Recommended Web Development Courses
Recommended Web development courses
I thought I should compile a list of the courses that I recommend watching. Some of these are free, others you get on a subscription and yet others you need to buy.
Since I'm a big fan of Laravel and a Lifetime member on Laracasts many of the recommended tutorials are provided by Laracasts and requires a subscription. At the time of writing you get access to over 2000 lessons about Web development and the tools of the trade for just $15/month or if you choose a yearly plan for just $99/year and save $81 compared to subscribing per month.
We will cover the following topics.
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- PHP
- SQL
- Laravel
- Laravel Test Driven Development
- CSS Frameworks
- JavaScript Frameworks
- Version Control
- Markdown
- Regular Expressions (Optional)
HTML
HTML is one of the most important building blocks for a wed developer. If you don't know how to use HTML, you will have problems when you start to use frameworks like Laravel.
- HTML Essential Training course by Jen Simmons on LinkedIn (Premium) covers most of the basic needs for HTML
CSS
When it comes to CSS you need to know some basics before you start using frameworks like Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS and Bulma.
- CSS Essential Training course by Christina Truong on LinkedIn (Premium)
- What The Flex box! course by Wes Bos (Free)
- CSS Grid course by Wes Bos (Free)
- CSS Grid For Everyone course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Free)
- Learn Flexbox Through Examples course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
JavaScript
It's always good to know the basics before tackling a framework like React, Vue, Alpine or whatever is the rage at the moment.
- Beginner JavaScript course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- JavaScript 30 course by Wes Bos (Free)
- ES6 For Everyone course by Wes Bos (Premium)
PHP
I haven't watched any of the PHP courses on LinkedIn yet, so I don't know if I can recommend them. However, there are quite a few to watch over at Laracasts.
- The PHP Practitioner (PHP For Beginners) course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Free)
- Object-Oriented Principles In PHP course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Requires Subscription)
- PHP Bits course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Requires Subscription)
- PHP7 Up And Running course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Free)
- SOLID Principles In PHP course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Requires Subscription)
- Design Patterns In PHP course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Requires Subscription)
SQL
Wait a minute here do I really need to know SQL? Yes, you do.
Almost all web applications use a database and most of them use a Relational database. Sure there are tools like the Laravel Query Builder and ORM (Eloquent), but none of these will be of much use when doing more complex database queries unless you know your SQL.
I have not seen this one yet, but it seems to cover the basics.
- SQL Essential Training course by Bill Weinan on LinkedIn (Premium)
Laravel
There is basically only one course needed here, and it covers almost every thing you need.
- Laravel 8 From Scratch course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Free)
- Base Laravel course by Jason McCreary aka JMac (Premium)
- Eloquent Performance Patterns course by Jonathan Reinink (Premium)
- Loads of more good Laravel courses on Laracasts (Free / Requires Subscription)
Laravel Testing
When it comes to Laravel or any development for that matter it's a good idea to use TDD (Test Driven Development) so here are some curses that I recommend.
Before diving in to the Laravel specific courses it's a good idea to understand what testing is and some of its basics.
- Code Kata's With PHPUNIT course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
- Testing Jargon course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
Now that we know the basics let's move on to the Laravel specific stuff.
- Testing Laravel course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
- Build A Laravel App With TDD course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
- Let's Build A Forum With TDD course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
- Test-Driven Laravel course by Adam Wathan (Premium)
- Confident Laravel course by Jason McCreary aka JMac (Premium)
CSS Frameworks
- Modern CSS For Backend Developers Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
- Tailwind CSS YouTube course by the makers of Tailwind CSS (Free)
JavaScript Frameworks
- React For Beginners course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- Fullstack Advanced React & GraphQL course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- Learn Node! course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- Learn Redux course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- Master Gatsby course by Wes Bos (Premium)
- Learn Vue 2 Step-By-Step course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Free)
- Advanced Vue Component Design course by Adam Wathan (Premium)
Version Control
- Git Me Some Version Control course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
Markdown
Markdown isn't a required skill, but it's a good tool to have in your belt when asking questions on Stack Overflow and the Laracasts forum. You can also use it on GitHub, in descriptions and pull requests.
- Mastering Markdown course by Wes Bos (Free)
Regular Expressions
While not a requirement for a web developer, it's still a useful skill to know.
- Understanding Regular Expressions course by Jeffrey Way on Laracasts (Subscription Required)
Conclusion
These are just a few of all the available tutorials out there, and the list will change from time to time. At the time of writing, I'm waiting for Laravel Beyond Crud and Testing Laravel and the Black Friday discount before buying.
There are two versions of Testing Laravel, one with PHPUnit and one with PEST. I will probably get the PHPUnit one, but if the price is right I might just get both.
Good luck on learning web development and if you have any question sign up for the Laracasts Forum and post your question there.
//Tray2