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Review - Is Educative's Text Based System Design and Coding Interview Courses Really Worth It in 2026?

2026-04-28T08:11:46.622-07:00

Hello guys, if you are thinking bout joining Educative to learn new tech skills in a guided, an interactive manner but not sure then you have come to the right place. In the past, I have shared best Educative courses for programmers and software developers as well their best free text based courses to learn programming, and also reviewed their best online courses like Grokking the System Design course, and OOP Design course and in this article, I will review the Educative.io for learning Tech skills and preparing for Coding Interviews using online courses in 2026.

Review - Datacamp or CodeCademy? Which is Better Place to learn Data and AI Skills in 2026?

2026-04-27T21:19:35.455-07:00

Hello guys, as the demand for data skills continues to surge, online learning platforms have become indispensable resources for individuals seeking to acquire new knowledge and upgrade their skill sets.

Two of the leading platforms that cater to this growing need are DataCamp and Codecademy, unlike e Udemy, and Coursera which are both video based platform both Datacamp and CodeCademy not just offer video but also focus on interactive, learn by doing methodology.

In this comprehensive review for Datacamp vs 2026, we will delve into both platforms, examining their offerings, features, strengths, and weaknesses, to help you make an informed decision when choosing the right platform for your learning journey.

In the past, I have reviewed popular online learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Frontend Masters, and Educative and in this article, I am going to review Udemy, DataCamp, and Codecademy learning platforms based upon their strength and weaknesses, and learning styles.

By the way, if you are in hurry and don’t have time to read the whole review then I have two sentence advice for you. If you’re going to learn data science and ML & AI, you can look for DataCamp., its actually the best platform to learn data skills online including Python and SQL

With Datacamp you get a short intro in a new topic, then a few clever exercises. Then some more info on the topic, then some more exercises. All these things makes learning really easy.

The interface in Datacamp is also so much more sophisticated, for instance with tips of what you did wrong, like “did you place ( ) between XYZ”. Furthermore, the deeper into a topic, the more it was just a matter of copy and pasting code. Pricing is also similar, which makes Datacamp ideal choice for leanring Data skills.

And , if you’re going to learn web development and programming in general, you could choose CodeCademy. For general learning like business, marketing, drawing, and any industry you can think of, then I would recommend Udemy.

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Now, if you have time, let’s learn both Datacamp and CodeCademy in depth before reviewing them on key parameters like course offering and content quality.

What is DataCamp?

DataCamp is an American company established in 2013 as one of the various MOOCs (Massive open online course) available on the internet to offer online education for people who want to learn data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and any related industry.

Their courses are created by the professional team and offer videos, projects, and many products for education but the most important thing is their hands-on learning approach.

You start with assessing your skill using their skill assessment tool, find gaps in your knowledge, and then learn using their complete interactive courses and improve that by practice with quick daily challenge and then finally apply whatever you learned to solve real world problems.

This is a proven and probably the best method to learn Data skills in a quick time.

The Datacamp platform offers people many plans, and one of them is a free Datacamp plan, so you can create a free account and try the platform, watch some videos, read their articles but with limited options, so you can decide later if it is worth your money or you will go with another alternative.

Here are the best free Datacamp courses you can try to learn key skills like Python, SQL, Data Science and Machine Learning:

Then, there are many other paid plans starting from $12.42/month, which will give you access to the whole courses of Datacamp. There is a plan for enterprises to get a package for their entire customers for a lower price.

They also have data certifications like Data Analyst Certification, Data Scientist Certification, and Data Engineer Certification which can be used to beocme an AI Engineer, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer in 2026.

Some people will ask if Datacamp will be worth your time and money. I would say yes, and I recommend it for beginners and professionals who want to learn more about their industry and get promotions in their positions, and their certificate is worth it.

The best thing about the Datacamp learning platform is that they regularly run sales and promotions where you can get the Datacamp membership up to 50% discount which they are offering now.

This means if you want to learn Data skills like Data Science, SQL, and Python now in 2026 then you should join Datacamp now to take advantage of this amazing offer. You can also see all active Datacamp discounts, offers, and promotions here.

2. CodeCademy

CodeCademy was a bit earlier than DataCamp, and it was founded in New York back in 2011. And the idea of their founders was to offer programming lessons specifically and data science for everyone, even people who didn’t attend college or want to shift their career without spending more time and money on the college.

Codecademy also has a free plane where you can take some introductory courses and with limited access when using mobile to practice, but you can upgrade to Codecademy PRO for $15.99/month and enjoy the whole other features such as peer support and practice on real-world projects and even get a certificate when completing your path.

You can also take advantage of the team plan if you have an organization and train your employees to code.

CodeCademy is one of the best platforms that thousands of organizations are relying on them to train their employees for learning new things in programming and data science and also millions of people around the world, so you can try this platform to see if this is the right choice or you can try an alternative for this platform.

The best thing about CodeCademy is that they are now giving a 50% Discount on the annual plan (discount coupon) which means you can save half of your money if you join CodeCademy now. If you love interactive learning and want to try CodeCademy various career and skill tracks then this is the best time to join CodeCademy.

Codecademy vs Datacamp Review 2026? Which is Better?

Now, let’s deep dive into each of these best online learning platforms for developers, coders, IT professionals, and technology skill learners.

We will look into each platform about what course they offer, community support, teaching style, what kind of subscription plans they offer and what their strength is like which platform is best to learn which skills.

You will also learn about the learning experience they provide so that you can decide based upon your learning style and what connects you better. Along the way, I will also share the best deals, and discount offers for Codecademy and Datacamp, so that you can join them at the best price.

1. Course Offerings

DataCamp:
DataCamp shines when it comes to data science and analytics. It boasts a vast library of courses covering topics like Python, R, SQL, and machine learning.

DataCamp’s strength lies in its specialization, making it the top choice for aspiring data scientists and analysts. Each course is designed to be hands-on, with interactive coding environments and real-world projects.

Codecademy:
CodeCademy, on the other hand, offers a broader spectrum of courses. From web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to programming languages (Python, Java, C++) and even data science and machine learning, Codecademy’s catalog is impressively diverse.

This makes it suitable for individuals interested in various aspects of technology and programming.

2. Interactive Learning

DataCamp: DataCamp’s interactive coding environments provide an immersive learning experience. Learners can apply what they’ve learned directly in the browser, working on coding challenges and projects. This hands-on approach is particularly effective for mastering data science skills.

Codecademy: Codecademy also offers interactive coding exercises. These exercises are valuable for learners seeking proficiency in programming languages and web development. The platform provides instant feedback, which is instrumental in the learning process.

3. Projects and Real-World Application

DataCamp: DataCamp emphasizes real-world applications. Courses often culminate in projects that allow learners to analyze data sets or build predictive models. This practical experience is valuable for job seekers looking to showcase their skills.

Codecademy: While Codecademy offers projects and portfolio-building opportunities, it leans slightly more towards theoretical learning. However, its coding challenges and quizzes help reinforce essential concepts.

4. Learning Paths and Career Tracks

DataCamp: DataCamp’s career tracks provide a clear roadmap for those aiming to become data scientists or analysts. These tracks guide learners through a series of courses designed to build specific skill sets. This structured approach is ideal for career-focused individuals.

Codecademy: Codecademy offers career paths for web development, data science, and more. These paths consist of a curated selection of courses to help learners reach their professional goals.

5. Community and Support

DataCamp: DataCamp’s community is growing steadily. Learners can connect through discussion forums and peer-to-peer learning. However, the community might not be as robust as some other platforms.

Codecademy: Codecademy boasts an active and supportive community. With a large user base, it’s easier to find answers to your questions and engage in discussions.

6. Pricing

DataCamp: DataCamp operates on a subscription model, with monthly or yearly plans. It offers free access to some courses, but the premium subscription unlocks the full range of content.

Codecademy: Codecademy offers both free and premium content. The Pro plan provides access to interactive exercises, projects, and quizzes. It’s worth noting that the free plan is more limited in terms of features.

Conclusion

That’s all about Codecademy vs Datacamp review in 2026. As we wrap up our comprehensive 2026 review of DataCamp and Codecademy, it’s clear that both platforms have their unique strengths and offerings, making them valuable resources for online learners.

The choice between the two ultimately depends on your specific learning goals, preferred learning style, and the topics you wish to explore.

DataCamp excels in its specialization in data science and analytics, making it an excellent choice for individuals seeking in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in this field. Its interactive coding environments, vast library of data science courses, and real-world projects provide a robust foundation for those looking to embark on a career in data.

On the other hand, Codecademy offers a broad spectrum of programming and technology courses, catering to learners interested in web development, software engineering, and a wide range of programming languages. Its interactive coding exercises, career-focused tracks, and community support make it a versatile platform for individuals with diverse tech-related interests.

By teh way, Learning anything on the internet is not just by taking courses but also by practicing more and more to understand the topic, whether it was programming or even learning how to design. These platforms can help you achieve your goal at a low price but with a hard form you.

Ultimately, the choice between DataCamp and Codecademy hinges on your specific needs and career aspirations. Whether you’re diving into data science or exploring web development, both platforms offer valuable resources to help you acquire new skills, stay competitive in the job market, and embark on a successful learning journey in the dynamic world of technology and programming.

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Thanks for reading this article so far. Please share with your friends and colleagues if you like my review of Datacamp vs. CodeCademy and which one to join in 2026. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. — If you are looking for free online platforms to Learn Coding for FREE, don’t worry; you will find a lot of free courses on Udemy. If you need more options, you can also check this list of 21 websites to Learn Coding for FREE.

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I Tried 30+ System Design Interview Books and Courses: Here Are My Best 5 for 2026

2026-04-26T21:11:36.343-07:00

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

Hello Devs, in 2026, the AI era, System Design has become one of the most sought-after skills for software engineers, solution architects, and senior developers.

Whether you're aiming for a FAANG-level interview, building the next unicorn startup, or designing scalable systems in AI, blockchain, or cloud computing, a deep understanding of system design is no longer optional --- it's essential.

Over the past few years, I've explored more than 30 books and courses from platforms like ByteByteGo, Educative.io, Udemy, Exponent, Codemia.io, Bugfree.ai, and Designgurus.io, plus a handful of top-rated books.

My goal was to find resources that don't just explain concepts in theory but also show you how to apply them to real-world systems, with case studies, architectural diagrams, and hands-on practice.

After years of learning and testing, I've narrowed it down to my top 5 picks for mastering system design in 2026.

How I Chose These Courses and Platforms?

To ensure this list stays relevant and valuable, I evaluated each course based on these criteria:

Content Quality & Depth --- Does it cover core topics like scalability, distributed systems, load balancing, caching, databases, and microservices?
Real-World Applications --- Are there examples from actual systems like Netflix, Uber, WhatsApp, and ChatGPT?
Practical Learning --- Does it include case studies, exercises, and diagram walkthroughs? Does the platform provide features for practicing?
Instructor Expertise --- Are the instructors experienced engineers or architects with real-world experience?
Community & Support --- Is there a way to ask questions, get feedback, or connect with other learners?
Industry Relevance --- Are the concepts updated for current architectures like serverless, containerization, and AI-powered systems?

While not every course passes in every criterion, for example ByteByteGo and Designgurus.io were good on theory and general System Design concepts learning, but they don't provide an environment to practice System Design questions.

I recommend you combine that with Codemia.io or Bugfree.ai to get the practice and AI mock interview part for complete practice.

Similarly, Exponent was great for mock interviews, but Educative.io and Bugfree.io's AI mock interviews are also worth trying.

My Top 5 System Design Interview Prep Courses and Platforms for 2026

Without any further ado, here are my top 5 recommendations for learning System Design for technical interviews. These courses and resources are not just to learn general System Design concepts, but also for solving company-specific questions and practicing online.

1. ByteByteGo --- System Design Mastery (Premium Pick)

ByteByteGo is my number one recommendation if you want visual, practical, and up-to-date system design learning.

Founded by Alex Xu (author of System Design Interview --- An Insider's Guide), it's a goldmine of beautifully crafted diagrams, step-by-step explanations, and case studies covering everything from classic designs to modern AI-driven architectures.

Key Features:

Deep dives into 50+ real-world system architectures
Updated for 2026 (serverless, edge computing, LLM integrations)
Animated visuals and flow diagrams
Weekly new content drops

Perfect For: Engineers who want a premium, all-in-one system design resource that blends theory, visuals, and practice.

They have also done a full website refresh recently as part of their relaunch and added all the content of their 7 best-selling books on System Design, OOP Design, ML System Design, and Generative AI Design on the platform.

They are now also offering 50% discount on their lifetime plan, the one I bought and the one I highly recommend to my students and readers.

Here is the link to join --- Get 50% discount

They also provide ByteByteGo 101, a collection of 101 coding questions divided into key coding interview patterns like two pointers, fast and slow pointers, etc., for practice, which makes them the complete package for tech interviews in 2026.

2. Grokking the System Design Interview --- DesignGurus.io

The original Grokking course is a favorite for FAANG interview prep. It breaks down system design problems into a clear, repeatable framework so you can approach any interview question with confidence.

Key Features:

Covers 15+ popular interview problems
Step-by-step solution walkthroughs
Includes scalability, fault tolerance, and data partitioning concepts
Fully interactive coding environment

Perfect For: Engineers focused on nailing system design interviews at top tech companies.

Here is the link to join this course --- Grokking the System Design Interview

And, if you like these Grokking interview courses from DesignGurus.io, you can get all of them for a big discount by purchasing their All course bundle.

This bundle includes their most popular Grokking courses like Grokking System Design Interview, OOP Design, Coding Patterns, as well as Grokking Dynamic Programming Interview. You can also use code GURU to get 55% discount now.

3. System Design Masterclass (2026) --- Udemy

This Udemy bestseller is taught by FAANG engineers and focuses on practical interview readiness. You'll work through popular real-world problems while mastering the fundamentals of architecture design.

Key Features:

20+ case studies and design walkthroughs
Covers scalability, APIs, databases, and distributed systems
Affordable, often available at 80% off during sales
Lifetime access to all updates

Perfect For: Budget-conscious learners who want high-quality video-based learning from experienced engineers.

Here is the link to join this course --- System Design Masterclass (2026)

By the way, Udemy also has many great System Design courses which are worth checking out, like the one from Frank Kane, ex Amazon Hiring Manager, and Sandeep's System Design course.

And, if you want to join multiple courses on Udemy, it may be worth getting a Udemy Personal Plan, which will give instant access to more than 11,000 top-quality Udemy courses for just $30 a month.

If you have a lot of time and want to save money, Udemy Personal Plan will be perfect for you.

4. System Design Interview Prep --- Exponent

Exponent is known for interactive, mock interview-style preparation. Their system design course simulates real interview scenarios, complete with frameworks, whiteboard practice, and peer feedback.

Key Features:

Live and asynchronous practice sessions
Feedback from experienced interview coaches
Video guides and question banks
Tailored for tech interview success

Perfect For: Engineers who want hands-on interview simulation before stepping into the real thing.

Here is the link to join this course --- System Design Interview Prep --- Exponent

Another great thing I like about Exponent is their Mock interviews. They provide 5 free mock interviews with peers, which also replenish when you get good feedback. These are great to practice in an interview setting and also learning from peers.

And, if you have any FAANG interviews lined up, then you can also use their FAANG experts to interview for a real test. This is not free, but within $200, you can get a real shot at what to expect at FAANG interviews. I highly recommend them to you if you have an interview with Google, Amazon, or Meta.

I also suggest you get an Exponent subscription to watch this course, which you can get for just $12 a month now (U.P. $79 per month), which is like a 70% discount.

The membership will not only give you access to this course but also to all of their courses, mocks, videos, private community, and AI features for better interview preparation.

