Learn Web Development in 2019

2. General Coding and Tools

This section will focus on requirements for any developer. You should be proficient with the command line, know how to version control your code with Git, and the fundamentals of the web.

Command Line

The command line is how you run your code. You must be able to navigate and execute the required commands. The better you are on the command line, the more efficient you will be as a developer.

• Learn Enough Command Line to Be Dangerous — an excellent free book to learn the command line.
• Linux Command Line Basics
• The Linx Command Line: A Complete Introduction

For Windows users, you are now able to run a true Linux terminal on your machine , so I highly recommend this approach because Unix (also used in Macs) is the most common environment you will use on the job.

Pick a Text Editor

VS Code is the is the top choice for web developers, which makes it a great place to start — it’s personally what I use. However, there are many excellent options available such as Atom , WebStorm , or Vim for the hardcore.

The text editor is where you will write all your code, and the terminal is where you execute it. As a developer, this is where live. Spend some time to pick the right editor, set up the plugins, and learn the hotkeys. Having the right workflow can dramatically increase your productivity.

Git and Version Control

Git is the tool used to save code and create different versions, allowing you to collaborate with other developers. The top place to store code and collaborate on open source software is GitHub.

• Learn Git from GitHub
• Ranked Git tutorials
• Git Complete: The definitive, step-by-step guide to Git

Web Fundamentals (Learn these at some point)

• HTTP / HTTPS
• SSH
• Character Encodings
• Model-View-Controller (MVC)
• REST

3. Learn Frontend Development

JavaScript is the foundation of modern web development. The popular client-side libraries — React, Angular, and Vue — are all written in JavaScript. Knowing vanilla JavaScript thoroughly is essential to leveling up and having the required skills to build complex applications. Before diving too deep into JS, you should knowHTML andCSS. Even though the UI is coded in JS, it still generates HTML and is styled by CSS.

The Complete 2019 Web Development Bootcamp

The most complete course on web development. Start with HTML and CSS, learn JavaScript and how it interacts with the DOM, and eventually build a full stack web application.

The Web Developer Bootcamp

HTML & CSS

HTML and CSS are typically learned together. HTML is the skeleton of the page that gives is structure, and CSS is language that gives it style.

HTML and CSS for Absolute Beginners

Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 and CSS3

CSS: The Complete Guide (Advanced CSS)

JavaScript

Since JavaScript is used in both the frontend and the backend, I included those resources in the “Getting Started” section as well. JS will be your main tool, so know it well and devote the time to learning it deeply.

Modern JavaScript From The Beginning

The Modern JavaScript Bootcamp (2019)

Advanced Javascript

UI Libraries (React, Vue, Angular)

Modern UI development has gravitated towards a component model with 3 libraries as the primary ones used on the job — React,Vue, andAngular. You are better off knowing one of them very well as opposed to trying to learn all 3. Then on the job, you will be able to pick up something different if the company uses a library that you did not learn. React is the most popular, but Vue and Angular are both being adopted rapidly.

React

Modern React with Redux (2019)

React 16.6 — The Complete Guide (incl. React Router & Redux)

React for Beginners

Advanced React + GraphQL

Vue

Vue JS 2 — The Complete Guide (incl. Vue Router & Vuex)

The Ultimate Vue JS 2 Developers Course

Vue JS Essentials with Vuex and Vue Router

Angular

Angular 7 — The Complete Guide

The Complete Angular Course: Beginner to Advanced

4. Learn Backend Development

The backend is where you talk to the database, handle business logic, and send the necessary data to the frontend.

Node

Node is how we execute JavaScript outside the browser which can be used to build APIs on the backend/server.

The Complete Node.js Developer Course (2nd Edition)

NodeJS — The Complete Guide (incl. MVC, REST APIs, GraphQL)

Learn Node

Python

Python is easy for beginners but also utilized extensively by tech giants and startups for backends, data science, and scripting.

Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python 3

Python and Django Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp

Databases

The database is the permanent storage for the data of your application. Typically the backend will make a query against the database during an API call. There are 2 common database types — SQL and NoSQL.

