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The Internet is full of useful resources. No matter what you want to learn there is something useful available for free. You just need to commit your time and effort. At the same time, it's difficult to choose in the huge sea of free tutorials and courses on the internet.
If you are not careful, you will spend most of your time browsing and changing courses without learning anything. That's where a curated list helps. Curation is my hobby and passion. I love to read books and courses that allows me to curate useful resources and share them with you guys.
Today I'll share 10 Java Programming Courses which beginners can use to learn Java for free.
Even though the focus is on beginner Java courses --- because beginners are the ones who need the most guidance and help --- I have tried to also include free courses that can be really useful for intermediate and experienced Java developers.
These are some of the really important skills, tools, and technology for experienced Java developers. If you are not familiar with them, it's probably the right time to pick them up to boost your career and skills.
10 Free Java Courses for Beginners to Learn Online
without wasting any more of your time, here is my list of some of the best, free Java courses for a beginner as well as experienced programmers to learn core Java, Collections, Multithreading, Docker, Jenkins, and other important tools and skills required for professional Java development.
1. Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners
This is the most popular free Java course on Udemy. It probably has the first-mover advantage, but the quality of the course is quite good.
If you are a beginner at programming or know a programming language but also want to learn Java, then you can enroll in this course. It's FREE and I guess it always remains free on Udemy.
Link to Join the course --- Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners
2. Object-Oriented Programming in Java on [Coursera]
This is an intermediate Java course. If you have some experience in software development or a background in computer science, then you can take this free course to learn object-oriented programming.
After completing this course, you should be able to develop an object-oriented application in Java, leverage the power of existing libraries, how to build graphical user interfaces, and how to use some core algorithms for searching and sorting data.
And, the best part is that it is project-based, so you'll get some much-needed hands-on practice and coding.
Link to Join the course --- Object-Oriented Programming in Java
3. Java Multithreading [FREE]
Multithreading is an essential part of Java programming and probably the single most important feature which separates a good Java developer from an average Java developer.
There is a high demand for Java developers who can write robust and concurrent code. They also get paid very high salaries.
If you truly want to excel in the Java world, multi-threading and concurrency is the one area you need to conquer, then this course will help you to do that at free of cost.
Link to join the course --- Java Multithreading
Btw, if you have a budget to spend some money on something worth learning, then Applying Concurrency and Multi-threading to Common Java Patterns By José Paumard on Pluralsight is also very good, but, of course, it's not FREE.
You'll need a Pluralsight membership to access the course, which costs around $29 per month/$299 per year but also gives access to their 5000+ online course library.
4. Practice Java by Building Projects
There is no better way to learn a new programming language than building projects. This is what I call active learning. You cannot learn by simply reading books or watching online courses until you start writing code and creating projects. This makes your mind work actively.
You get familiar with real-world requirements and then you find answers based upon whatever you have learned. In short, use this course for more involved and project-based learning.
Link to Join the course (FREE) --- Practice Java by Building Projects
A highly recommended free course for anyone learning Java.
Btw, if you feel that theory is a bit light on this course then you can also combine this with The Complete Java Masterclass, one of the best and most up-to-date course to learn Java, but not free.
5. Java Database Connection: JDBC and MySQL [Learn JDBC]
JDBC is an integral part of Java API because most of the real-world applications you will create in Java will have to work with a database.
Good knowledge of JDBC is required even if you are using advanced frameworks like Hibernate, JPA, or IBatis and this course will provide you with that. It uses MySQL as an example database as it's also free and teaches you how to work with a database in Java using JDBC.
Link to Join the course (FREE) --- Java Database Connection: JDBC and MySQL
Overall, a perfect course for both beginners and intermediate Java developers looking to brush up their JDBC skills.
6. Java for Absolute Beginners [Learn Core Java]
This is another beginner level course for Java developers. If you are a computer science graduate or programmer coming from C, C++, or Python background, then you can use this course to quickly get up to speed with Java programming.
It's a short course, not very comprehensive but provides a nice overview from a beginner's perspective.
Link to join Course for FREE --- Java for Absolute Beginners
7. Eclipse IDE for Beginners: Increase Your Java Productivity [Learn Eclipse]
There is no doubt that IntelliJIDEA is quickly winning the war against Eclipse to replace it as the most popular Java IDEs, but it still a very good IDE to start with. It's FREE and you don't need to pay a license fee, which is required for the full edition of IntelliJIDEA.
As a Java developer, a good knowledge of your IDE is a must, and this course will teach you how to work with Eclipse efficiently. Highly recommended for any programmer starting with Java development.
Link to Join the course --- Eclipse IDE for Beginners
8. Java 9 New Features In Simple Way --- Overview
This is an excellent course to get familiar with --- some exciting new features introduced in Java 9, like Java's Module System, Improvement on Process and Stream API, Introduction of static factory methods for creating an Immutable collection, and many others.
If you already know Java and just want to update your knowledge to new Java features, then this is the right course for you. More importantly, it's free, and you will find all the important Java 9 changes in one place.
Link to join this course (FREE) --- Java 9 New Features in Simple Way
9. Java Programming Basics
This is another beginner-level course for Java programmers or anyone who wants to learn Java. It's free and short, which makes it perfect for beginners to get an overview before moving on to more comprehensive and difficult courses.
If you want to learn Java and have no programming experience, you can use this course to learn both Java and programming basics.
Link to Join this course for FREE --- Java Programming Basics
10. Hands-On Docker for Java Developers
Docker is becoming an increasingly important tool in the world of cloud-based applications.
If you are interested in cloud-based Java development and leveraging containers for setting up new instances quickly, then this is the perfect course for you to start with.
Link to Join this course ---Hands-On Docker for Java Developers
And if you can spend some money on learning, then Cloud Native Java book by Josh Long is a great book.
If you are keen on learning Docker and looking for more options and alternatives then you also check out this list of Free Docker Courses for Programmers on Dev Community.
That's all about best free courses for Java Programmers If you want to learn Java, then these courses are more than enough to make you a Java expert. As I have said, these courses cover the vast landscape of Java programming from core Java to advanced Java, from multithreading to JDBC, and from Eclipse to Docker. Hence, it's equally useful for beginners and intermediate Java programmers. Even experts can learn a few things from some of these courses.
Closing Notes
Thanks for reading this article. You might be thinking that there is so much to learn, so many courses to join, but you don't need to worry.
There is a good chance that you already know most of the stuff, and there are also a lot of useful resources like books and tutorials which you can use.
I am a particular fan of Udemy courses, not because that I'll get paid if you buy a paid course mentioned in this article but because they are very affordable and provides a lot of values in a very small amount, but, of course you are free to choose the course you want.
At the end of the day, you should have enough knowledge and experience about the things mentioned here.
Good luck with your Java journey! It's certainly not going to be easy, but by following these courses, you are one step closer to becoming the Java Programmer, you always wanted to be
If you know any other free Java course which is not in the list but good for beginners, feel free to comment here. All the best with learning.
More free Java programming resources
- 5 Free Spring Framework Courses for Java Developers
- Top 5 Courses to learn Web Development in depth
- 5 Courses to Learn Big Data and Apache Spark
- Top 10 JavaScript Tutorials and Courses for Web Developers
- Top 5 Courses to Learn Spring Boot in depth
- 5 Free Data Structure and Algorithms Courses
- 5 Free Linux Courses for Programmers and Developers
- 5 Free Courses to Learn React JS Framework
- 10 Free Courses to Learn Data Structure in Java for beginners
P.S. --- If you just want to start with just one course to learn Java from A to Z, then, I think The Complete Java MasterClass is probably the best one to start with.