5. Grokking the Modern System Design Interview --- Educative.io

This one is another great System Design interview course you can join to prepare for FAANG interviews from one of the most interactive learning platforms, Educative.io.

Once you've mastered the basics, this course dives deep into complex, large-scale systems --- think designing YouTube-scale platforms, AI pipelines, and multi-region deployments.

Key Features:

Advanced topics like event-driven architecture, CQRS, and Kafka
Real-world examples from high-scale systems
Clear diagrams and problem breakdowns

Perfect For: Mid-to-senior engineers looking to level up their architectural thinking.

Here is the link to join this course --- Grokking the Modern System Design Interview

Btw, you would need an Educative subscription to join this course, which not only provides access to this course but also more than 1200+ courses to learn essential tech skills, prepare for coding interviews, and improve yourself as a Developer.

If you want to invest in yourself and upgrade your tech skills, this is one subscription you definitely need. They are also offering 60% discount now.

Bonus Recommendations (Bugfree.ai and Books)

Apart from these, Bugfree.ai is another site that caught my attention, and I spent quite a lot of time there.

If you prefer learning by doing rather than just watching videos, Bugfree.ai is a powerful platform to practice System Design in a more hands-on way.

Instead of only consuming theory, you get to actually design systems and receive structured feedback, which makes a big difference when preparing for real interviews.

What makes Bugfree.ai stand out is its AI-assisted evaluation that reviews your design approach, highlights gaps, and suggests improvements --- almost like having a mock interviewer available anytime. This is especially useful when you don't have a study partner or mentor to review your solutions.

Key Features:

AI feedback on your system design answers
Real interview-style system design questions
Focus on structuring answers clearly and covering trade-offs

Perfect For: Engineers who already know the basics and want to sharpen their interview communication and system design thinking through practice.

Here is the link to join ---Bugfree.ai (25% OFF)

And, if you want to complement these courses with books, I recommend:

These books are timeless references that deepen your understanding of distributed systems and large-scale architecture.

You don't need too many books; just read these two books in detail, and you will be really well-shapen to answer System design questions in interviews.

Why ByteByteGo Stands Out for System Design Interview Prep?

While all these courses are excellent, ByteByteGo earns my premium pick for three reasons:

Visual-First Learning --- They have the best visual diagrams on all the topics on System Design, which make even the most complex systems easy to understand.
Constant Updates --- The platform keeps pace with modern architectures, from microservices to AI integrations. They have now uploaded all the content from their 7 best-selling books on Object Oriented Design, Machine Learning System Design, Gen AI System Design, and even coding patterns and behavioral interviews.
Practical Depth --- You're not just learning theory --- you're exploring real-world production systems. Most of their content is written by FAANG engineers who have experience on both sides of the table.

If budget allows, I suggest starting with ByteByteGo for mastery and pairing it with the likes of Codemia.io or Bugfree.ai to get the practice and AI mock interview for best preparation of FAANG interviews in 2026.

They are now also offering 50% discount on their lifetime plan, which means they are now even more valuable, and once you buy their lifetime plan, which is just the cost of a couple of years, you won't need any resources.

Every time you need to prepare for an interview or just want to stay up to date, you can use the platform.

Here is the link to join --- Get 50% discount

They also provide ByteByteGo 101, a collection of 101 coding questions divided into key coding interview patterns like two pointers, fast and slow pointers, etc. I am practicing there now almost every day.

Final Thoughts

That's my list of the top 5 system design courses for 2026. Whether you're preparing for a big tech interview, designing complex systems at work, or just looking to level up your architecture skills, these resources will give you the frameworks, knowledge, and confidence to succeed.

Start with ByteByteGo if you want the best all-around experience
Add either Codemia.io or Bugfree.ai for structured and live interview practice
Use books and Designgurus.io to dive deeper into advanced concepts
Use Exponent for mock interviews with peers(free) and experts (paid)

With consistent study and practice, you'll be well-prepared to tackle any system design challenge that comes your way in 2026.

All the best with your System Design Interviews. If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

P. S. --- If you want to do just one thing, then join ByteByteGoand learn System Design Concepts and practice coding interviews, you will thank me later. It's one of the most comprehensive resources for not just coding interviews but also for senior engineers to get better at their work. They are also offering 50% Discount now.

I Tried 30+ AWS and Azure Courses on Educative: Here Are My Best 10 for 2026

2026-04-26T03:22:20.698-07:00

Hello guys, when cloud computing appear 10 years ago in form of AWS, I didn’t paid much attention but that was my biggest mistake which I corrected later by learning about AWS and Cloud Computing.

In 2026, Cloud computing is no longer just a buzzword; it’s a necessity for businesses and engineers alike, and if you don’t have cloud skill then you will left behind with your peers and other candidates whether its job interview or promotion.

Since most of the modern software are going to run on Cloud, its important to learn how to design and deploy your application on Cloud. What are different Cloud services and when to use it and what are different Cloud paradigms like IaaS and SaaS.

If you want to learn Cloud Computing and looking for resources then you have come to the right place. Earlier, I have shared AWS courses, Azure Courses and GCP courses and today, I am going to share interactive courses, labs and projects to learn Cloud computing from scratch.

Most of these courses are taken from Educative.io, an interactive online learning platform which I found really useful for learning cloud skills due to their cloud labs feature.

Whether you’re preparing for a certification, diving into hands-on projects, or mastering cloud fundamentals, Educative.io has a range of courses tailored to help you succeed.

From beginner-friendly guides to advanced cloud labs and projects, you’ll gain practical skills to build and manage scalable, secure, and cost-efficient cloud solutions.

In this article I will share 10 best Educative.io courses for mastering cloud computing in 2026. Though, you can get access to all of these courses, labs, and projects with a single Educative Premium Plus subscription which not only provide access to courses but also cloud labs and projects.

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10 Best AWS, Azure and GCP Courses, Labs and Projects in 2026

Without any further ado, here are the best Cloud Computing courses, labs, and projects you can do to learn Cloud Computing in 2026. These courses are fully interactive and labs are well designed to teach you a particular task and there are multiple labs to practice with AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform.

1. Cloud Computing Fundamentals

Get a solid foundation in cloud computing by exploring cloud services, deployment models, storage, and platform selection. Hands-on labs provide real-world experience without the hassle of setting up infrastructure.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours
Highlights: AI-powered explanations and adaptive learning.
Why Take It: A must for beginners who want to grasp cloud essentials quickly.

Here is the link to join this course — Cloud Computing Fundamentals

2. Master AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam

Prepare for one of the most sought-after cloud certifications with this comprehensive course developed by AWS Solution Certified Architects. You’ll design secure, resilient, high-performing, and cost-optimized architectures while building hands-on expertise.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours
Highlights: Practical exercises and certification readiness.
Why Take It: This course is ideal for those aiming to land high-paying AWS roles.

Here is the link to join this course — Master AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam

3. Cloud Architecture: A Guide to Design & Architect Your Cloud

Gain essential cloud architecture skills with this course designed for managers and engineers alike. Learn to design, manage, and communicate cloud strategies effectively — perfect for workplace conversations and interviews.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours 12 minutes
Highlights: No setup, adaptive learning, and cloud architecture fundamentals.
Why Take It: This course bridges technical and managerial insights, making it ideal for leaders.

Here is the link to join this course — Cloud Architecture: A Guide to Design & Architect Your Cloud

4. Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials — From Zero to Hero

This Cloud Lab immerses you in AWS infrastructure, teaching you to create S3 buckets, deploy web servers on EC2, and build serverless applications with Lambda.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Highlights: Hands-on tasks using AWS IAM, S3, and Lambda.
Why Take It: Perfect for building practical AWS skills with zero setup.

Here is the link to join this course — Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials — From Zero to Hero

5. Getting to Know AWS CloudFormation

Master AWS CloudFormation and learn to manage resources like EC2 instances and IAM roles through stacks. This lab focuses on creating, deploying, and managing cloud resources efficiently.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 1 hour
Highlights: Hands-on CloudFormation templates and automation.
Why Take It: A quick but impactful course for understanding AWS resource automation.

Here is the link to join this course — Getting to Know AWS CloudFormation

6. Azure Cloud Solutions Architect Program

For those working in Azure environments, this program covers automation, security, cost management, and robust Azure solution design.

Level: Intermediate
Duration: 18 hours
Highlights: 75 lessons, 2 projects, 4 assessments, and 41 playgrounds.
Why Take It: Comprehensive Azure training with hands-on projects and labs.

Here is the link to join this course — Azure Cloud Solutions Architect Program

7. Using AWS Route 53 for Secure Routing

In this project, you’ll use AWS Route 53 to manage web traffic securely. Learn to configure the AWS CLI, create traffic policy documents, and optimize web hosting.

Level: Intermediate
Duration: Project-based
Highlights: Hands-on AWS CLI and Route 53 traffic policies.
Why Take It: Essential for engineers focusing on secure routing and load balancing.

Here is the link to join this course — Using AWS Route 53 for Secure Routing

8. Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

This course provides the best Amazon Web Services (AWS) tutorial for beginners to learn about AWS cloud services. You can use this to build foundational AWS knowledge by exploring cloud concepts, billing, security, and support systems. This course is ideal for beginners seeking to understand AWS from a business perspective.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 5 hours
Highlights: Business-focused cloud essentials.
Why Take It: A solid starting point for non-technical roles in cloud computing.

Here is the link to join this course — Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

9. Running Serverless Applications with AWS Lambda

This is another advanced AWS course on Educative for anyone who want to dive into the world of serverless computing by building and deploying Lambda functions, API Gateways, and DynamoDB integrations.

Level: Intermediate
Duration: 8 hours
Highlights: Serverless architecture and automation.
Why Take It: Ideal for engineers looking to leverage serverless technologies.

Here is the link to join this course — Running Serverless Applications with AWS Lambda

10. Cracking the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

Explore Google Cloud Platform (GCP) basics, including storage, compute, and networking. This course provides hands-on experience with GCP tools and services.

It will also help you to become a cloud pro with strategic GCP skills. You will not just get hands-on experience, but also understand “Why GCP?”, and prepare with a practice exam.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 hours
Highlights: Practical labs and project-based learning.
Why Take It: A must for those exploring GCP for the first time.

Here is the link to join this course — Cracking the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

Why Choose Educative.io for Cloud Computing in 2026?

When it comes to learning Cloud Computing, just watching videos are not enough, you need to get hands-on practice. While you can still get some practice by using AWS free tier and Azure free but they are not guided.

Educative.io offers more than just courses. With projects, cloud labs, and hands-on exercises, you get a learning experience that goes beyond theory:

Cloud Labs: Practice real-world scenarios in a no-setup, no-cleanup environment.
Interactive Projects: Build applications and explore tools like AWS Route 53 and CloudFormation.
Certificates: Showcase your expertise to potential employers.

Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an experienced professional, these courses will prepare you to excel in cloud computing in 2026.

Here is the link to join Educative — Educative Unlimited

That’s all about the best online courses, labs, and projects to learn Cloud Computing in 2026. These courses not just covers AWS but also Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

They also cover intermediate and advanced topics like Serverless Computing and they will also help you to prepare for exams like AWS Solution Architect Associate and Google Cloud Engineer.

Though, when it comes to joining Educative to access any course, you don’t need to buy them individually, you can get a Educative Premium Plus membership to get access of all interactive courses, cloud labs and projects.

Educative Unlimited: Excel with AI-Powered Learning

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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find these best cloud computing courses with labs and projects interesting, please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

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How I used AlgoMonster to Learn DSA and Coding Patterns for FAANG Interviews?

2026-04-25T21:26:34.694-07:00

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

Hello Deves, let me be brutally honest with you.

After 6 months of regularly grinding LeetCode problems, I thought I was ready for coding interviews, and why not? I read blogs, write blogs, and have a decent number of years of experience.

I was dead wrong.

Because when I walked into my first FAANG interview in years, and they asked me:

"Find all anagrams of a string in another string"

I panicked.

Sure, I had solved 100+ LeetCode problems. I knew basic algorithms. I could implement bubble sort in my sleep. Wrote an application that is running on production, and I even had ideas about two-pointers pattern and knew a few others.

But I had no idea this was a sliding-window pattern problem. I didn't recognize that it was similar to dozens of other problems I'd already solved.

I started with a brute force approach.

I mentioned nested loops.

Then spent 35 minutes trying to optimize something that should have taken 15 minutes max.

I didn't crack the interview.

That's when I realized something crucial: solving random problems isn't the same as understanding algorithmic patterns.

I was memorizing solutions instead of learning to recognize when to apply specific techniques.

I needed a systematic approach to pattern recognition, not just more practice problems.

That's when I discovered AlgoMonster, and it completely transformed how I approached coding interview preparation.

Here's how this platform took me from randomly grinding problems to systematically recognizing patterns, and ultimately cracking multiple interviews at both FAANG and other Big Tech companies.

1. First, I realized random problem-solving wasn't Working

Most people (including me) approach DSA preparation all wrong:

Solve problems randomly on LeetCode
Look up solutions when stuck
Move to the next problem
Hope to see similar problems in interviews

This used to work, and I have cracked multiple interviews inthe past by following just this method, but it doesn't work anymore.

Things have evolved, and now more and more companies are using platforms like HackerRank, Codility, CodingGame, and CoderPad to test candidates' algorithmic and DSA skills, where you need to solve real questions online with test cases, which not just test for input but also for performance.

But here's what I learned the hard way: coding interviews test pattern recognition, not memorization.

The same 15--20 patterns appear in 80% of coding interview problems:

Two pointers
Sliding window
Fast and slow pointers
Binary search variations
Tree traversal patterns
Dynamic programming templates
Backtracking frameworks

Random grinding wasn't teaching me these patterns.

I was solving each problem in isolation instead of understanding the underlying algorithmic thinking.

That's exactly what AlgoMonster fixed for me.

2. I Discovered the Power of Pattern-Based Learning

When I first logged into AlgoMonster, their approach was completely different from every other platform I'd tried.

Instead of throwing random problems at me, they organized everything around patterns:

a) Pattern Identification First

Before solving any problem, AlgoMonstertaught me to ask:

What type of data structure does this involve?
What's the constraint or optimization goal?
Does this match a known algorithmic pattern?

b) Template-Based Solutions

Each pattern came with a clear template:

Two Pointers Pattern Template:

left, right = 0, len(array) - 1\
while left < right:\
    if condition_met:\
        # process result\
        left += 1\
        right -= 1\
    elif need_to_expand_search:\
        left += 1\
    else:\
        right -= 1

Sliding Window Pattern Template:

left = 0\
for right in range(len(array)):\
# expand window\
add array[right] to window

while window_invalid:\

    # contract window\

    remove array[left] from window\

    left += 1

c) Systematic Problem Progression

Instead of random difficulty jumps, problems were ordered to build pattern recognition gradually:

Basic pattern problems --- learn the template
Slight variations --- adapt the template
Combined patterns --- use multiple techniques
Advanced applications --- complex real-world scenarios

This systematic approach made everything click.

I wasn't just solving problems --- I was building a mental framework for algorithmic thinking.

They have also shared a nice chart of all top coding Patterns from FAANG interview so that you put your effort where you expect maximum gain in a short amount of time.

3. I Learned Through Their Unique Three-Step Method

AlgoMonster's problem-solving interface was unlike anything I'd seen before.

Every problem followed the same three-step process:

Step 1: Pattern Recognition

Before writing any code, I had to identify:

Which algorithmic pattern applies
Why is this pattern appropriate
What the high-level approach should be

Example: "Find the longest substring without repeating characters"

My pattern analysis:

This is a sliding window problem
We need to expand the window while characters are unique
Contract when we find duplicates
Track the maximum window size

Here is what it looks like on AlgoMonster website:

Once you choose the correct pattern, you can see whether your choice is correct or not and why that particular pattern is the correct choice.

