Must-Read Blogs for Web Developers

Web developers around the world share the desire to write, debug, and ship code day in and day out. It’s not an easy job since most of the time you’re constantly learning on the fly. But with great study and work habits, becoming an experienced web developer is attainable (especially if you’re considering a Thinkful Engineering Immersion or Engineering Flex course).

There are several developers out there who like to share their experience with others. It’s tough to glean insights from every top techie that may have a blog, but there are definitely some top web developer blogs and publications worth the read. Here are some of the top ones you should check out if you’re an aspiring or current web developer.

Must-read blogs for web development newbies:

Thinkful’s Blog - Software Engineering: If you’re just starting out in the web development world, our blog is a great place to start looking for more information. You’ll get a chance to learn why coding is so damn hard and you’ll be able to meet Thinkful grads who overcame tough coding challenges and became software engineers. Meet skilled mentors and get some advice on how you can launch your coding career in the world’s next workforce.

The Next Web: The Next Web is an online publisher that shares all types of tech news that web devs love. Do you know the latest product rollouts on Instagram or about Google’s new braille keyboard for Android? You can learn about the latest updates at various tech companies and get insights into all things web development and technology. Read about tech trends and the impact software engineering has on our society today.

A List Apart: A List Apart lets you read insightful web design and development articles from industry leaders. You’ll get the best practices and standards for the web world and get informed on how to create your best work in the industry. Learn about ethical impacts to web development, digital accessibility in the technical workforce, and dig into specific programming languages like JavaScript. A List Apart is an informative publication if you’re curious about how different aspects of web development are used practically.

Super Dev Resources: If you’re new to the web development field, Super Dev Resources is an easy to read blog that includes resources for developers, designers, and digital marketers. You can find top discussions on web development along with templates and tools to utilize for creating websites. Get tips and tricks on how to improve website usability and learn more about data privacy and how to keep your website safe. Also, get an intersectional view of how a web developer’s work impacts design and marketing.

Smashing Magazine: Smashing Magazine is an online publication catering to all things web development. Get lost in articles covering coding, graphics, UX, and more all with the focus to share valuable industry know-how. Find articles on online privacy policies, building web applications with React, and more by browsing their content by category. If you’re into mobile applications, design patterns, CSS and more, this is a great intro to web development and design.

Scotch.io: Scotch is a blog that hosts web development video tutorials and articles. Get an interactive experience while you learn more about topics such as CSS, JavaScript, Node, and other practical skills that you’ll need on the web development job. You’ll also stumble upon posts to help you overcome deployment anxiety, and teach you about non-relational databases and how to support mixed workloads. Scotch covers tons of web developer topics to get you started.

Must-read blogs for current web developer students:

David Walsh Blog: David shares his expertise as a Senior Software Engineer and Evangelist for Mozilla, and founder of Script &Style web development podcast and Wyn Weng Labs. You’ll get technical tips and research on what’s going on in the web developer field. Learn about the most essential Git commands and utilities, see what it takes to create a RetroPie on Raspberry Pi, all while learning the steps that will help you to eliminate that well-known, web developer feeling of imposter syndrome.

CSS Tricks: Don’t let the name fool you, this blog has the inside scoop on more than just CSS. Get important information on multiple aspects of web design and development, ranging from beginner to advanced topics. Get pointers on how to write animation code more efficiently, figure out why some HTML elements become depreciated, and check out how to work with APIs and authentication. If you want to learn basics, along with ways to improve your web developer skills, the CSS tricks blog is a good go-to.

Creative Bloq: This one is for the creative developer. If your coding process needs creative inspiration or you want to see how things like grid systems and animations look in practical web-design, Creative Bloq is for you. Read articles on how to choose the best JavaScript frameworks, and how to create success CTAs on a website. You’ll get a mix between front end and back end engineering info with this blog.

Webdesigner Depot: Webdesigner Depot has articles and software freebies to help your website creation process. Even if you’re completely new to the industry, you’ll be able to learn more about what it takes to create websites. Get tools and tutorials on how to use PHP, how to choose between Grid vs. Flexbox, and learn how to code a ‘click to tweet’ button on your site. You’ll also be able to uncover slightly advanced coding topics like how to incorporate machine learning.

Web Design Ledger: For the web developers and web designers, Web Design Ledger brings unique insights on how to create stunning web products. Readers can get informed about current tech trends and see insights from top web developers in the field through Q&A interviews. See what the best development tools are, learn about the best cloud computing programming languages, and see how you can make JavaScript testing and deployments more efficient.

Must-read blogs for web developers in the workforce:

SixRevisions: Six Revisions is a blog that digs deep into the web design and web development industry, giving you tips and tools to make the best web products.  This blog is specifically for developers who are interested in creating marketing web products. Created by WebFX, a full-service digital marketing agency, you’ll get to read articles that discuss topics like how to make the best decisions when redesigning a website and best practices for website speed.

Coding Horror: Jeff Atwood, the co-founder of Stackoverflow.com, reveals his research and interesting web development findings in Coding Horror. In regard to the name, there’s nothing to be afraid of, it has to do with avoiding dangerous code samples. It doesn’t matter what your level of expertise is, you’ll find something new to learn here. Read about the intricacies of cloud computing, understand more about the code in the transportation industry, and take a deep dive into Stack Overflow, and a beneficial resource for any developer.

Superhero.js: Learn what makes JavaScript web development work. Since the language is so popular for the industry, Superheor.js is a helpful blog to learn how to create, test, and maintain web applications with JavaScript. You’ll find articles, presentations, books, and videos focused on how to secure your JavaScript web application with the best data privacy measures, how to write clean code, and overall how to build functional and user-friendly applications with the language.

Hacker Noon: Programmers from around the world contribute to Hacker Noon’s blog. You’ll get current updates on what’s happening in tech and on what you should know as a successful web developer. Learn more about subjects like how to automate with Python, React library components, and tips on how to auto-correct your own code. If you’re looking to brush up on those web development skills, this blog is good for that.

DZone: While DZone covers pretty much everything involved with technology, the Web Dev Spotlight gives great coverage of specific web development topics. Learn more about how to set and manage locales in Rails, get tips on JavaScript localization, and dig deep into server-side pagination. DZone is a great place for professionals who want to read about current developer topics that could help them improve their knowledge of the industry.

Now that you know the top blogs for web developers, are you ready to become one? Gaining the skills to create websites and web applications does not happen overnight. But with the right curriculum and support system, going from coding newbie to expert can definitely be done. Get the web development skills you need to lead a successful career with Thinkful – see how we work.