There are a plethora of resources to learn how to code for free. However, the question is - which ones are worth using? As a result, this article shows you the best places to learn how to code for free.
freeCodeCamp is one of the most well-known and popular platforms to learn how to code. There is 3000 hours worth of material! However, do not let the big number of hours - 3000 - scare you! You do not have to learn everything, and even if you want, you can do that over a long period of time.
freeCodeCamp offers the following paths and certifications:
- Responsive Web Design
- JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures
- Front End Development
- Data Visualization
- APIs and Microservices
- Quality Assurance
- Scientific Computing with Python
- Data Analysis with Python
- Information Security
- Machine Learning with Python
Besides that, it offers a section dedicated to coding interview preparations. As a result, freeCodeCamp is a great resource to learn programming for free through practice. That means you learn by doing, which is one of the most efficient ways to learn how to code.
The Odin Project is another excellent resource where you learn programming by doing. They offer a Full Stack curriculum that helps you start your journey in Web Development.
They teach technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Git, SQL databases, Node.js, Ruby, Ruby on Rails. What paths do they offer? They provide the following paths:
- Foundations - This is an introduction to the foundations of Web Development. You learn how to set up your development environment, the Git basics, JavaScript basics and so on.
- Full Stack JavaScript - This path teaches you how to create web applications and sites from scratch using plain JavaScript, Node.js, CSS and HTML.
- Full Stack Ruby on Rails - It's similar to the other Full Stack path, except that it teaches you Ruby on Rails rather than Node.js
The Odin Project is a great resource, and the best thing about it, is that you can join a supportive, dedicated community. They have their own Discord server where you can join and network with like-minded people.
3. Blogging communities
These blogging communities are great because you can find a variety of subjects from a variety of writers.
Such a blogging community is Hashnode, where you can read on a variety of topics such as:
These topics are just some examples, but you can find a lot more on Hashnode. Besides that, there are authors of all levels. If you want to read advanced tutorials, you can do so. On the other hand, if you are a beginner and looking for likewise material, you can find that too.
However, there are other blogging communities such as:
- Medium
- HackerNoon
- freeCodeCamp blog
The Khan Academy specifies on their home page that "you can learn anything". That's primarily true because they have an extensive curriculum where you can learn Computing
subjects and subjects adjacent to Computing.
However, focusing on the Computing subjects, you can use the Khan Academy to learn subjects such as:
- HTML and CSS
- JavaScript
- Algorithms
- Data Structures
- Cryptography
- Advanced JavaScript such as drawing, animation, games, visualizations
The best thing about the Khan Academy is that anyone can use it to learn how to code. It does not matter your age; you can use it to learn how to program!
SoloLearn is another resource where you can learn to code for free. One thing that differentiates SoloLearn from other resources is that they have a mobile application as well.
So what? You might ask. That means you can learn to code anywhere and on almost any device. You are not tied to your laptop or any other machine. Each time you want to code, you can do so anywhere by pulling out your phone.
SoloLearn has a variety of courses to choose from, such as:
- Python
- JavaScript
- Java
- CSS
- SQL
- React + Redux
And many more. I invite you to visit their platform and pick the course you want to learn! The best thing about SoloLearn is the variety of courses they have.
Udacity is a well-known platform, and it provides 188 free courses. Their free courses are from fields such as:
- artificial intelligence
- cloud computing
- cybersecurity
- data science
- programming & development
Besides that, they have courses on career development, which is an essential topic as well. With Udacity, you can develop your technical skills, but the soft skills as well!
YouTube channels are a great way to learn how to program for free. There are a plethora of channels you can choose from. However, in this article, I will suggest you some searching terms for YouTube instead of specific channels.
The reason for suggesting searching terms rather than channels is because everyone has their preferences. If I like a channel, you might not. And vice-versa. Thus, by browsing searching terms, you can find the channels you want.
The topics you could search for are:
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Python
- JavaScript
- Java
- Full Stack Tutorial
Of course, these are just a few examples, but the sky is the limit. There is a ton of content for free! Make the most of it.
On Codecademy, you can choose between three areas:
- Web Development - This path prepares you to build basic websites and interactive web apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
- Programming and Computer Science - This path introduces you to the world of programming with Python.
- Data Science - It teaches you SQL and Python to build the skills you need to analyze data.
Their free plan provides you with enough lesson. However, if you want access to everything, you can upgrade to the paid plan. The best thing about Codecademy is that they have a mobile app so you can practice coding on the go!
Edabit describes themselves as the Duolingo for learning how to code. They added gamification to make the process of learning more enjoyable. By solving challenges, you gain XP and unlock achievements.