For example, when you choose the "Sliding Window" pattern to solve the "Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters", you can see that it validates your choice with reasoning

"Correct! The Sliding Window pattern is ideal for this problem. It allows us to efficiently check substrings without recomputing every possible combination, keeping track of the current substring in one pass through the string."

Once you find the pattern, they also share a code template which you can use to solve any problem that is based on this pattern, for example, the"sliding-window" pattern in our case:

You can even choose the pattern in any programming language of your choice. This really helped me because while I am a Java developer and I prefer Java, I can also see how it's done in Python.

Step 2: Implementation

Only after identifying the pattern and learning about the template could I start coding.

The platform provided:

Language-specific templates
Inline hints when I got stuck
Real-time syntax checking
Test cases to validate my solution

This is a really great feature to practice coding problems online because you can type code online without installing any IDE or tools on your machine.

You don't need to worry about test cases as they provide comprehensive test cases to test your solution for all edge cases as well as for performance.

They even allow an interface to test your solution for a custom input, which is great for debugging purposes.

Here is what it looks like in Algomonster platform:

Step 3: Complexity Analysis

After solving the problem, we are not done. I had to analyze:

Time complexity and why
Space complexity and why
Potential optimizations
Edge cases to consider

This three-step process trained my brain to think like an interviewer evaluates candidates.

Pattern recognition → Clean implementation → Complexity analysis

They also share a list of the top 50 coding questions that are often asked on interviews, along with Blind 75 and other lists similar to ByteByteGo 101, which you can use for practice.

In fact, practicing these questions is completely free on the AlgoMonster website. All you need to do is create a free account and start practicing.

📢 Get AlgoMonster 50% OFF here → https://algomonster.io

4. I Mastered Company-Specific Question Patterns

Another huge advantage of AlgoMonster was their extensive company-specific question bank.

What I discovered about different companies:

Google Patterns:

Heavy focus on tree and graph algorithms
Complex string manipulation problems
Mathematical optimization challenges
Multi-step logical reasoning

Amazon Patterns:

Array and string manipulation
Two pointers and sliding window
Basic dynamic programming
Simple tree traversals

Meta Patterns:

Graph-based social network problems
Real-time data processing scenarios
Optimization under constraints
System design coding challenges

Microsoft Patterns:

Classic computer science problems
String and array fundamentals
Recursive problem solving
Clean, readable code emphasis

Instead of preparing generically, I could focus on patterns specific to my target companies.

This targeted approach saved me months of unfocused practice.

By the way, the company-specific question bank is only available inside paid subscription, which I highly recommend to get yo,u and they are offering a whopping 50% discount now, which makes the Algomonster subscription even more valuable and worth it

📢 Get AlgoMonster 50% OFF here → https://algomonster.io

5. I Practiced With Their SpeedRun Feature

AlgoMonster's Speedrun feature is designed to help you go through as many questions as quickly as possible. It is the third step of the 3-step system.

Instead of writing code for each problem, you will be given a multiple choice related to the techniques and templates used to solve the problem.

This cuts down the time to go through many problems significantly.

Why Speedrun?

**Train your intuition.\ **In a real interview, you will be spending at least half the time identifying the algorithm to solve the question and explaining your approach to the interviewer.
**Reinforces your learning.\ **Going through a few more problems after learning the patterns and templates reinforces what you've learned. Seeing many problems helps train your "intuition" when faced with a new problem.
Increase your luck.\ There are only so many problems out there. The more you see, the greater the chance you may encounter a problem at a real interview. You never know!
Most importantly, it saves you time! You can go through many more problems in a shorter amount of time.

6. I Built Confidence Through Systematic Progress Tracking

AlgoMonster's progress tracking was incredibly motivating.

What they tracked:

Patterns mastered vs. patterns remaining
Problems solved by difficulty and the company
Average solving time by pattern type
Success rate on first attempts
Improvement trends over time

My 4-month progress:

Month 1: Basic patterns (Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Binary Search)
Month 2: Tree and Graph algorithms
Month 3: Dynamic Programming and advanced patterns
Month 4: Company-specific problem sets and mock interviews

Seeing measurable improvement kept me motivated during difficult periods.

Instead of feeling lost in an endless sea of problems, I had clear milestones and achievement markers.

To start with, I highly recommend solving problems in their Monster 50 questions and track your progress there.

7. I Applied Pattern Recognition in Real Interviews

The real test came during actual coding interviews.

How pattern-based thinking transformed my performance:

Before AlgoMonster:

Interviewer: "Find all anagrams of a string in another string" My brain: "Uh... nested loops? HashMap maybe? Let me think..."

After AlgoMonster:

Interviewer: "Find all anagrams of a string in another string." My brain: "This is sliding window + character frequency tracking. I need to maintain a window of the anagram length and compare character counts."

Interview at one of the Big Investment Banks

Problem: "Design a data structure for autocomplete."
My approach: Immediately recognized as Trie + DFS pattern
Result: Solved in 20 minutes with optimal complexity
Feedback: "Excellent pattern recognition and clean implementation."

Interview at a Product-Based Company on the AI space

Problem: "Find shortest path in binary matrix."
My approach: BFS pattern with coordinate tracking
Result: Solved with multiple optimizations discussed
Feedback: "Strong algorithmic thinking and systematic approach."

8. I Started Teaching Others Using Pattern-Based Approach

The ultimate test of understanding is teaching others.

How I helped colleagues using AlgoMonster's methodology:

For Junior Developers:

Taught them to identify patterns before coding
Showed them how to build mental templates
Emphasized the importance of complexity analysis

For Interview Preparation Groups:

Led mock interview sessions using pattern recognition
Created study guides organized by algorithmic patterns
Shared company-specific pattern insights

Every teaching session reinforced my own pattern recognition skills.

When someone asked "How do I solve this binary search problem?" I could explain:

Why it's a binary search pattern
What the template looks like
How to adapt it for different constraints
What are the complexity implications

My Results After 4 Months with AlgoMonster

Interview Performance:

Coding interviews passed: 12 out of 14
Offers received: from both banks and a product-based company
Average problem-solving time: Reduced by 60%
First-attempt success rate: Improved from 30% to 85%

Specific Improvements:

Could identify patterns within 2--3 minutes
Solved medium problems in 15--20 minutes consistently
Handled follow-up optimization questions confidently
Wrote cleaner, more readable interview code
Analyzed time/space complexity accurately every time

Career Impact:

Interview confidence: Complete transformation from anxiety to excitement
Technical leadership: Now lead algorithm discussions in team meetings

The Investment That Transformed My Career

While Algomonster is not cheap, especially if you compare it to coding interview courses on Udemy, it's still not very expensive, unlike those coding interview bootcamps.

It's very much affordable, and when you compare the salary hike and opportunities you get, it's a no-brainer.

AlgoMonster is currently offering 50% off their annual and lifetime plans.

What you get:

Complete pattern-based curriculum covering all major algorithmic patterns
100+ problems organized by patterns and companies
Interactive coding environment with real-time feedback
Company-specific question banks for targeted preparation
Progress tracking and performance analytics
Mock interview simulation tools
Lifetime access option for continuous learning

ROI Analysis:

My salary increase: $180,000+
Time saved vs random grinding: 6+ months
Interview success rate improvement: From 30% to 85%+
Confidence boost: Immeasurable

If you think it makes sense, here is the link toget an AlgoMonster PRO lifetime membership for $459, that's what I have because I know its long time investment and totally worth it.

Lifetime plans are great because they provide the best value, and you will be using these platforms for the rest of your career.

Why AlgoMonster Worked When LeetCode Grinding Failed?

If you ask me, LeetCode teaches you to solve individual problems.

AlgoMonster teaches you to think algorithmically.

Traditional Approach (LeetCode grinding):

Random problem selection
Solution memorization
No systematic pattern learning
Isolated problem-solving
Overwhelming volume without direction

AlgoMonster's Pattern-Based Approach:

Systematic pattern identification
Template-based problem solving
Gradual complexity building
Connected algorithmic thinking
Focused, efficient learning path

The difference is like learning vocabulary words randomly vs. learning grammar patterns that apply to thousands of sentences.

My Recommendation

If you're serious about coding interviews, especially at top tech companies, random LeetCode grinding is inefficient and overwhelming.

You need:

Systematic pattern recognition training
Template-based problem-solving approaches
Company-specific preparation strategies
Realistic interview simulation practice
Measurable progress tracking

AlgoMonsterprovides all of this in one comprehensive platform.

Is it worth the investment?

If you're targeting even one coding interview at a major tech company, absolutely yes.

The salary difference between passing and failing that interview is typically $100,000-$200,000+.

With their current 50% discount, there's never been a better time to invest in systematic algorithmic thinking.

If you're a long-term learner, mentor, or planning to revisit interviews every 1--2 years, the Pro Lifetime at $459 is 100% worth it --- especially with the included coaching.

You can also learn more about AlgoMonster plan here

Start Your Pattern-Based DSA Journey Today

Stop grinding random problems hoping to get lucky.

Start learning algorithmic patterns that apply to thousands of problems.

One pattern at a time. One template at a time. One successful interview at a time.

The difference between random preparation and systematic pattern learning is the difference between hoping for the best and confidently expecting success.

All the best for your interview.

I Tried 40+ Agentic AI Resources — Here Are My Best 10 for 2026

2026-04-24T21:35:41.279-07:00

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

credit - Agentic AI Engineering by Paul Iustzin

Hello guys, Agentic AI is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting frontiers in artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional AI systems, Agentic AI focuses on building autonomous agents, intelligent programs that can reason, plan, and act independently to achieve specific goals.

From AI assistants that manage complex workflows to autonomous trading systems, agentic architectures are now at the heart of cutting-edge applications.

As AI agents move from research labs to real-world use cases, the demand for engineers who can design and deploy these systems is exploding.

Whether you want to create multi-agent workflows, automate business processes, or simply stay ahead in the AI job market, learning Agentic AI in 2026 is a smart career move.

If you want to learn and master Agentic AI and are looking for resources, then you have come to the right place. Earlier, I have shared best Agentic AI courses and books, and in this article, I am sharing the best of both worlds.

This post contains 10 best resources, courses, books, and interactive guides that will teach you how to build intelligent AI agents from the ground up.

These resources come from trusted platforms like Udemy, Coursera,, DataCamp, Frontend Masters, Udacity, and ZTM Academy** as well as popular books like The Agentic AI Bible by Thomas R. Caldwell

Top 10 Online Resources to Learn Agentic AI in 2026

Without any further ado, here are the 10 best resources you can use to learn and master Agentic AI in 2026 and learn to build production-quality AI agents in no time. These resources include both books and online courses

1. The Complete Agentic AI Engineering Course (2026) Udemy

If you want one comprehensive, project-based course to master Agentic AI, this is it. The course takes you from the basics of AI agents to building 8 real-world projects using tools like OpenAI Agents SDK, CrewAI, LangGraph, AutoGen, and MCP.

Key Highlights:

Career Digital Twin: Deploy an agent that represents you to potential employers.
SDR Agent: Build a sales automation agent that sends professional emails.
Deep Research: Create a multi-agent research team for any topic.
Stock Picker Agent: Automate investment analysis with CrewAI.
Capstone Trading Floor: Deploy 4 autonomous trading agents powered by MCP servers.

[Bestseller | 4.7 ⭐ (14,746 ratings) | 114,822 students]

Why Take This Course: It's one of the most practical and up-to-date Agentic AI resources available. Perfect for engineers who learn best by building.

Here is the link to join this course--- The Complete Agentic AI Engineering Course

2. Agentic AI Nanodegree --- Udacity

Why it's the most comprehensive option: If you want to go all-in on Agentic AI, the Udacity Nanodegree is the most rigorous, career-focused program available. At 53 hours and rated 4.8/5 by 51 reviewers, it's not just a course - it's a complete specialization.

This intermediate program takes you from advanced prompting (Chain-of-Thought, ReAct) through sophisticated multi-agent orchestration.

You'll build a portfolio of real projects: a multi-agent travel planner, an AI-powered project manager, and a fully automated sales system. These are portfolio pieces that actually impress employers.

Time commitment: 53 hours (roughly 6--8 weeks at 8--10 hours/week)

Career value: Nanodegree credential is recognized by employers. This is more valuable than a single course certificate.

Join the program: Agentic AI Nanodegree

3. IBM RAG and Agentic AI Professional Certificate --- Coursera

This isn't a basic course. It covers Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, enterprise AI architecture, and how to build production-ready Agentic systems at scale. You'll understand how Fortune 500 companies approach Agentic AI deployment.

What sets it apart:

IBM Skills Network backing (enterprise credibility)
Focus on RAG architectures for knowledge-intensive agents
Enterprise-scale deployment patterns
IBM Watson integrations
Recognized professional certificate

Certificate value: Adds credibility to your LinkedIn profile and resume. IBM credentials carry weight.

Here is the link to join this AI certificate --- IBM RAG and Agentic AI Professional Certificate

Pro tip: If you plan to take multiple Coursera courses, consider Coursera Plus (~$399/year) for unlimited access to 10,000+ courses and certificates. They are offering 50% discount now so you can get it for just $199.

4. Build AI Agents and Multi-Agent Systems with CrewAI Educative

CrewAI is one of the hottest frameworks for designing goal-driven agents, and this Educative course is the best way to learn it.

Here is why you should join this course:

Design structured agent roles and collaborative teams.
Integrate LLMs into real-world tasks.
Automate workflows with Python.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐ | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 2h 15min

Here is the link to join this course - Build AI Agents and Multi-Agent Systems with CrewAI

5. Agentic System Design--- Educative

If you want to learn how to architect large-scale agentic systems, this course delivers a deep dive into system design for multi-agent environments.

Here are the key features of this interactive Agentic AI course:

System-level thinking for complex agents.
Advanced tools: RAG, vector databases, LangChain.
Real-world case studies for applied learning.

Rating: 4.7 ⭐ | Level: Advanced | Duration: 6h

Here is the link to join this course - Agentic System Design

By the way, you need an Educative Unlimited subscription to access these courses, and the best thing is that you can get it now for 50% discount as Educative is offering 55% discount on annual plans on Educative Premium Plus. I highly recommend you get this plan while the sale is on.

6. Agentic AI and AI Agents: A Primer for Leaders--- Vanderbilt University (Coursera)

If you're a manager, product leader, or founder looking to understand the strategic impact of Agentic AI, this Coursera course is perfect.

Taught by Dr. Jules White, a top instructor in AI systems.
Covers the fundamentals of AI agents and how they fit into business workflows.
Over 57,000 enrolled learners.

*Here is the link to join this course * Agentic AI and AI Agents: A Primer for Leaders Vanderbilt University

7. AI Agents and Agentic AI in Python: Powered by Generative AI Coursera Specialization

Another excellent Coursera track for developers who want a hands-on introduction to AI agents in Python.

Here are key skills you will learn in this course --- -

Build resilient AI agents using GenAI frameworks.
Develop end-to-end agentic workflows.
Future-proof your Agentic AI skills.

Here is the link to check this specialization on Coursera AI Agents and Agentic AI in Python

By the way, if you are planning to join multiple Coursera courses or specializations, then consider taking a Coursera Plus subscription which provides you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specializations, professional certificates, and guided projects.

It costs around $399 per year but is worth it because you get access to more than 10000+ courses and projects, and you can also get unlimited certificates.

8. The Agentic AI Bible --- Book

Written by Thomas R. Caldwell, author of The AI Engineering Bible, this book is the most comprehensive written reference on Agentic AI.

