udemy Course: CSS The Complete Guide (incl. Flexbox, Grid & Sass) (Paid)
If you really want to be an expert in CSS, you should check out this excellent course.
It has 22.5 hours of video with three sections: Basics, advanced and expert. This means you can start this course even if you are a beginner. This course covers almost everything about CSS.
JavaScript
JavaScript, by default, is one of the core foundations of today’s World Wide Web. As much as it sounds, it’s not difficult at all. Anyone can pick it up. With practice and an understanding of how the website should behave, JavaScript is one of the most enjoyable web programming languages of all.
JavaScript has become such an important factor that all the modern web browsers now come up with a pre-built JavaScript runtime. In fact, the performance of the JavaScript runtime is a major determinant of a better browser.
For beginners, W3Schools is always a good place to start. With step-by-step and simple tutorials, W3Schools make learning more enjoying.
30. W3Schools: JavaScript Tutorial (Free)
Building and Automation tools
Automation is a major part in every single step. Every single server, all the hosted websites and of course, tons of our everyday tasks are automated in a routine manner. Automation is important in lots of cases. Programmers also find automation useful for collecting various info and performing tons of tasks.
31. Webpack: Official Website (Free)
32. Gulp: Getting started (Free)
Command Line
In the advanced workplaces, there’s no GUI to work with. All that matters is the CLI. Of course, CLI isn’t for us – the general users. However, if you’re targeting yourself to be on the top, then having the knowledge of CLI and command lines is extremely important.
Command lines are useful for performing a lot of tasks in the system. You can perform almost every single possible thing on the terminal. In certain situations, command lines are your only hope as GUI can become unreliable or unavailable in certain cases.
Command line got a better terminology – console. Having good command over console will always put you a step ahead in the marketplace. It’s also possible to perform scripting with consoles to perform automated tasks.
There are tons of available command lines – CMD (Windows), PowerShell (Windows/Linux), Shell scripting (Linux) and others.
I personally love the Linux scripting. Linux is., by far, the most valuable choice for any professional/enterprise environment. Linux scripting also offers more control over the system. That ensures a better chance of developing a more concrete carrier.
33. Code Academy: Learn the command line (Free)
Front-End Frameworks
React
For a fine-tuned, user-interactive, intuitive UI for the web, there’s no easier place than the mighty JavaScript! Every single dynamic content you see on the internet are the results of JavaScript implementation. In fact, JavaScript is the 3rd major building block of the today’s World Wide Web.
Experienced with JavaScript? Why not take that a step further with React?
React is an open-source, lightweight (less than 1MB) JavaScript library that offers painless experience of designed interactive, simple yet engaging UI for any website. With blazingly fast performance and accuracy, React is worth the efforts of making any website more engaging.
34. Udemy course: React 16 – The Complete Guide (incl. React Router 4 & Redux) (Paid)
Vue.js
Vue.js is yet another powerful JavaScript library for UI designing and building single-page applications. JavaScript is already an integral part of any website nowadays. With Vue.js, things can be finer. Vue.js makes it incredibly easy for web developers to get started with complex, dynamic, user-interactive UI designs without any additional complexity!
Just like React, Vue.js is also a popular library for web developers and web interface designers. Vue.js is incredibly fast with the lightweight library (about 20KB) while packing insane versatility across all the platforms.
Vue.js tutorials are available for free on both Vue.js official website and Vue Mastery. For a paid training course, Udemy Vue.js course is the better choice.
35. Tutorial from the official Vue.js website (Free)
37. Udemy course: Vue JS 2 – The Complete Guide (incl. Vue Router & Vuex) (Paid)
Angular
Web applications are gaining more and more traction over the traditional apps. With the help of modern web platforms, the performance difference is becoming so much narrower. Angular is a super powerful platform that makes things even easier and better!
Angular offers a seamless platform for cross-platform web apps. With optimizations, Angular brings web apps to run just like native apps on the web, mobile or desktop.
Many services now use web apps for their maximum benefit. Learning Angular is also fun and simple. Check out the
38. Coursetra: Angular 6 Tutorial (Free)
39. Udemy course: Angular 6 (formerly Angular 2) – The Complete Guide (Paid)
jQuery
Well, there’s no escape from JavaScript in this world, folks! jQuery is a rich JavaScript library that’s crafted for making things simpler, like HTML DOM tree traversal and manipulation, event handling, AJAX and CSS animation etc.
jQuery is open-source software that follows the “write less, do more” principle. With jQuery, it’s also possible to develop plug-ins on top of it, allowing devs to create abstractions for low-level interactions, animations, advanced effects, and even themeable, high-level widgets.