GraphQL

GraphQL itself is not a database but a query language on top of databases. Many people believe it is going to revolutionize app development and totally change how we build APIs. It is rapidly gaining adoption and being utilized by tech giants and top startups.

• The Modern GraphQL Bootcamp (Advanced Node.js)
• GraphQL with React: The Complete Developers Guide

MongoDB

Mongo is the most popular NoSQL database used with Node. It stores data in documents which are key / value pairs that easily map to JSON and JavaScript objects.

• MongoDB — The Complete Developer’s Guide

PostgreSQL / MySQL

These are two top SQL implementations and likely what you will see utilized at most companies.

• The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp: Go from SQL Beginner to Expert
• SQL & PostgreSQL for Beginners

Other Backend Options

Go (Golang)

Go is relatively new but has seen rapid adoption. It is a statically-typed language but is also incredibly developer-friendly. This makes it ideal for building services.

• Complete Go Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero (Golang)
• Web Development with Google’s Go Programming Language

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails was the go-to startup language for years. It’s ease of use and convention-driven language made it easy to rapidly build products.

• The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course

PHP

Much of the early internet was built on PHP and there are still many sites powered by it, including Facebook.

• PHP for Beginners — Become a PHP Master — CMS Project

Java

Java is used heavily by enterprise clients, so there are plenty of jobs available. For new beginners, it’s not the ideal language, but it could be a good option for software engineers coming from other areas.

• Java Programming Masterclass for Software Developers
• Java Spring Tutorial Masterclass — Learn Spring Framework 5

5. JavaScript and Coding In-depth

I recommend working on real projects as quickly as possible. However, at some point, you will want to do a deep dive into JavaScript and learn how it all works underneath the hood. In addition, it is important to have an understanding of data structures, algorithms, and other general computer science knowledge.

You Don’t Know JavaScript (YDKJS) — This is simply the best book on JavaScript. If you work through this entirely, you will know the entire core language of JS. Read it free on GitHub or purchase physical or Kindle copies on Amazon .

TypeScript — This is not a requirement for beginners (unless you are using Angular), but TypeScript adoption is growing rapidly. Many think it’s the future of JavaScript.

Data Structures in JavaScript — Build the most common data structures from the ground up in JavaScript. This video series is a great extension to build the knowledge you have already gained and is an excellent resource for interviews as well.

Eloquent JavaScript — Another favorite book of JavaScript engineers. It covers a broader range of topics than YDKJS, including the browser and Node. Read it for free online or purchase a physical or Kindle copies on Amazon .

Introduction to Algorithms — While not the most beginner friendly book, it is thorough. Take this step once you really feel like it’s time to understand algorithms thoroughly.

Algorithms — This course is taught in Java, but the learning outcomes are still valid. You gain a thorough understanding of the most important algorithms in computer science. The course is taught by Princeton on Coursera.

6. Software Engineering Books

This selection is 5 books that will either make you a better coder in general or an essential book you will need at some point in your career, such as during interviews. Or, see a complete list of programming book recommendations .

• Clean Code by Robert C Martin
• The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt & David Thomas
• The Effective Engineer by Edmund Lau
• Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell
• The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth

If you are learning to web development, there is also a high likelihood you’re interested in startups. These are some of the top books about startups and the philosophies of those that are successful.

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• Zero to One by Peter Thiel
• Hooked by Nir Eyal
• Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

7. Job Advice & Wrap Up

By following these tutorials, you will be on your way to becoming a professional web developer. Make sure to start building real projects as quickly as possible and begin applying to jobs. Projects and deployed web apps are the best way to show a company that you will be able to contribute once you are hired.

Finding the first job is always a numbers game, so the more you apply, the better your odds are of getting an offer. It can take months though, so be ready for the long road. However, you will get one eventually and every job going forward will be much easier to get after landing that first role.

Visit gitconnected.com/learn for more tutorials to learn to program .

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