Why Read:

Covers both theory and practice.
Explains agent orchestration, tools, and real-world patterns.
Great for engineers and AI strategists alike.

It's also got great reviews and ratings, which show a lot about the usefulness of this book.

*Here is the link to get this book *The Agentic AI Bible

9. Building Agentic AI Systems --- Book

If you prefer a technical, hands-on book, this is an excellent choice.\ It walks you through:

Building autonomous agents step by step.
Designing multi-agent ecosystems.
Real-world deployment patterns.

I had also recommended this book in the past when I wrote about 5 must-read AI engineering books, and I am recommending it here again because it's a great resource for anyone who wants to build AI agents in 2026.

Here is the link to get this book Building Agentic AI Systems

10. Designing Agentic Systems with LangChain --- DataCamp

This interactive short course is ideal for intermediate learners who want to design custom LangChain agents from scratch.

Key Skills:

Build LangChain-powered agents.
Create structured workflows for advanced use cases.
Understand key tools and vector databases.

Here is the link to join this course --- Designing Agentic Systems with LangChain

By the way, you need a Datacamp plan to access this course. They have different plans, like standard, professional, and premium, which allow access to all projects. I generally recommend the standard plan because it is right-priced and you get access to all the essentials to grow your data skills.

11. Complete Agentic AI Bootcamp with LangGraph and LangChain - Udemy

If you specifically want to master LangGraph and LangChain, two of the most popular frameworks for multi-agent systems, this bootcamp is a perfect fit.

In this udemy course, you will learn to build autonomous apps with real-world workflows, including task orchestration, knowledge retrieval, and goal-driven execution.

Along the way, you will learn crucial skills like building AI agents using LangGraph, including creating workflows, managing agent state, memory, and event-driven behavior.

You will also develop and deploy multi-agent collaborative systems that can communicate, reason, and solve complex problems together.

**Here is the link to join this course Complete Agentic AI Bootcamp with LangGraph and LangChain

12. Learn Agentic AI --- Build Multi-Agent Automation Workflows --- Udemy

This course is ideal if you want to focus on multi-agent automation workflows. Using AutoGen and MCP, you'll build six agents capable of handling real-world automation tasks.

Here are the key skills you will learn in this course:

Build collaborative AI teams.
Create self-improving agentic workflows.
Deploy agents for end-to-end automation.

Talking about social proof, more than a thousand students have already joined this course.

**Here is the link to join this course Learn Agentic AI Build Multi-Agent Automation Workflows

Bonus Agentic AI Learning Resources

Apart from this, there are a few more resources you can explore on bootcamp-style sites like Frontend Masters and ZTM Academy:

Build an AI Agent from Scratch Frontend Masters

2. Build AI Agents with CrewAI on ZTM Academy. If you are looking for a bootcamp-style course to learn how to build AI Agents, then this course is for you.

Final Thoughts

That's all about the best resources to learn Agentic AI in 2026. The era of Agentic AI is just beginning, and the opportunities are limitless. Whether you want to launch AI products, automate workflows, or secure a top AI engineering job, these 10 resources give you everything you need to become an Agentic AI expert in 2026.

If you prefer a single course that combines everything, projects, tools, and cutting-edge frameworks, start with the Complete Agentic AI Engineering Course (2026). It's the fastest way to gain job-ready skills while building real-world projects. It's also very affordable.

The future belongs to those who can design intelligent, autonomous systems, and 2026 is the perfect year to start mastering Agentic AI.

Thanks a lot for reading this article so far. If you like these Agentic AI resources, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any feedback or questions, please drop a note.

**P. S. **--- If you prefer reading books and watching courses and doing projects then you should start with the The Agentic AI Bible by Thomas R. Caldwell, author of another popular book, The AI Engineering Bible, great for general AI introduction, both of his books are gem for AI Engineering.

I Found LeetCode for Software Design and It’s Awesome

2026-04-24T06:49:58.809-07:00

If you’re preparing for FAANG interviews, you already know that Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) and System Design are the two critical areas where you’ll be tested rigorously.

While LeetCode has become the standard platform for DSA practice, system design preparation has always been fragmented — scattered across expensive courses, text-heavy articles, and YouTube videos with no hands-on practice.

While there are many websites and platforms to prepare for System Design Interviews like ByteByteGo, DesignGurus.io, Exponent, Educative, and Udemy, there is nothing like LeetCode, where you can practice the real, interview like system design problems online and also get evaluated.

That changed when I discovered BugFree.ai.

Master System Design & Behavioral Interviews Like Leetcode

Prepare for software engineering interviews with 150+ system design and 30+ behavioral questions at bugfree.ai. Get…

www.bugfree.ai

After using it to prepare for my recent FAANG interviews, I can confidently say: BugFree.ai is the LeetCode for System Design — and it’s exactly what the interview prep landscape has been missing.

If you’ve struggled with structuring system design answers, getting real feedback, or knowing whether your approach matches industry standards, BugFree.ai solves all of these problems.

Why System Design Needs a Platform Like LeetCode or BugFree.ai?

Most system design resources today fall into one of these categories:

1. Long, Text-Heavy Courses

Passive learning with no hands-on practice
You read about designs but never actually create them
No way to validate your understanding

2. Expensive Mock Interview Platforms

$200–500 per session
Limited feedback
Not scalable for comprehensive preparation

3. YouTube Videos and Blog Posts

Fragmented information
No structured progression
No evaluation of your solutions

The fundamental problem: Reading about system design isn’t enough. You need to actively design solutions and get expert feedback on your approach.

This is where BugFree.ai changes the game completely.

What Makes BugFree.ai Special?

Instead of passive learning, BugFree.ai provides an interactive, hands-on, and AI-powered approach to mastering system design. Here’s what sets it apart:

1. Real-World System Design Problems with Interactive Practice

BugFree.ai offers a comprehensive collection of system design problems structured exactly like LeetCode presents DSA problems — but for architecture and design.

Example: Design URL Shortener

You work through:

Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
Capacity Estimation and Constraints
API Design and Data Models
High-Level Architecture
Deep Dives into Critical Components
Scalability and Trade-offs

The difference: You don’t just read about URL shorteners — you actually design one step-by-step, with guidance and validation at each stage.

Built-in Drawing Tools:

Just like in real interviews, you get access to an interactive whiteboard where you can sketch architectures, draw component diagrams, and visualize data flows

Here are some of the popular System Design questions you can solve on Bugfree.ai for practice:

2. Difficulty-Based Categorization (Just Like LeetCode)

BugFree.ai categorizes problems by difficulty level, making it easy to progress systematically:

Easy — Foundational concepts:

Load Balancing
Caching Strategies
Message Queues
Basic API Design

Medium — Real-world scenarios:

Rate Limiting Systems
Search Autocomplete
Real-Time Chat Applications
Notification Systems

Hard — Complex distributed systems:

Design YouTube/Netflix
Distributed Databases
Cloud Storage Systems
Microservices Architecture
Design Web Crawler

Each problem includes company tags showing which FAANG and top tech companies ask them, so you can focus your preparation strategically.

3. AI-Powered Coaching and Feedback

This is where BugFree.ai truly shines — AI-assisted learning that feels like having an expert mentor available 24/7.

How it works:

Smart Hints: Stuck on a problem? The AI provides hints without giving away the answer.
Design Evaluation: Submit your design and get automated feedback on scalability, reliability, and best practices.
Industry Standards: Your solution is evaluated against real-world architectural patterns.
Interactive Q&A: Ask questions about your design decisions and get immediate clarification

This bridges the gap between self-study and expensive coaching — you get expert-level feedback at a fraction of the cost.

4. AI-Powered Mock Interviews

Here’s the feature that sets BugFree.ai apart from every other platform: AI-driven mock interviews.

The Problem with Traditional Mock Interviews:

Expensive ($200–500 per session)
Limited availability
Inconsistent interviewer quality
Can’t practice as much as you want

BugFree.ai’s Solution:

Unlimited mock interviews powered by AI that simulate real FAANG interview conditions:

Realistic Interview Experience: Timed sessions with ambiguous requirements (just like real interviews).
Follow-up Questions: AI interviewer asks probing questions about your design decisions.
Performance Evaluation: Detailed feedback on communication, technical depth, and trade-off analysis.
Unlimited Practice: Take as many mock interviews as you need to build confidence

Example: Web Crawler System Design Mock Interview

The AI interviewer guides you through designing a web crawler, asks follow-ups about politeness policies, distributed crawling, and URL deduplication — exactly like a real interview.

My experience: After 10+ mock interviews on BugFree.ai, my real FAANG interview felt comfortable. I’d seen the patterns, practiced the communication, and knew how to structure my answers.

5. Object-Oriented Design (OOD) Practice

System design isn’t the only thing tested at FAANG. Object-Oriented Design (Low-Level Design) is a critical round, especially for senior roles.

BugFree.ai covers this comprehensively:

Classic OOD Problems:

Parking Lot System
Elevator System
ATM Machine
Library Management System
Hotel Booking System
Vending Machine

What you get:

Step-by-step class design guidance
UML diagrams and relationships
Design pattern applications
SOLID principles in practice
Trade-offs between different approaches

If you’ve struggled with OOD interviews (many developers do), this is invaluable preparation.

You can see all the OOD problem here.

6. Resume Analysis and Optimization

Here’s an unexpected bonus: AI-powered resume review.

Upload your resume and get:

ATS optimization — Make sure your resume passes applicant tracking systems
Keyword suggestions — Align with job descriptions for roles you’re targeting
Formatting feedback — Professional structure and readability
Content improvements — Stronger bullet points highlighting impact

Why this matters: Your resume gets you the interview. BugFree.ai helps you get past the first filter.

Resume Builder for Software Engineers — AI-Powered Optimization

Create and optimize your software engineering resume with AI-powered insights. Get personalized feedback, ATS-friendly…

bugfree.ai

Getting Started: My Recommendations

If you’re completely new to system design:

Week 1: Easy Problems

Start with URL Shortener
Focus on understanding the framework
Don’t worry about perfect solutions
Get comfortable with the platform

Week 2: Build Fundamentals

Solve 3–4 easy problems
Learn capacity estimation
Practice API design
Understand database selection

Week 3: Medium Problems

Tackle real-world scenarios
Focus on scalability patterns
Learn caching strategies
Practice load balancing

Week 4: First Mock Interview

Take your first mock interview
Don’t expect perfection
Learn from the feedback
Identify gaps in knowledge

Then: Continue cycling through problems, mock interviews, and focused learning in weak areas.

What I Wish I Knew Before Starting

1. Don’t Skip the Easy Problems

Even if you’re experienced, start with easy problems. They teach the framework for approaching system design that applies to harder problems.

2. Mock Interviews Are Essential

Solving problems alone isn’t enough. Mock interviews teach:

Time management (45–60 minute constraints)
Communication under pressure
Handling ambiguous requirements
Explaining trade-offs clearly

3. Review Community Solutions

After solving a problem, always check how others approached it. You’ll discover patterns and optimizations you missed.

4. Focus on Communication

System design interviews test communication as much as technical knowledge. Practice explaining your thinking process clearly.

5. Use the AI Feedback

Don’t just collect problem checkmarks. Study the AI feedback carefully. That’s where real learning happens.

The Bottom Line: Is BugFree.ai Worth It?

After three months of intensive preparation using BugFree.ai, here’s my honest assessment:

What BugFree.ai does exceptionally well:

Hands-on practice — Actually design systems, don’t just read about them
AI-powered feedback — Get expert-level guidance on every design
Unlimited mock interviews — Practice as much as you need
Structured progression — Clear path from beginner to expert
Cost-effective — Fraction of traditional mock interview costs
Comprehensive coverage — System design + OOD + resume help

What could be improved:

⚠️ Human interaction isn’t quite the same (supplement with 1–2 human mock interviews)
⚠️ Community features could be stronger (though improving)

My verdict:

For system design interview preparation, BugFree.ai is the most effective platform I’ve found. It’s truly the LeetCode for system design — combining structured practice, expert feedback, and unlimited mock interviews in one place.

The ROI is obvious: The platform costs less than one traditional mock interview session but provides unlimited practice and comprehensive preparation.

Start here: BugFree.ai

Master System Design & Behavioral Interviews Like Leetcode

Prepare for software engineering interviews with 150+ system design and 30+ behavioral questions at bugfree.ai. Get…

www.bugfree.ai

Final Thoughts

System design interviews are intimidating, but they’re also learnable and masterable with the right approach.

What doesn’t work:

Reading endless blog posts without practicing
Watching YouTube videos passively
Hoping to “wing it” in interviews
Paying for expensive mock interviews you can’t afford to repeat

What works:

Structured hands-on practice
Regular feedback on your designs
Mock interviews simulating real conditions
Systematic improvement over time

BugFree.ai provides all of this in one platform.

After using it to pass FAANG system design interviews, I can confidently say: this is the platform I wish had existed when I first started preparing.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did — scattered preparation across fragmented resources, expensive one-off mock interviews, and no systematic way to validate improvement.

Start practicing on BugFree.ai today. Your future self (and your compensation package) will thank you.

Other System Design Resources You May Find Useful:

P.S. — I used BugFree.ai while working full-time. The focused, interactive practice was far more effective than months of random article reading. Share this with engineers preparing for senior roles.

Ready to start? Visit BugFree.ai and begin your system design journey today.

Master System Design & Behavioral Interviews Like Leetcode

Prepare for software engineering interviews with 150+ system design and 30+ behavioral questions at bugfree.ai. Get…

www.bugfree.ai

The 2026 Java Developer RoadMap

2026-04-22T20:52:27.321-07:00

Hello folks, if you want to become a professional Java developer or want to take your Java skill to the next level but are not sure which technology, tools, frameworks, and library you can learn then you have come to the right place.

Earlier, I have shared the best Java courses, books, and websites and in this article, I am going to share a complete Java programmer RoadMap, which will tell you what it takes to become a professional Java developer and provide a comprehensive overview of all the tools, libraries, frameworks and skills you need to become a complete Java programmer in 2026.

I have been sharing a lot of roadmaps like a Web developer RoadMap, DevOps engineer RoadMap, and React.js developer RoadMap and one of the requests I received from many of my readers was for creating a Java Developer Roadmap.

Since Java is my expertise, It wasn’t a problem to create a Java Developer Roadmap, but it took slightly longer for me to create one because of the limited time I had.

Anyway, I am finally ready to share my Java developer RoadMap with you. This Roadmap contains my years of experience and the unobstructed path of how to become a Java expert.

You will find that this Java roadmap answers many burning questions like which technologies a Java developer should learn. What tools make you a better Java developer? And, which framework a Java developer must absolutely learn.

One of the things I tried with this roadmap is to keep the exposure as short as possible, I have avoided mentioning many alternatives, particularly when it comes to libraries and tools, and stick with industry-standard tools and libraries.

I have kept it simple so that most of the people can follow it and only included the essential stuff, but if there is enough desire, I am thinking of posting The Java Developer RoadMap 2.0 to add some advanced things like JVM internals, Profiling, Java 9 Modules, Cloud Native Java, different cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure, and more advanced tools like Chef for DevOps and much more.

If you are interested, you can find a more exhaustive list of separate blog posts, which I have listed in the further learning section. Anyway, let’s go through this Java Developer RoadMap to understand how to become a Java developer in 2026.

Btw, you by no means need to understand everything on this roadmap to become a rockstar developer.

You don’t even need to take them that seriously if you don’t want to. Instead, use these maps as a starting point to help guide your learning as you go.

