Top Free Coding Platforms in 2024

Coding is the translation of the logic of solving a problem into instructions that a computer can process and implement. When it comes to resources to learn coding, the internet is full of excellent free resources. The resources you use should be relevant, well-written, and easy to navigate to optimize your learning. We brought together some of the best online resources to learn coding for free.

Top Free Coding Platforms

W3Schools

Back in the old days, when I was coding in 2003, the resource that we used to use a lot was W3Schools. It goes back to the old days. It stayed with developers the whole time. I still remember learning HTML, J2EE, Model-View-Controller architecture on this platform spending late nights reading those short pages clicking “next” repeatedly. As a developer, if you want to get a quick idea about something, then W3Schools is the best thing out there.

Harvard CS50

This course teaches you about computational thinking. It teaches you how to think algorithmically and how to solve problems with a computer. It covers algorithms, data structures, security, programming languages, web development, and concepts such as abstraction and encapsulation. While it is not a four year BS course, it can help you gain the right fundamentals very quickly.

Free Code Camp

This platform offers free courses in web development, programming, and other technologies such as Python, React, Data Visualization APIs, and more. The platform also provides practical coding challenges and projects to apply your knowledge and build real-world applications.

Code Academy

This is an free online platform offering coding courses in more than 12 different programming languages – Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, C++, Swift, C#, HTML, CSS, and more. In 2015, Codecademy partnered with the White House, working to host in-person meet-ups for 600 students from disadvantaged women and minority groups over a twelve-month period.

Tutorials Point

If you’ve been trying to learn programming, chances are that you already stumbled upon this great resource – tutorialspoint. This is a great resource and collection of stellar tutorials on any topic related to computer science and programming. This is probably one of the largest resources on computer programming on the web today from a small and old topic to the biggest and latest topics in computer science.

Python for Everybody – University of Michigan

This course introduces fundamental programming concepts such as algorithms and data structures using Python programming language. You will write multiple applications to create your own applications for data retrieval, data cleaning, data processing, and visualization activities.

Choosing an IDE and a Coder Community

As you start to learn to code, you will realize that choosing a good IDE is very important. Most of the IDEs are usually free but not all of them are the same. It is important to decide on a good IDE. A good IDE is like a bicycle – as you start getting used to it, it becomes your best friend. Some IDEs are really easy to use, light, easy to debug, easy to use to import libraries and packages, and easy to indent. You have to decide which factors are more important for you and go with the one that works best for you. Also, one of the most important resources to learn coding is community forums, and there is none better than Stack Overflow.

Learn To Program Algorithms

Learning algorithms is like building your own swiss knife before getting into the real battle. You don’t know which tool you will use, but you need to be aware of all the basic tools so that you can create on the fly and use things as required for the challenge at hand. It is important for all newbie programmers to build a strong foundation in linear and nonlinear data structures and in algorithms.

CS106A by Stanford

This is one of the best courses at Stanford. The course is designed to appeal to a wide range of general audience who do not necessarily come from a CS background. The course uses Java as its programming language to teach the basics of programming, mathematical and computational thinking, problem-solving tenets of computer science, and more. The course requires no previous background in programming, but does require considerable dedication and hard work.

Principles of Computation with Python – Carnegie Mellon University

A fundamental course in computing that teaches various programming constructs such as sequence, selection, search, iterations, and recursion. It covers fundamental problem solving constructs such as divide and conquer, concurrency, parallel programming, randomness, and nonlinear data structures.

Hacker Rank

It is a great way to learn algorithms, which can be quite dense and tedious to understand sometimes. The platform has a large library of questions to develop your algorithmic thinking and begin taking the bigger steps in programming. The biggest advantage of HackerRank is its simple and innovative approach in teaching algorithms to newbies.

Programiz

A learning platform built by programmers for programmers. Programiz is an online platform that provides interactive tutorials and resources for learning various programming languages. Also, includes bootcamps, competitions, and more.

Khan Academy

This non-profit by Salman Khan has changed the education space forever. My favorite quote of his is when he said something like “two cars in the garage are more than enough, it is time to do things for others”. You can learn a range of courses from graphics and dynamic programming to web development and deep learning.

Code Chef

This is an initiative by an Indian software company that I worked for – Directi, based in Mumbai. Code Chef was started as an educational initiative by Directi in 2009. It was later purchased by Unacademy and it serves as one of the best platforms to learn programming for beginners. It has amazing complex exercises for beginners to learn the ropes of programming quickly.

Google CS First

As the name suggests, this is a great initiative by Google to imbibe the philosophy of computer science first. Computer Science has changed the world with its amazing products and who knows it better than Google. Google wants all children to learn programming, and CS First is an amazing initiative towards the same, imbibing the basics of programming in children of all ages.

Conclusion

Beginning your coding journey requires tools, learning material, right educators, and structure to support comprehension and mastery of technical subject matter. Be open, ask questions, and engage in developer forums and communities such as Devnet and Stack Overflow to enhance your learning experience. There is no doubt that learning programming and computer-science will be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life.

Hope this is useful, thank you.