Why wait when W3Schools is offering free jQuery tutorial? For professional support, the Udemy jQuery course is my favorite.
40. W3Schools: JQuery Tutorial (Free)
41. Udemy course: Learn jQuery for beginners web development (Paid)
Bootstrap
Since the introduction of CSS, the web has changed forever. If HTML is the skeleton of a web page, then CSS is the muscles. Even a normal web page makes use of hundreds of CSS lines to define how each and every element should look like.
Bootstrap is a free and open-source front-end framework that offers HTML and CSS-based ample design templates for typography, buttons, navigations, forms and what not! The framework also comes up with an optional JavaScript extension.
Get started with Bootstrap right now!
42. W3Schools: Bootstrap 4 Tutorial (FREE)
43. Udemy course: Bootstrap 4 From Scratch With 5 Projects (Paid)
Back-End Development Resources
Node.js
The JavaScript codes that powers the entire World Wide Web has to run on a platform, right? Node.js offers a powerful runtime for the JavaScript outside of a browser.
Node.js is open-source and cross-platform runtime that allows the web devs to use JavaScript for commands and server-side scripting. Thus, it can generate dynamic web page contents before they’re sent to the users.
Having command over Node.js will not only ensure a faster web performance but also, improved user experience.
Let’s get started with W3Schools Node.js tutorial! Or, you can check out the Udemy course.
44. W3Schools: Node.js Tutorial (Free)
45. Udemy course: The Complete Node.js Developer Course (Paid)
Python
Among all the popular programming languages, Python is one of the most popular ones. In many programming courses, Python is used as the basic programming language.
Python is an extremely powerful interpreted programming language that can serve tons of purpose in lots of situations. There are tons of open-source and powerful frameworks available for various functions. Python can also empower the web app development with various robust web frameworks like Django, Pyramid, and Flask etc. It’s also possible to accelerate desktop GUI development with frameworks like PyQT, PyJs, Kivy, PyGTK etc.
With this multitude of usage, Python is a sure go-to for any developer. Let’s get started with the Udemy course on Python.
46. Udemy course: Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python 3 (Paid)
PHP
PHP is a powerful server-side, open-source scripting language that offers tremendous control over the website. PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor.
PHP codes are executed into the server. Upon execution, the output can be of various formats – HTML, JSON, XML or even image/audio data. With the help of PHP, almost all the websites you see on the web that offers dynamic interactions and other database-related tasks, every single thing is controlled by PHP.
It’s a widely-used programming language for the web platform. If you have a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then PHP is the next step for you. Get started with PHP on W3Schools, or follow the Udemy course.
47. W3Schools: PHP tutorials (Free)
48. Udemy course: PHP for Beginners (Paid)
SQL
SQL is the most popular language for managing databases all around the world. It’s a standard language that stores data, retrieves and manipulates data on databases. Today’s internet is fueled by modern and powerful databases. So, without SQL, it means – no internet.
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. Using PHP and SQL together, all the modern websites manage the dynamicity. Let’s have a look at Google for example. Their website is highly interactive with users. It’s powered by the master database owned by Google. With SQL, one can easily perform various interactions with such a huge database.
It’s also possible to perform database tasks with other languages. However, the programs become insanely complicated.
Alongside powering the web, databases can also be used for other sectors. As SQL is the standard database language and being used almost everywhere, it’s a good time to start learning SQL.
49. W3Schools course: SQL Tutorial (Free)
50. Udemy course: The Complete SQL Bootcamp (Paid)
NoSQL
Databases are one of the key ingredients you’ll find everywhere. However, the way a database works is pretty old in terms of technology. This is where NoSQL comes in. Its approach is to redefine the database design that can easily accommodate a wide variety of data models, including key-value, documents and more.
NoSQL stands for “not on SQL”. NoSQL is a powerful alternative to the well-known RDBMS convention where data is placed in tables and before building the database, data schema had to be designed carefully. In today’s data-driven world, larger databases are becoming more and more common. NoSQL specializes in handling larger databases with ease.
MongoDB offers the complete experience of NoSQL in a great manner. Learn NoSQL with MongoDB on Udemy!
51. Udemy course: MongoDB – The Complete Developer’s Guide (Paid)
Let’s get started with your own skill with all the available courses right away!