Mandatory skill for any Java developers

Now, let’s go through this Java developer RoadMap step by step and find out how you can learn the essential skills required to become a Java Developer in 2026:

1. Git & GitHub

One of the most popular version control systems. It’s just not possible to live without Git anymore.

As a programmer, you should be familiar with Git and Github, essential Git concepts like a branch, master, checkout, checking, push, and pull, as well essential Git commands like git diff, git commit, etc.

I highly recommend Java programmers to learn Git and Github and if you already worked with Git then you can also level up your Git skills If you need a resource then you can check out The Git Complete Guide on Udemy to start with.

2. Linux

Not just a web developer but for any programmer, the Linux command line is very, very important, and I strongly recommend you to spend some time learning them.

Since most Java applications are server-side, you will often find them running on Linux servers.

That’s why it’s imperative for Java developers to be familiar with essential Linux concepts and commands related to files, disk space checking, process management, as well as networking commands.

If you need a resource to level up your Linux skills, I recommend checking out Linux Mastery: Master the Linux Command Line in 11.5 Hours course on Udemy. This is a great course for anyone who wants to learn Linux commands from scratch.

If you need more resources then you can use these free Linux courses to start learning Linux.

3. Data Structures and Algorithms

These are the building blocks of any program, and a good knowledge of Algorithms and Data Structure is vital for your next job or doing well in your current situation.

You should at least be familiar with essential data structures like an array, linked list, hash table, binary tree, queue, stack, and graph as well as problem-solving techniques like dynamic programming.

If you know advanced data structures like Trie, B-Tree, and AVL tree, then it’s well and good. But, if you don’t know, then I suggest you join a comprehensive course like Data Structures and Algorithms: Deep Dive Using Java, which will teach you everything about all those fundamentals.

4. HTTP / HTTPS

The HTTP protocol is the backbone of the web, and a good knowledge of both HTTP and HTTPS is mandatory for a web developer.

At least you should know about how HTTP and HTTPS work and what are different HTTP methods and their purposes etc.

If you need resources, you can also see these HTTP, SSL, and TLS courses to start with/

5. Computer Science Fundamentals

If you are creating global applications that show information in many different languages across the world, then you should have a good knowledge of character encodings.

It basically tells your browser how to show your data. If you want to learn more about Computer Science, you can also check out Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Specialization by the University of London.

It’s a 3-part course on Computers, Programming, and Mathematics and essential for all kinds of programmers including Java developers. More than 39K people have already benefited from this program.

6. SQL

This is another common tech skill that every Java developer should learn as it will help you to troubleshoot back-end issues.

If you know SQL you can understand the stored procedure, query the database, and find out whether the issue is in the Java layer or the Database layer.

I highly recommend every Programmer whether a Java developer or a Python developer to learn SQL, it’s one of those skills that are easy to learn and serve you for a long time in your career as a programmer or developer.

If you need a resource, I suggest looking at the Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery course by Andrei Negaoie on ZTM Academy.

Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery

Most comprehensive resource online to learn SQL and Database Management & Design + exercises to give you real-world…

academy.zerotomastery.io

Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to join this course which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like his Java Programming Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery, which is a great resource to learn Java in-depth. You can also use my code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on any subscription you choose.

Java Bootcamp: Learn Java. Become a Backend Developer. Get Hired | Zero To Mastery

The only Java Bootcamp you need to go from complete programming beginner to learning Java from scratch and being able…

academy.zerotomastery.io

7. Design Patterns

There is no doubt that every programmer should know Git and Github as they are the standard in terms of version control and code repository.

If you want to learn and master Design Patterns, particularly OOP Design patterns then I suggest you join the Design Patterns in Java course by Dmitri Nestruk on Udemy.

This is a great course to learn the modern implementation of classic design patterns in Java.

If you need more resources, you can also check out my earlier articles about the best design patterns books, and courses to learn Object-Oriented Design patterns in depth.

The 2026 Java Developer RoadMap (with Resources)

Now, let’s explore this Java developer roadmap together and find out what tools, frameworks, libraries, APIs, tools, and skills you can learn to become a professional Java developer in 2026.

1. Tools

The tools section is divided into different sections. First, your IDE, which is your primary tool and can do almost everything you asked for like compile, run, debug, profile, test, compare files and code, refactoring, and much more.

1.1 IDEs

For Java Developers, there are two main IDES, Eclipse and IntelliJIDEA, you can choose any one of them as I have used Eclipse most of my life but I am currently working in IntelliJIDEA so I love both of them, but most Java developers I know they work in IDEA.

I suggest you master IDEA shortcuts, views, and all other features it offers to become a true Java Master and if you need a resource, I think IntelliJ IDEA Tricks to Boost Productivity for Java Devs is a great place to start with.

1.2 Build Tools

The second part is the build tool, which you need to build and deploy your projects like Maven and Gradle.

Any one of these would be enough. I have just listed ANT, but that’s for legacy projects.

For all new Java projects, prefer Gradle, it’s much more concise than Maven.

If you want to learn both Maven and Gradle, there are not many resources available. If you ask me, I recommend Apache Maven: Beginner to Guru by John Thompson on Udemy.

And, if you are keen to learn Gradle, I suggest you check out Gradle for Java Developers by another great Udemy instructor, Bharat Thippireddy.

1.3 Containers and DevOps Tools

And, the third and most crucial part includes containers like Docker and Kubernetes, CI/CD tools like Jenkins and TeamCity, and Infrastructure automation tools like Chef, Puppet, and Ansible.

Out of these Docker is the most important because it makes it easy to set up your development environment as well as it also makes the Deployment of Java Microservices easier.

Kubernetes is a next-level tool and not really needed for all Java developers, particularly if you are not in DevOps and managing things like scaling and deployment but it’s good to know from a knowledge perspective.

I suggest having good knowledge of Docker and basic knowledge of Kubernetes for Java developers and if you need resources, I recommend Maximillian SchwaurzMuller’s Docker & Kubernetes: The Practical Guide course on Udemy. You can learn both of these tools in one course.

If you are interested in learning about these tools, here are some useful courses to learn to build tools and IDEs

2. Java APIs

The next important thing to learn is JDK APIs, which are very, very important for any Java developer. This is quite a big section, and that’s why it’s divided into core areas like Java Collections framework, Java Concurrency, Java IO, and Java 8 APIs, let’s explore each of them

2.1 Java Collections Framework

This is one of the most essential Java APIs every Java developer should learn. This API provides implementations of standard data structures in Java-like linked lists, sets, stacks, queues, hash tables, priority queues, and others.

At least you should know about all everyday objects like ArrayList, HashMap, HashSet, LinkedHashSet, TreeSet, etc.

Each of them has its different properties, for example, ArrayList is a dynamic array that can grow, and HashMap is a standard implementation of the hash table and can be used to store key-value pairs.

Similarly, HashSetis a set implementation that doesn't allow duplicate elements. I strongly suggest you check the Java Fundamentals: Collections course to learn Java Collection Framework in depth.

2.2 Java Concurrency

After Java Collections, the next, most crucial API in Java is about multi-threading and concurrency, and I firmly believe that if you want to be a competent Java developer, you must have a solid understanding and command of Java Concurrency API.

You should not only have an in-depth understanding of fundamental concepts like Thread, Runnable, Object locking, and Synchronization, but you should also be familiar with concepts like deadlock, livelock, race conditions, and how to deal with them.

You should also learn about advanced Java concepts like synchronizers added on Java 5 and subsequent versions, I mean CyclicBarrier, CountDownLatch, Phaser, and CompleteableFuture, etc., along with Futures and how to perform the async operation in Java.

I know, it’s a lot of stuff, and that’s why I suggest you join an in-depth course like Java Concurrency in Practice bundle from Heinz Kabutz, a Java Champion, and authority when it comes to concurrency and design patterns. This course is a bit expensive, but you will learn a lot more concepts in-depth, which makes it completely worth your time and money.

On the other hand, if the price is an issue, you can also check this Udemy course — — Concurrency, Multithreading, and Parallel Computing in Java which won’t cost you more than $10 if you get it on Udemy flash sales which happens every month. This is also an excellent course to learn Java concurrency and multithreading in Java.

Java Concurrency in Practice Bundle

Courses relevant to concurrency

learning.javaspecialists.eu

2.3 Java IO

I have interviewed more than 100+ Java programmers, and I have noticed one pattern; they all have very little knowledge of Java IO and NIO APIs as compared to Java Collections and Java Multithreading API.

I can understand that many people spend a lot of time learning those two APIs, but you cannot leave behind these critical APIs.

If you have to code a real-world, core Java application, you will need to use classes like File, InputStream, OutputStream, Reader, Writerfrom the java.io package, which is the core of the Java IO API.

Similarly, you also need to know about ByteBuffer, FileChannel, Selector, and other critical classes from java.nio API, if you want to write a socket-based application.

Unfortunately, there are not many dedicated resources on teaching Java IO and Java NIO API, but The Complete Java Masterclass is a great resource to master this API. You will find a lot of essential concepts from this API in this course.

2.4 Java 8 Features

Now, the next and another necessary API, a Java programmer, should learn is the Java 8 features, which has completely changed the way Java is coded and programmed nowadays.

To become a Java developer in 2026, you must know how to use a Lambda expression, Stream API, Optional classes, and a new Date and Time API.

Without knowing these APIs, it would be very tough to write a Java application in 205.

Most of the libraries also now stop supporting versions lower than Java 8, which means you have to learn Java 8 features now rather than later. It’s already 5 years since Java 8 was released, so you literally have no excuse left.

When it comes to learning Java 8 features, there are a lot of excellent resources available in the market.

Still, if you already know Java, I suggest you choose a resource that only focuses on Java 8 features like the Java 8 for Experienced Developers: Lambdas, Stream API & Beyond course on Educative. This way, you can learn Java 8 in no time.

While Java 8 features are essential for Core Java developers, if you can, please learn all other new features introduced from Java 9 to Java 13 like Modules, varfor local variables, static factory methods for collections, Text Blocks, Strings in Switch, and many more.

If you need more resources, you can check out this list of courses to learn all the new Java features in 2026.

3. Frameworks

The best thing about Java is that it has a vibrant ecosystem, which means there are a lot of frameworks and libraries for almost anything.

Usually, I don’t suggest a Java developer learn a framework until he needs to use it in his project.

Still, there are some frameworks and libraries, which I believe every Java developer should know like Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate, Log4j, JUnit, etc.

3.1 Spring Framework

If you want to become a Java developer in 2026, I strongly recommend you to learn Spring Framework first.

This is one of the most popular Java frameworks, and literally, almost every single Java application I have worked on in the last 5 years, uses this framework.

Spring Framework encourages writing clean code, which is easier to test and maintain by providing you with features like Dependency Injection and Inversion of Control.

It also has a rich API for most of the day-to-day tasks, and that’s why every Java developer should learn the Spring framework.

And, if you want to learn the Spring Framework, there is no better course than Spring Framework 6: Beginner to Guru. It covers Spring 6, the latest version of Spring 6, and teaches Spring in a more hands-on way than any other course.

3.2 Hibernate

The second framework that I recommend every Java developer to learn is Hibernate, which is based on JPA (Java Persistence API).

To be accurate, Hibernate came before JPA, but because JPA is a standard API to implement the persistence layer in Java, Hibernate implements it.

Now, why should you learn Hibernate? Well, because most of the Java applications you will work with will interact with databases, it’s excruciating to deal with databases in Java using JDBC and without a proper framework like Hibernate.

It provides some of the essential features like Caching and Transaction out-of-the-box, which means you have more time to focus on your application logic than implementing caching in your application.

This seriously improves the performance of Java applications, and so far, my most significant reason to use Hibernate.

Now, when it comes to learning Hibernate there are many great resources available in the market, but the Spring & Hibernate for Beginners course is my preferred one because you can kill two birds from one stone, you can learn both Spring and Hibernate in one class rather than joining separate courses for them.

Btw, if you truly want to master Hibernate or looking for an advanced Hibernate course then Vlad Mihalcea’s High-Performance Java Persistence book and the course are the best resources for anyone.

High-Performance Bundle

A high-performance data access layer must resonate with the underlying database system. Knowing the inner workings of a…

vladmihalceastore.teachable.com

3.3 Spring Boot

This is another framework I recommend every Java developer to learn in 2026 and going forward. Spring Boot took Spring’s philosophy of simplification and made it easy to work with Spring itself.

Just like Spring makes it easier to create a Java application, Spring Boot makes it easier to create a Spring-based Java application.

Features like auto-configuration take away most of the pain associated with configuring the Spring application. Similarly, starter POM features grouped commonly used dependencies into simple reusable POMs.

Now, if you want to learn Spring Boot, I strongly suggest you go through the Learn Spring Boot in 100 Steps course; it’s one of the best and most up-to-date and also provides step-by-step guides for everyday things a Spring Boot developer needs to know.

3.4 Java Microservice Frameworks — — MicroProfile, Micronaut, and Quarkus

While learning Spring Boot and Spring Cloud is sufficient for developing Microservices in Java, there are a couple of more advanced frameworks you can explore, like Eclipse’s Microprofile, Micronaut, and Quarkus.

3.4.1 Quarkus

Quarkus is one of the promising frameworks for Java developers. It’s a Kubernetes Native Java stack tailored for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM, crafted from the best-of-breed Java libraries and standards.

Quarkus tailors your application for GraalVM and HotSpot to get Amazingly fast boot time and incredibly low RSS memory (not just heap size!).

It also provides instant scalability and high-density memory utilization in container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes using a technique called compile-time boot.

You can also use both the familiar imperative code and the non-blocking reactive style when developing applications for Quarkus.

In short, one of the best platforms for Java developers to create an application and something worth learning in 2026, and if you want to learn Quarkus and need a resource then Quarkus Backend development with Java and GraalVM is a great one to start with.

3.4.2 Eclipse Microprofile

It’s an initiative that aims to optimize Enterprise Java for Microservice Architecture. It’s driven by Eclipse, one of the leading organizations of Java, and the company behind the popular Eclipse IDE.

The goal of Eclipse of MicroProfile is to define standard APIs for building microservices and deliver portable applications across multiple MicroProfile runtimes.

The current version of Eclipse Microprofile is 7.0, and it’s a useful Java framework to learn in 2026.

Press enter or click to view image in full size

3.4.3 Micronaut

This is another Java framework you can learn in 2026. Micronaut is a modern, JVM-based, full-stack framework for building modular, easily testable microservice and serverless applications.

It’s a polyglot framework and allows you to create an application using Java, Kotlin, or Groovy. Some of the key talking points of Micronaut are reduced startup time, blazing-fast throughput, and minimal memory footprint.

If you want to learn more about MicroNaut, you can also check out Learn Micronaut — — cloud-native microservices with Java course on Udemy. There are not many courses but this one and MicroNaut documentation are sufficient to start developing applications with MicroNaut.

4. Testing

Testing is an essential skill for any Java developer, particularly unit testing, integration testing, and automation testing.

At the bare minimum, every Java developer should be familiar with JUnit and Mockito, two of the most popular Unit testing and Mock libraries.

If you know these two and know how to use them to effectively create a unit test, you will be a much better Java developer than without them.

There are more advanced libraries that also exist like Cucumber for Business-driven testing and Robot Framework for integration testing, but there is no substitute for JUnit, you will always need that.

When it comes to a mocking library, you have a couple of choices like PowerMock, Mockito, and EasyMock.

Still, I strongly suggest you learn Mockito because it’s a vast library, and also many Java developers and companies are doing that. It is slowly becoming the standard library for creating mock objects in Java.

If you want to learn JUnit and Mockito from scratch, then I also suggest you join Learn Java Unit Testing with Junit & Mockito in the 30 Steps course by In28Minutes on Udemy. It’s a practical and hands-on course to get started with both these libraries.