You can learn programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby and more. They also have two beginner tutorials that teach you coding with JavaScript or Python, depending on what you want to learn. Once you learn the basics, you can go to the Challenges and practice what you learnt! Edabit is a great resource.
EDX is one of the best resources because you can learn programming from real college courses created by the world's leading universities, such as Harvard and MIT. And that's for free!
There is no barrier anymore. You do not have to go to the world's leading universities to take their excellent courses. You can do it online. Isn't that great?
On EDX, you can learn essential coding skills needed for frontend and/or backend web development, machine learning, IOS, Android, and much more. They have a great collection of courses taught by professionals, and I highly recommend it!
Like EDX, Coursera hosts courses from top universities like Yale, Michigan, Stanford, and leading companies like Google and IBM.
They have courses on web development, Java, C, SQL, R and many more. They have 123 courses in total. The best thing about Coursera is that they provide you with courses from leading universities, companies and professionals!
GitHub's lab is one of my favourite resources because they have lots of resources, and they are varied as well. First and foremost, you can learn essential skills: version control with Git.
Working as a developer means that you work with a version control system as well. It does not matter whether that's GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket or any other system. These version control systems allow teams to track changes. Thus, on the GitHub's lab websites, you can learn about VCS by using GitHub.
Besides learning about VCS, you can learn about DevOps, language and tools such as:
- CircleCI, Travis CI
- HTML
- Node with Express
- Python
- Ruby
These are just some examples from their website, but you can learn more tools and technologies. The best thing about this resource is the variety of tutorials!
On their homepage, they have the following description - fun and practical web development tutorials. That means you can learn about web development topics such as:
- Vue
- React
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Node
- Python
And many more. Besides that, Scotch has three free courses that teach you Vanilla JavaScript, Vue and React from scratch. Scotch is a great resource to learn about a wide variety of topics!
Why bother to join the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) University when you can take their courses online? MIT offers great introductory courses to programming. Their courses are split into three categories:
- General Introductions to Programming - These courses introduce you to the principles of computer science. It also helps you begin to develop programming skills. It uses the Python programming language.
- Language-Specific Courses - Introductions to programming with other programming languages than Python.
- Follow-up Courses - More advanced courses.
The best thing about MIT is that the resources are top quality! You are taught by MIT University professors.
The SitePoint blog covers a wide range of topics. Even though they have paid courses, they have a lot of free resources as well!
You can find information and resources about topics such as:
- HTML and CSS
- JavaScript
- Design & UX
- WordPress
- PHP
If you want access to even more resources, you can pay a monthly fee. After that, you'll have access to all their resources - articles, books and video courses.
Even though it has CSS in its name and is one of the most popular CSS resources, CSS-Tricks covers other areas! Their website description is as follows - Daily articles about CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and all things related to web design and development.
Thus, you can learn about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, web development and web design concepts. Additionally, it has a newsletter that curates the best news around web development.
The name "HTML Dog" is a bit misleading because you can learn about CSS and JavaScript too. That means you can learn about the three pillars of Web Development.
There are nine tutorials, three tutorials for each language. HTML, CSS and JavaScript tutorials are split into three levels:
- Beginner - Step-by-step guides taking you from 0.
- Intermediate - It teaches you more concepts, crossing the basic level.
- Advanced - It explores the depths of each language.
If you want to learn Web Development, HTML Dog is a great resource! The best thing about it is that it has a reference page. That is, whenever you forget a concept, you can go back to the webpage and remind yourself about it.
CoderByte is a website for coding challenges and technical interview preparation. In software development, practice is essential. Coding is about building stuff rather than memorizing concepts.
As a result, CoderByte is a great resource to practice what you learned using the other free resources. You can find:
- Data Structures and Algorithms coding problems
- Interview preparation resources
- JavaScript and Python material
Challenge your knowledge with CoderByte.
Similar to CoderByte, Codewars allows you to practice programming concepts through programming exercises.
There are a plethora of coding exercises to choose from. Moreover, you can choose between a multitude of programming languages to solve the problems. Codewars provides a fun, valuable and efficient way to practice your knowledge or learn new concepts1
Bento is a platform where you can choose between 100+ web development topics. The best part of it? They are free!
Some of the topics you can choose from are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and SQL. These are just a few topics, but you can learn more tools and technologies. They also have paths such as:
- Web Development Fundamentals
- Front-Ent & BackendBackend Tracks
- Databases
The best thing about it is that it has a page with trending articles from the development community. Thus, you can find great articles that are outside Bento.
Conclusion
These are the best places to learn coding for free I could find on the internet. Some of them help you learn concepts, while others allow you to practice what you learnt. I advise you to use them together, rather than picking one.
If you know more great resources, feel free to drop them in the comments!