If you need more options than you I have already shared a lot of resources like books and courses, you can check those to learn more.

5. Utility Libraries

The real power of Java lies in its vibrant ecosystem of open-source libraries. You will find libraries to do almost anything in Java from logging to machine learning, from sending an HTTP request to parsing JSON, and much more.

Apart from that, Java is also lucky to have utility libraries like Apache Commons and Google Guava, these two libraries effectively complement JDK libraries. I have also shared a list of 20 Java APIs and libraries for Java developers.

I suggest you go through that list, chances are that you already have half of them but if you don’t learn them they are very, very useful and help you to write better Java programs and deliver faster.

6. Database

Database access is an important part of many Java applications and thankfully Java comes with JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) API Which provides a standard set of APIs for connecting to any relational database.

As an application developer, you just need to know the API as all vendors provide an implementation of those APIs. You just need to include their JAR file into the classpath and your code will work fine.

By the way, JDBC is not the only option to interact with the database, there are open-source libraries like JOOQ that can help you to write SQL queries in Java.

jOOQ generates Java code from your database and lets you build type-safe SQL queries through its fluent API

7. Desktop and Frontend

Java offers great APIs like Swing and Java FX for developing GUI clients. Swing was popular a couple of years back but C# has now taken the lead Java FX is another popular Java API for developing GUI applications in Java.

If you want to develop a GUI application like NetBeans, one of the famous Java editors which are also written in Java then you can learn Java FX in 2026.

I wouldn’t advise learning Swing unless you are working for a bank that is paying you thousands of dollars per month maintaining their Swing-based trading GUI.

If you want to learn Java FX in 2026 and need a resource then you can also check out the Java FX Concepts Bootcamp 2026 course on Udemy.

You can also build and deploy Java FX applications on Raspberry PI, one of the small but powerful computers. If you are interested in that,Frank Delporte has a great course Use Java and Java FX on a Raspberry PI for beginners. You can take a look at that course to start with.

Best Resources to Learn Java Programming in 2026

Now that we know in depth what individual skills, tools, and libraries are used in the Java world and what you can learn to become a professional Java developer, it is now time for the most important thing in this RoadMap, the resources to actually learn Java programming.

So, here are the best resources which include, online courses, books, and online platforms you can join to learn Java programming in depth.

1. Best Java Online Courses

Online Courses are one of the best ways to start learning any new technology or programming language and Java is no exception.

There are thousands of Java courses available online but not everything is good. Many of them are outdated or don’t cover Java in enough depth.

So, I have shortlisted the following Java programming courses anyone can join to start with Java programming language, it includes courses from popular learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Educative, Zero to Mastery Academy, and more:

Now that we have seen all the important online Java courses, it’s time to check the books as they also play an important role in shaping a Java developer’s career.

Btw, if you need more references, you can also see this list of free Java courses and best places to learn Java, both have useful references for Java developers

Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals

Offered by Duke University. Explore a Career as a Software Engineer. Learn the basics of programming and software…

coursera.pxf.io

2. Best Java Books for Beginners and Experienced

When I started learning Java, I started with books that were very hard to read, lengthy, and boring but they had computer programs that I could copy and run.

At that time, I mean during the 1990s and early 2000s that’s probably the best way to learn Java but nowadays you have access to so many resources like interactive coding websites and courses which I have shared in the previous section so you don’t need to read those boring books.

Instead, you can pick interesting books to learn and master Java like the one I have shared below:

That’s all about the 2026 Java Developer Roadmap. This is an excellent resource to learn Java in 2026 and become a better Java developer. I have kept it simple so that most people can follow it and only included the important stuff.

Java is vast and still, there are a couple of areas that I haven’t touched like messaging but if there is enough desire, I am thinking to post The Java Developer RoadMap 2.0 to add some advanced things like JVM internals, Profiling, Modules, Cloud Native Java, Containers, Messaging, JNI, and much more.
Other Programming Articles you may like
10 Things Java Programmers Should Learn
10 Programming languages You can Learn
10 Tools Every Java Developer Should Know
10 Reasons to Learn Java Programming Languages
10 Tips to become a better Java Developer in 2026
Top 5 Java Frameworks to Learn in 2026
10 Reasons to Learn Python in 2026
10 Testing Libraries Every Java Developer Should Know
How to Crack Spring Professional Certification in 2026
The iOS App Developer RoadMap
The Software Architect RoadMap

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All the best for your Java Development Journey !!

P. S. — If you are a complete beginner in Java and looking for a free online course to learn Java online then you can also check out the Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners(FREE) course on Udemy. It’s completely free and more than 1.2 million people have joined this course to learn Java online.

And, if you are not a subscriber, you can also subscribe to our substack Newsletter here.

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I Tried ByteByteGo and LeetCode — Here’s the Better One for Interview Prep

2026-04-22T04:25:23.312-07:00

Hello guys, preparing for a technical interview in 2026 looks very different from what it did a few years ago.

With companies increasingly expecting engineers to demonstrate both coding proficiency and system design thinking, the tools you choose for your preparation can make or break your success.

Two names dominate the interview prep world — LeetCode and ByteByteGo.

LeetCode has been the go-to platform for coding problem practice for years, while ByteByteGo has emerged as a comprehensive, pattern-based learning ecosystem for mastering the why behind coding and design.

The SQL Developer's Reading List for 2026 (10 Books That Matter)

2026-04-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

SQL (Structured Query Language) is one of the most essential skills of a programmer. I would rate this skill similar to UNIX if you are a professional programmer because it doesn't matter whether you are Java, C++, or a .NET developer, you are bound to write SQL queries. Since a database is an integral part of any modern Java or Web application, the Interviewer always preferred candidates with excellent SQL skills. Now, the big question comes, how a programmer can learn SQL? Does just knowing how to query a table is enough? If you remember, insert, update, delete, and select, then are you a competent SQL programmer?

What about indexes, query plans, triggers, views, stored procedures, and other advanced SQL concepts? What about writing complex queries involving joins, subqueries, derived tables, etc.? Well, all those are very important to be a competent full-stack developer.

I started learning SQL from my college days, and I am hooked to it because of its simplicity and power. I also found writing SQL queries exciting and challenging, similar to solving programming puzzles, but my SQL skills don't improve a lot for a long time, Why? Because I was satisfied with the limited knowledge of insert, update, delete, and select.

I knew how to join multiple tables, and I thought I knew the whole SQL. Well, I was wrong, and my misconception hit severely when I started working on a project involving Murex, which has a vast database in Sybase with hundreds of tables, stored procedures, and other database objects.

At that time, I started learning advanced SQL, particularly Sybase and SQL Server. My quest also results in lots of good books to learn SQL, database design, normalization, and improve your SQL query skills, and this article is a collection of such books.

Though I have a separate collection of database-specific books, like books, to learn SQL Server, Sybase, or Oracle, I am only sharing books to learn generic and standard SQL, which applies to all relational databases, also known as ANSI SQL in this article. I'll write separate articles about SQL Server and Oracle books.

If you want to learn quickly, you can also combine these books with some of the comprehensive and engaging online SQL courses like The Complete SQL Bootcamp by Jose Pottila on Udemy. It's an incredible course full of useful information and practical tips to learn and master SQL very quickly.

10 Best Books to learn SQL and Database for Beginners in 2026

It doesn't matter whether you are a beginner programmer, just started your software development career or an experienced software professional with years of experience, you will find some of the books refreshing. You will learn a lot in terms of SQL concepts, database design, and SQL query skills.

So, what are we waiting for? Let's start with this list.

1. Head First SQL

This is the best book for any SQL beginners. I like the Head First style for their innovative teaching with diagrams, fireside chats, puzzles, explanations, and highlight the most important concepts.

I have been recommending this book to beginner programmers for years, and they always thank me for that. You can use this book for theory, for example, and understanding fundamental concepts of SQL, like Joins, Subqueries, Normalization, and a little bit of database design.

If you are an active learner like me then you can also combine this book with The Complete SQL Bootcamp: Go From Zero To Hero course by Jose Portilla on Udemy which is full of hands-on SQL exercises and lectures. It's also very affordable and you can buy this course for just %9.9 on Udemy sales which happen every now and then.

2. SQL All-in-One For Dummies

The third edition of "SQL All-in-One For Dummies" by Allen G. Taylor stands as a comprehensive resource with a stellar rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 920 ratings. Geared towards a wide audience, from database administrators to application programmers, this book provides clear and concise explanations of the SQL language and its diverse applications within relational databases.

In a rapidly evolving landscape where businesses are transitioning from spreadsheets to SQL databases like Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle databases, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, this edition serves as a one-stop shop for anyone involved in designing, developing, and maintaining these databases.

The book addresses the challenges that may arise in SQL database creation and management, keeps readers informed about the latest SQL updates and capabilities, and serves as a valuable reference for querying SQL-based databases in the SQL language.

Emphasizing the significance of relational databases in today's organizations, "SQL All-In-One For Dummies" offers timely and detailed insights for those seeking a robust understanding of SQL databases and queries.

A newer edition is also coming which means the book remains up-to-date, reflecting the dynamic nature of SQL technology. If you need active learning, you can also combine this book with the Complete Intro to SQL & PostgreSQL by Brian Holt course , its a nice SQL course for beginners.

3. Learning SQL: Generate, Manipulate, and Retrieve Data 3rd Edition

"Learning SQL: Generate, Manipulate, and Retrieve Data, 3rd Edition" by Alan Beaulieu has earned a commendable rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 465 ratings, making it a well-received resource in the field of SQL education.

In this latest edition, Beaulieu guides developers through the essentials of SQL, providing a solid foundation for writing database applications, executing administrative tasks, and generating reports. As organizations grapple with the influx of data, SQL emerges as a vital tool, and this guide equips developers to harness its power effectively.

The book covers SQL basics and delves into advanced features, including new chapters on SQL and big data, analytic functions, and working with very large databases. Each chapter is designed as a self-contained lesson, featuring numerous illustrations and annotated examples to facilitate understanding. The inclusion of exercises enables readers to practice and reinforce the skills they acquire.

The book also emphasizes the importance of SQL knowledge for interacting with data, making it an essential resource for those looking to leverage the language's power and flexibility.

Whether you are a beginner or seeking to enhance your SQL proficiency, "Learning SQL" provides a comprehensive and practical guide to navigating SQL concepts and techniques, and if you need a course, you can also combine this with the SQL for Newbs: Data Analysis for Beginners course on Udemy.

4. SQL Antipatterns

To be successful, it's not just essential to do the right things, but it is also necessary to avoid mistakes that can hamper your success. This universal truth is also applicable to SQL. It's just not enough to know all the best practices in the SQL world and keep repeating silly mistakes like using SELECT * query or having duplicate columns.

This book will help you to avoid the common mistake every SQL developer makes. If you don't know about SQL mistakes, it's also an excellent book to learn about them. Again, one of the must-read SQL books for programmers who are serious about improving their SQL and database design skills.

If you are learning SQL for data science then I also suggest you check out this SQL for Data Science course on Udemy which will teach you how to understand and write large queries which you often need while working with real-world data.

5. SQL Puzzles and Answers by Joe Celko

I didn't know about this book until last year, but ever since I come to know about it, I just fall in love. It's a great book to improve your SQL query skills. I always like to solve SQL query-based problems because they are also an excellent exercise for your mind, and this book is full of such issues.

The book is really advanced, and some of the problems are tough even for seasoned SQL programmers. Even though you will solve the problem, a good chance is that you will also learn a new way to answer the same question by reading explanations.

In short, one of the best SQL books for experienced programmers who want to improve their SQL query skills.

6 . Beginning SQL queries

This is another beginner book, probably for the absolute beginner who doesn't know how to write SQL queries. As the title suggests, this book will help you not only to write SQL queries but also to write correct SQL queries and help you to become a professional SQL developer. Not a must-read, but a good SQL book for beginners.

7. SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand

If I say that whatever I know about SQL indexes is due to this book, then it won't be wrong. I had a lot of misconceptions about database indices and didn't know how their order can affect performance.

I didn't even know what is table scan, index scan is, and index seeks, and, in general, how does index works in SQL in detail until to learn how indexing work and how they affect query performance.

This is an excellent book from Markus Winand, and I thank him a lot for explaining such an essential topic in great detail. One of the must-read SQL books for every programmer.

8. SQL Cookbook: Query Solutions and Techniques for Database Developers

The SQL Cookbook: Query Solutions and Techniques for Database Developers (Cookbooks (O’Reilly)) 1st Edition by Anthony Molinaro is another fantastic book for experienced programmers and anyone who codes SQL for a living.

I really like what this book says about SQL, that “SQL is a deceptively simple language,” and many programmers and DBAs don’t go far beyond the simple CRUD statements like SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, etc. DELETE. Still, it is so much you can do with SQL; this is where SQL Cookbook helps you.

It will teach you how to take your SQL skills to the next level by using author Anthony Molinari’s favorite SQL techniques and features.

You will learn about advanced SQL concepts like window functions, powerful, database-specific features such as SQL Server’s PIVOT and UNPIVOT operators, the Oracle’s MODEL clause, and PostgreSQL’s handy GENERATE_SERIES function.

9. SQL Performance Tuning by Peter Gulutzan and Trudy Pelzer

Knowing to write SQL queries is one thing and writing SQL queries that are fast and gives high-performance is another skill. This is also the skill that separates beginners from experienced programmers.

This book provides many practical tips for improving SQL performance on all of the major database systems.

It does not teach you the SQL syntax and how to use a particular SQL command but instead helps you understand the differences between the major DBBS, including the big three, Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL.

In this book, the author presents several practical tips to improve SQL performance across databases. This book will be a great asset if you deal with different database implementations, whether you are a programmer, consultant, DBA, or technical end-user.

The tips given in this book can help you to decide which tuning techniques will work for which database. One trick that gives better performance in SQL Server doesn’t need to give you the best performance in Oracle.

10. SQL in Nutshell

The SQL in a Nutshell, 3rd edition by Kevin Kline, Daniel Kline, and Brand Hunt, is an essential reference for programmers, analysts, and database administrators (DBAs).

This book offers a great cross-platform syntax reference for SQL. It probably is not the easiest reference to find the exact syntax for one particular DBMS, but it is absolutely the best reference for those who work with multiple DBMSs.

By the way, If you are learning SQL to become a Data Scientists, then I also recommend you check out the SQL for Data Science Course offered by UCDAVIS University of California on Coursera.

That's all in this list about 10 Best books to learn and master SQL. To be honest, it's easy to learn SQL, but it's tough to master it; that's why the last two books SQL Performance Explained and SQL Anti-Patterns are significant for both SQL developer and Java/C# developers who deal with databases and SQL.

Other Books and Courses Recommendations for Programmers

10 Algorithm books for Programmers and Software engineers (see here)
7 Free Courses to learn SQL and Database for Beginners (courses)
5 Books to improve your Coding Skill (see here)
10 Courses to learn Data Structure and algorithms (classes)
10 Books Every Programmer Should Read (see here)
My Favorite courses to learn MySQL database (courses)
10 Tips and 101 Problems to Crack Coding Interviews (tips)
5 Books to learn Java 8 and Functional Programming (see here)
My favorite free courses to learn Java in-depth (courses)
5 Books to prepare Programming/Coding Interviews (see here)
10 Courses to Crack Programming Job Interviews (courses)
5 Books to learn Concurrent programming and multi-threading (see here)
Top 5 Courses to learn Java Concurrency in-depth (courses)
6 Books to learn Hibernate framework for Java developers (see here)
5 books to learn Spring framework for Java developers (see here)
5 of the Best courses to learn Spring Boot (courses)

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best SQL and Database books, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P.S. - Along with books, online training courses on platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Pluralsight are also useful to learn fundamentals and build skills. If you need some excellent classes to learn SQL and Database, I suggest you check this list of Top 5 SQL Courses for Programmers on HackerNoon to level up your SQL skill and learn new tricks to do well on your day-to-day job.

The Blockchain Technology Learning List for 2026 (10 Courses and Certifications That Matter)

2026-04-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

image_credit — 101 Blockchains.com

Hello guys, if you are not living under the rock then you would have heard about Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies. If you are looking for Blockchain training courses and certification then you have come to the right place.

Disclosure — Btw, some of these links are affiliate links and I may get paid if you join these courses using my links.

In the past, I have shared free courses to learn Blockchain, and today, in this article, I am going to share the best Blockchain certifications and online courses to learn Blockchain programming from Udemy, Coursera, Pluralsight, and other websites.

But, before that, let's get a quick overview of what is Blockchain and why it’s popular, and why you should learn Blockchain in depth.

Blockchain is nothing but a set of blocks that are open for anyone and contain information and the hash of the block and some other info.

Every block will store information depending on its work for instance if that block is used for money transactions it will store the information of the sender and receiver and the amount of money that is transferred.

Here is a nice diagram from 101 Blockchains.com which nicely explains how Blockchain works:

There are many uses of the blockchain not just transferring money for example such as online voting because this is a more secure way and stock trading food production and more just to name a few.

Many companies now are seeing that the blockchain is the future technology that they should adopt for a more secure way of transaction dealing with users and more and the salary for a blockchain developer can be $68k annually and can reach up to $150k for the expert developers.

Now, after reading this small introduction about the blockchain you will see the best blockchain online courses and certification recommendations that will help you to become a blockchain developer and make the work better and more secure.

10 Best Courses and Certifications to Become a Blockchain Developer in 2026

Without wasting any more of your time, here is a list of the best online courses and certifications you can take to become a Blockchain developer.

These are the best online training courses to learn Blockchain and they not only cover the theory part but also show you how to create a Blockchain project step by step with real-world code.

We will first see the best Blockchain Certification program to join online and after that, we will see online courses and tutorials to learn Blockchain from Udemy, and other online portals.

1. Certified Enterprise Blockchain Professional by 101 Blockchains

This is a comprehensive online course, and blockchain training program to become an enterprise-level Blockchain Professional. It’s a 4-week program with 3 to 4 sessions each week to learn Blockchain in-depth with proof of work and become a certified Blockchain developer.

Why did we choose this course?

This course provides an industry-recognized Blockchain Certificate known as CEBP or Certified Enterprise Blockchain Professional

Here are the key things you will learn in this program:

understand the core concepts of Blockchain technology and its ecosystem
learn how to approach the blockchain implementation
learn up-to-date tools to become an effective Blockchain professional
pubic and private Blockchains
how to create smart contracts

Here is the link to join this Blockchain certification — Certified Enterprise Blockchain Professional

Some of you may find this course a bit expensive at $397 but it’s trusted by many organizations like IBM, Capgemini, Cisco, Cognizant, and other industry players, which makes it worthy to join.

Due to the current global situation, they are also offering a 30% discount now. You can use the code BCHAIN30 to get 30% off on the Enterprise Blockchain Professional Certification course.

You will also get a certification as shown below which you’d use to add to your Resume or LinkedIn profile to showcase your Blockchain skills and experience.

When it comes to joining this certification, you can join this individually or you can get a 101 Blockchain Membership which not only gives you access to this certification but also several other powerful and in-demand Blockchain and Web3 certifications and courses for just $25 per month on their annual plan (50% discount now).

This certification is also officially CPD accredited.

2. Blockchain Specialization — Coursera

This is another popular Blockchain Certification from Coursera that will teach you as a beginner to an advanced level of blockchain and how to create smart contracts and secure channels developing decentralized applications you could take this specialization in Coursera.

If you like the Coursera learning platform then this is the best Coursera Specialization to learn Blockchain. If you don’t Coursera Specialization is a collection of courses and projects and after completing them you will receive a Blockchain certification.

Starting as usual by the concepts of blockchain cryptography then moving to create the smart contracts that let the user define some rules and when those rules are met it will execute some codes and then develop a decentralized application and much more to do.

You will learn in this course:

The Blockchain basics.
Creating smart contracts.
Developing a decentralized application.

After completing this Blockchain specialization on Coursera, you will also learn a certification that you can add to your CV or put on your LinkedIn profile.

Here is the link to join this Blockchain specialization — Blockchain Specialization

By the way, if you find Coursera specialization and certifications useful then you should also join Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera that provides you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specializations, professional certificates, and guided projects. It costs around $399/year but it's completely worth your money as you get unlimited certificates

Coursera Plus | Unlimited Access to 7,000+ Online Courses

Invest in your professional goals with Coursera Plus. Get Unlimited access to over 90% of courses, Projects…

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Now, let’s jump into the best online courses to learn Blockchain in depth. This list contains both beginner-level Blockchain courses as well as advanced courses to learn Blockchain, solidarity, and Ethereum for experienced developers.

The list contains the best Blockchain courses from Udemy, Educative, edX, and CodeCademy. These are also the most popular online learning portals for tech skills.

3. Blockchain A-Z™: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain

This is another comprehensive and hands-on course to learn Blockchain from Udemy.

Completing and developing secure blockchain technology with another course that will teach you how to blockchain and understand the theory behind cryptocurrency transactions.

Starting with some theoretical lessons on what is the blockchain and how it works the cryptography fundamentals then you will start the environment development such as installing the environment on your machine creating smart contracts designing and developing a decentralized application and finally deploying your app.

You will learn in this course:

Theoretical lessons on the Blockchain.
Develop your smart contract and Blockchain.
Create your Cryptocurrency

Here is the link to join this Blockchain course — Blockchain A-Z™

In short, one of the best courses to understand what is Blockchain and how cryptocurrency things work. This course was created by Kirill Eremenko and his SuperDataScience team which is behind many great Machine Learning, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence courses.

4. Blockchain Developer Nano Degree on Udacity

You may not know but Udacity has a couple of best Blockchain courses for both beginners and intermediate developers.

In this program, you will learn blockchain, from fundamentals to smart contracts. This is a two-part program to learn Blockchain in depth.

In the first part of this program, you’ll learn about blockchain fundamentals and explore blockchain networks, information sharing, and consensus mechanisms.

You’ll also learn about blockchain wallets and other real-world blockchain applications. At the end of the course, you’ll complete a project where you evaluate a blockchain use case.

The second part of the program is designed for those looking to develop technical skills in writing and deploying smart contracts using Solidity, preparing you to take smart contracts from development to production.

You’ll learn basic Solidity syntax, design patterns, dApp interactions, and Hardhat for testing smart contracts. In the final project, you’ll code a collateralized loan smart contract.

Overall a great Blockchain course or program to build Blockchain and Solidity skills, Smart Contracts and Testnets, etc. You will also receive a certification as shown below:

Here is the link to join this Blockchain course on Udacity — Blockchain Developer Nano Degree on Udacity

5. Learning Blockchain Development with EOS and C++ (Udemy)

The last one in this article targets C++ developers to create solid blockchain technology designing and deploying smart contracts as well as learning the dApp ecosystem.

By using different libraries inside your code you will start with a refresher of the C++ programming language fundamentals and then build the blockchain Ethereum technology the decentralized application and much more.

You will learn in this course:

Learn the basics of blockchain.
Learn how to code using the C++ language.
Building the decentralized app.

Here is the link to join this course — Learning Blockchain Development with EOS and C++

6. Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developer’s Guide (Udemy)

If you like Udemy courses then this is the best Udemy course to learn Blockchain.

This course is designed for programmers who have a solid understanding of JavaScript and npm because you will be exploring step-by-step how to create the code and every bit of syntax to make sure that you fully understand what you are doing.

You will learn in this course:

Learn concepts about Blockchain and Ethereum.
Build design and deploy your application.
Create secure smart contracts.

You will start by exploring the Ethereum cryptocurrency and some concepts then move to the code phase and start implementing JavaScript to create the smart contract with solidity build interactive front-end infrastructure of the project deploy your app and much more.

Here is the link to join this course — Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developer’s Guide

The best thing about this course is that it was created by Stephen Grider, who is one of the best instructors on Udemy and author of courses like Modern React with Redux on Udemy, which is joined by more than 600K developers.

7. Blockchain Technology on edX

This is another awesome online course to learn Blockchain and become a Blockchain developer. This course is offered by BerkeleyX and it's also part of professional certification.

Developed by Blockchain at Berkeley and faculty from UC Berkeley’s premier Computer Science department, this course provides a wide overview of many of the topics relating to and building upon the foundation of Bitcoin and blockchain technology.

This is also a good course to learn various enterprise-level blockchain implementations, such as JP Morgan’s Quorum, Ripple, Tendermint, and HyperLedger, including the industry use cases for blockchain, ICOs, and the increasing regulations surrounding blockchain.

Here is the link to join this course — Blockchain Technology

This course is effectively free for learning but you need to pay for certificates.

8. Become a Blockchain Developer (Educative)

This is another great course to learn Blockchain in depth, what makes it different from other courses is that it's a text-based course from Educative, an online learning platform that allows you to run code in the browser and learn along the way.

In this course, we will build blockchain concepts from the ground up. We will start with basic cryptography constructs, like hash functions and PKI encryption, to first build a solid base for understanding blockchain and appreciate its value.

Then, we will explore the Hyperledger Fabric technology by IBM using a hands-on development environment within your browser. This online Blockchain course is a great starting point for engineers looking to develop expertise in blockchain technology with a Hyperledger Fabric specialty.

Here is the link to join this course — Become a Blockchain Developer

You can either buy this course alone or join the Educative platform by taking their Educative Subscription for $18 per month. Educative is also offering now a whopping 47% discount on their yearly subscription.

As a programmer, there is a lot to learn and sometimes you want the simplicity of taking multiple courses without paying for each one. With this subscription model, you can now just pay once and get full access to every course on Educative. I highly recommend this to programmers and developers.

Introducing: Educative Subscriptions. Get unlimited access!

The tech landscape never stands still, and neither do we. We regularly update the courses and keep on adding new ones…

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9. Learn the Basics of Blockchain with Python (Codecademy)

If you want to learn Blockchain with Python and looking for a hands-on course then there is no better course than Codecademy’s Learn the Basics of Blockchain with Python.

I like Codecademy’s interactive learning platform and have used this in the past to learn JavaScript, Python, and Java. It’s great, you don’t need to set up anything, just log in follow the instructor execute code in the browser, and practice online.

In this course, you’ll learn the structure and properties of the blockchain itself and the individual blocks that make it up.

You’ll understand the blockchain features that provide security between different blockchain participants. You’ll visualize different aspects of the blockchain and create and tamper with your blocks through interactive simulations.

Here is the link to join this course — Learn the Basics of Blockchain with Python

The majority of this course requires no prior knowledge. But, if you have some Python experience, you’ll be able to build a small blockchain library in Python, including a Blockchain class and a Block class. Add functionality to add blocks, create hashes, and verify the chain.

Btw, you would need a CodeCademy PRO to join this course. It costs around $15.99 per month on a yearly plan and provides access to all the Codecademy content, courses, quizzes, and projects. You can use this to earn, practice & apply job-ready skills.

Paid Plans | Codecademy

Whether you want to learn the basics, build your technical skills, or prepare for a new tech career, we're here to…

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10. Solidity, Ethereum, and Blockchain: The Complete Developer’s Guide by ZTM Academy

If you want to become a blockchain developer and looking for the best course to learn Solidity, Ethereum, and Blockchain fundamentals in just one course then this course is for you.

This course is also for all those people who want to develop Smart Contracts as a complete beginner.

This course is created by a 10-years experienced Blockchain developer and trainer for ZTM Academy, an online learning portal by Andrei, one of my favorite Udemy instructors.

In this ZTM Blockchain course, you will learn Solidity fundamentals to advanced blockchain technologies so that you’ll be able to go from beginner to building your web3 projects and getting hired as a Blockchain Developer.

This course claims to make you a top 10% Blockchain Developer so you can go out and get a job in this field that has extremely high demand with not enough skilled workers looking at their curriculum, instructor experience, and overall course quality, looks quite possible.

I highly recommend you join this course if you are serious about becoming a blockchain developer.

Here is the link to join this course — Solidity, Ethereum, and Blockchain: The Complete Developer’s Guide

Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like this Python course. You can also use my code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on any subscription you choose.

Learn In-Demand Skills. Get Hired. Advance Your Career. | Zero To Mastery

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3. Blockchain Certification and Courses FAQ

Now, let’s see some frequently asked questions about Blockchain Certifications and Courses from beginners and people interested in jumping into the Blockchain field:

Is there any certification for Blockchain?
While there is no official Blockchain certification like you have Java and Spring certification or AWS or Azure certification there are many independent organizations that provide Blockchain certifications like Coursera and 101 Blockchains.
Which is the best Blockchain Certification?
This is a subjective question, but if you want recognition then Coursera’s Blockchain Certification is the best, in my opinion, 3rd in this list but if you want to learn Blockchain in-depth then 101 Blockchains Certified Enterprise Blockchain Professional(CEBP) is the best certification.
Is a certified Blockchain expert worth it?
Definitely, because there is a lot of demand for Blockchain developers and there are not many in the market. A Blockchain certification can distinguish you from competitors and also provide you with all the knowledge you need to excel in your career.
How much does a Blockchain certification cost?
Cost varies depending upon which you are taking which certification. Coursera’s Blockchain certification can be available for $39 per month, and it would take a couple of months to complete the certification program.
How long does it take to become a Blockchain developer?
Well, that’s again a subjective question and the answer varies a lot depending upon how much time you’re spending in learning Blockchain, how much coding you’re doing, and what is your background. It can take anywhere between 3 months to 3 years to learn Blockchain and become a proficient Blockchain developer.

Blockchain

Innovate with the Next Frontier in Technology. Learn how the blockchain is leading to a paradigm shift in decentralized…

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That’s all about the best Blockchain courses and certifications you can join to learn Blockchain in depth. Blockchain isn’t just a way for sending secure money but it is used for other things such as monitoring supply chains or for people who want to control their digital identity which means that they can get access to financial services in the poor regions in this world.

Other Technical Articles you may like:

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find these Blockchain online courses and certifications useful then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.

P.S. — If you are keen to learn about Blockchain and how to create your Blockchain and smart contracts but are looking for free online training courses to start with then you can also check out this Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain course on Udemy. It’s completely free and you just need an Udemy account to watch this course, which is also free.

Free Cryptocurrency Tutorial - Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain

Vizitech is a technology company focused on catering solutions to the Financial services sector. Over the past few…

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The System Design Learning List for 2026 (6 Courses That Matter)

2026-04-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, if you are preparing for Software Engineer or Software Developer Job interview then you may know that how important is to prepare for System Design, especially if you want to get a developer job on top tier company like Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple and Netflix.

In the past, I have shared several resources for System design interview preparation like best System Design Interview Books, websites, and popular Software design questions for practice, and today, I am going to share best System Design courses from Udemy, one of my favorite place to learn anything related to tech.

Why Udemy? Well, my reason to choose Udemy was mainly for its affordable price. There is no other place where you can find 50+ hours of top quality courses for just $10.

Apart from price, choice is another reasons why I like to learn on Udemy. It’s the largest market place of online courses and you will have plenty of choices.

If you enroll in a course and don’t like the instructor or his way of explanation or content, you can ask for refund and choice another course.

This is the facility, which I have never found anywhere else, except subscription based sites like Educative , ByteByteGo, Design Guru, Exponent, Codemia.io, and Bugfree.ai.

That’s why I always go to Udemy to enroll into the System Design courses and today I am going to share few gems from my collection.

By the way, if you are in hurry then just go and join Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane, a 5 hour course from an ex Amazon Hiring manager where he share proper process and insider tips to crack the System design interviews on FAANG or MAANG companies.

You can also get this course now for just $10 as Udemy is running their biggest sale. I already bought 50+ courses to learn in-demand skills this year. You can also join this course for a discount, you will thank me later.

6 Best High Level and Low Level System Design Courses You can Join on Udemy in 2026

Without any further ado, here is my favorite System design courses you can join on Udemy. These System design courses are created by System design expert and current and ex-FAANG employees who have served on both side of table.

I mean they have not only cleared the interviews as a candidate but also taken interviews as hiring manager.

There are plenty to learn form these experienced hands and these course provide that opportunity to you. If you are serious about your System design interview preparation then you will love these courses for sure.

1. Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane

This was one of the first System design interview course I joined on Udemy. I have known Frank Kane from his previous courses on Big Data and Scala and was big fan of his teaching style and content.

So, when he release his System design course, I immediately joined the course and I must say I wasn’t disappointed.

The course not only cover key system design concepts like caching, scalability, sharding, security, and software architecture but also answer frequently asked System design questions like difference between Horizontal and Vertical Scaling, and API Gateway vs Load Balancers.

The course not only touch base upon Big Data, ACID properties, Data Structures and Algorithms but also share strategies to tackle pressure of System design interviews and how to answer system design questions.

For practice, you will also solve popular System Design problems like URL Shortening, and Web Crawlers and learn how to apply your knowledge on solving System design problem.

Talking about social proof, more than 62,373 students have already joined this course and it has on average 4.6 rating from close to 8800 raters which is amazing.

Frank has done amazing job with this course. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is preparing for System Design interview in 2026.

Here is the link to join this course — Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane

2. Rocking System Design by Rajdeep Saha

If you need an alternative of Frank’s course then you can checkout this Rocking System Design course by Rajdeep Saha. This one was my first course of Rajdeep and I didn’t know him before. Rajdeep is a AWS solution architect and that shows in his course.

In this course, you will not only learn how to answer System design questions on interview but also learn about Cloud Computing, particularly AWS and how to design applications for Cloud.

This 9-hour online course covers AWS implementation of the design using Kubernetes, Lambda, API Gateway, EC2, ALB, NLB etc, and also touch base upon core system design concepts like scaling, sharding, hashing, microservices, load balancers, security, well architected framework, and more

The course is also full of quizzes and exercises. You can test your knowledge with up-to-date system design quizzes. Talking about social proof, more than 13,381 engineers have already joined this course and on average it has 4.5 rating which is quite amazing.

Here is the link to join this course — — Rocking System Design by Rajdeep Saha

By the way, if you want to join multiple course on Udemy, its may be worth getting a Udemy Personal Plan, which will give instant access of more than 11,000 top quality Udemy courses for just $30 a month.

3. System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture by CodeKarle

This is another Udemy course on System Design interview which is created by an ex FAANG engineer, Sandeep Kaul. Sandeep is an Experienced Tech Lead/Architect with a huge breadth and depth of knowledge based on his experience on a wide variety of technologies that he has worked on in his career, and that shows in this course.

In this System Design Interview Guide you will not only learn the strategy to crack your next High Level System Design Interview but also learn about Distributed Systems, Microservices Architecture, Databases, Software Architecture, Analytics, and Design Patterns, which will also be used in your day-to-day task and help become a better engineer.

You will also find solutions to the most common Interview Questions at FAANGs like how to design WhatsApp, how to design Uber, How to design Amazon, How to design Twitter, YouTube, AirBnb and many other real apps.

The course also comes with a lot of quizzes and coding problems which you can use to further solidify your knowledge .

In short, one of the best course on high level system design. I absolutely loved it. Sandeep covers each topic in sufficient detail and his deep understanding of various technical aspects shines throughout the course.

I highly recommend it to anyone interested in taking their system design skills to the next level.

Here is the link to join this course — System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture by CodeKarle

4. Pragmatic System Design by Alexey Soshin

This 5-hour long System design interview course on Udemy is created by Alexy Soshin, a Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services. Alexy is a well known expert in System design and also author of “Kotlin Design Patterns and Best Practices” book.

He has also one of the coauthor of “97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know” book, one of my favorite Java book of recent time. Where you will find 97 essays from different expert on key technical topics.

In this System design course on Udemy, you will learn not only learn how ow to solve most popular FANG interview questions but also

important scalability concepts
Common communication protocols
Caching and Redis
Concurrency
Database design and PostgreSQL
Sharding strategies, and much more.

Talking about social proof, more than 26,522 software engineers have already joined this course and on average it has 4.3 rating out of 5 which is great.

Here is the link to join this course — Pragmatic System Design by Alexey Soshin

5. The “BigTech” System Design Interview Bootcamp

If you are looking for a bootcamp style course to prepare for System design interview in 2026 then you will love this course. It provides complete guide to nail your next System Design Interview with Hands-On, Project-Based learning with discord community!

Created by Fabien HinsenKamp, an SSE @ Amazon, this course provides Hands-on experience with component-level system design and real-world application through 10 mock interview challenges.

The course also provides a prefect introduction to System Design, what I loved about this course was not just the technical information taught, but also the tips provided on how to crack the technical interview.

Since Fabien is already working in Microsoft and have gone through the same path and crack the code, his tips are battle hardened and quite valuable.

Fabian ia also very responsive and available on Udemy and Discord for Questions and Queries. And he does not spoon-feed the answers, but ignites that curiosity to learn more about the topics you find interesting, which a sign of a great teacher.

If you want to crack your next System Design interview and just starting then you can join this course. More than 22,292 students have already joined this course.

Here is the link to join this course — The “BigTech” System Design Interview Bootcamp

6. Low Level System Design [An interview perspective]

While most of the course in this list covers high level system design I thought to include one course from Low Level system design to balance things out and also because Low Level System design is also important for crack tech interviews.

Created by Abhishek Ghosh, this course will teach you how to begin coding by keeping extensibility in mind. You will learn how to weed out unnecessary information from the problem definition, identify traction, and create a class diagram with it

You will also learn about how to write test cases for the problem as and when required and gain necessary exposure and modifications to the API for code sustainability

The course also teach you how to use encapsulation when required and generate desired accessors and mutators. Most importantly you will learn how to complete code during interview time and ain insight into fallback plans in emergency cases, which always happens.

Talking about social proof, more than 4,810 students have already joined this course and it has on average 4.5 rating which is quite nice for a low level system design course. If you want to master Low Level System design, I highly recommend this course.

Here is the link to join this course — Low Level System Design [An interview perspective]

That’s all about the best online courses you can join to prepare for System Design interviews on Udemy. System Design is very vast topic that’s why you need a couple of courses to really cover them.

I have learned better when I learn from two different instructors and that’s why I have shared System Design courses from different instructor in this list.

Also, all these courses are very affordable and you can get it for just $10 now on Udemy Sale. Even if you don’t have time to watch the course now, you can enroll at them now at a lower price to save money and complete it later when you have time.

I have already bought 50+ courses on recent Udemy sale on System Design, Programming and other technical topics.

And, if you want to join multiple course on Udemy, its may be worth getting a Udemy Personal Plan, which will give instant access of more than 11,000 top quality Udemy courses for just $30 a month.

Review — Is the Udemy Personal Plan Worth It?

Is Udemy’s Personal Plan better than buying individual courses?

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Other Programming Articles and Tutorials you may like

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these System design interview courses form Udemy then please share with your friends If you got any other System design course which should be in this list, let me know in comments. Everybody loves great resources and happy learning System design.

P. S. — If you want to do just one thing to learn System Design in depth then I also suggest you to checkout Frank Kane’s Mastering the System Design Interview course on Udemy. Frank is an ex-hiring manager and know what it takes to crack System design interview of those big FAANG companies .

Top 10 Udemy Courses to Learn System Design and Software Architecture in 2026

My favorite Udemy courses to learn System Design and Software Architecture in 2026

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7 Best Cybersecurity Courses If You Want to Stay Relevant in 2026

2026-04-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, if you want to learn about Cyber Security and become a successful Cyber security professional and looking for best resources to learn essential skills you need to become a Cyber security engineer or analyst then you have come to the right place

Earlier, I have shared best Cyber security courses, books, and a complete Cyber security Analyst roadmap and today I am going to share best Cyber security courses you can join on Udemy.

Why Udemy? Well, when I shared cyber security courses and certifications last time, many of my reader ask me about more affordable option and there is no other platform online which can match Udemy when it comes to affordability. .

Udemy is the only platform where you will find comprehensive and high-quality technical courses at an affordable price of $10 during their sale like the one they are running now.

I usually buy a lot of online courses during these sales and then keep learning from them throughout the year.

I recently bought more than 50 courses on topics like Cybersecurity, System Design, Software Architecture, Generative AI, and Coding Interview preparation.

These courses are from that collection, you can join them to learn all the essential skills, tools, and concepts to succeed as a Cyber Security Engineer or Analyst.

Though, if you are in hurry and can’t read the full article, I suggest you to go and join The Complete Cyber Security Course by Nathan House you will not regret it and thank me alter.

7 Best Cybersecurity Courses on Udemy in 2026

Without any further ado, let’s checkout the best Cyber security courses you can join on Udemy in 2026. These are super high quality courses, created by experts like Nathan House and you can also get it for very affordable price right now.

1. The Complete Cyber Security Course : Hackers Exposed!

This is probably the most popular Udemy course to learn Cyber Security and why not? It’s created by Nathan House, a Cyber Security expert and CE of StationX, a leading Cybersecurity learning platform, and it covers the topic in so much detail that you would need multiple modules.

In this course, you’ll learn advanced about advanced tools and techniques to defeat various online threats, including advanced hackers, trackers, malware, and government mass surveillance.

The course also covers operating system security, privacy, and patching across Windows, MacOS, and Linux. You’ll explore the threat landscape, delving into darknets, dark markets, zero-day vulnerabilities, exploit kits, malware, phishing, and more.

Additionally, you’ll master encryption through an easy-to-follow crash course, empowering you with the knowledge to secure digital environments effectively.

Talking about social proof, more than 287,000 people have already joined this course and it has unbelievable 4.5 rating from close to 59K participants.

Here is the link to join this course — — The Complete Cyber Security Course : Hackers Exposed!

2. Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch 2026

This is another awesome course on Udemy which you can join to learn about Ethical Hacking and how to security your application, company and infrastructure from them.

Created by Zaid Sabih, an Ethical Hacker, Computer Scientist & CEO of zSecurity, this course will teach you everything you need to learn to become a successful Ethical Hacker in 2026.

This comprehensive course has over 145 videos and 15+ hours of instruction to teach you ethical hacking and cybersecurity from scratch.

In this course you will learn about 30 hacking tools, such as Metasploit, Aircrack-ng, and SQLmap, you’ll engage in 85+ hands-on real-life hacking examples, all without requiring any prior knowledge.

You’ll learn to hack and secure both WiFi and wired networks, hack cloud servers, create backdoors, and hack Windows systems. The course takes you from a beginner to a high-intermediate level, covering web application vulnerabilities, network hacking, and penetration testing.

You’ll explore various hacking fields and install a hacking lab with necessary software on Windows, OS X, and Linux. You’ll also discover and exploit server vulnerabilities, hack secure systems using client-side and social engineering, and secure systems against all demonstrated attacks.

The course will also teach you about installing and using Kali Linux, mastering Linux basics and commands, and using the Linux terminal. You’ll learn network fundamentals, how devices interact, and how to run network attacks without knowing the key.

Talking about social proof, more than 700K people have already joined this course and it has on average 4.6 rating which is just phenomenal for any course. .

Here is the link to join this course — — Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch 2026

3. The Complete Cyber Security Course : Network Security!

This is another course from Nathan where he talk about Network security, one of the most critical component of Cyber Security.

Created by Nathan House, this comprehensive course provides an advanced practical skill-set in network security, protecting against threats such as advanced hackers, trackers, and Wi-Fi attacks.

It covers the latest methods and information, preparing you for a career as a cybersecurity specialist. You will learn to identify security vulnerabilities across entire networks using hacking techniques and vulnerability scanning.

The course also teaches you how to configure firewalls on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, architect secure networks, and perform network monitoring with tools like Wiresharkand Tcpdump.

It addresses online tracking by corporations and nation-states, search engine privacy, and best practices for authentication and password management.

Upon completion, you can also earn a certificate signed by the instructor, Nathan House, for CPE credits.

Here is the link to join this course — The Complete Cyber Security Course : Network Security!

4. Cyber Security: From Beginner to Expert (2026)

This is another course you can join on Udemy to learn Cyber Security from scratch. Created by Logix Academy, this course will teach you all the security best practices, tools, and techniques a Cyber security engineer should know.

In this Cyber Security course on Udemy you will learn about security governance, network security, cyber attacks, web application security, and malware, with a focus on practical cybersecurity skills through hands-on labs.

It also prepares you for cybersecurity interviews by covering common questions and effective responses.

Additionally, the course helps you get ready for in-demand certifications like CompTIA Security+ and CEH, equipping you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the field of cybersecurity.

This is also one of the highest rated Cyber security course on Udemy with on average 4.6 rating from 52,548 students.

Here is the link to join this course — — Cyber Security: From Beginner to Expert

5. CompTIA CySA+ (CS0–003) Complete Course & Practice Exam

If you are looking for an online course to prepare for CompTIA Security+ certification then this course is for you. Created by Jason Dion, a cyber security expert and ex college professor.

He has done almost all the security certification you can think of like Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA), Digital Forensic Examiner (DFE), Digital Media Collector (DMC), CySA+, Security+, Network+, A+, PRINCE2 Practitioner, and ITIL, and it shows in this course.

In this certification prep course, you will learn how to pass the CompTIA CySA+ (CS0–003) certification exam, and getting a deep understanding of security operations, threat and vulnerability management, and cyber incident response.

You’ll also learn how to establish a robust security architecture for your networks and gain insights into various cybersecurity tools available on the market, understanding their applications in different scenarios.

Through comprehensive instruction and practical examples, you’ll be well-prepared to excel in the CompTIA CySA+ certification and enhance your expertise in cybersecurity.

Talking about social proof, more than 23,735 people have already joined this course to prepare for CompTIA Security+ certification.

Here is the link to join this course — — CompTIA CySA+ (CS0–003) Complete Course & Practice Exam

6. Information Security Management Fundamentals for Non-Techies

If you want to learn about Information Security and looking for an affordable online course then you can join this Info security course on Udemy in 2026.

Created by Alton Teaches LLC, this 12. 5 course is great to start learning key Information security concepts.

Here are things you will learn in this course:

Understand the Fundamentals of Information Security Management
Understand different aspects of IT Security
Be Prepared for More Advanced Information Security Courses
Better Protect Your Business & I.T. Infrastructure

Talking about social proof, more than 54,619 professionals have already joined this course to learn Information security and it has got on average 4.6 rating which is just amazing.

Here is the link to join this course — — Information Security Management Fundamentals for Non-Techies

7. The Complete Hands-On Cybersecurity Analyst Course

If you are looking for a well structured course to become a Cybersecurity Analyst in 2026 then this Udemy course is for you.

Created by Mike S. and Jose G. this is an hands-on course to learn all the tools, techniques, and best practices you need to survive in Cybersecurity field.

This one is similar to Google’s Cybersecurity Professional Certificate on Coursera.

For example, you will learn a wide range of cybersecurity skills including basic through advanced skills; ranging from Linux basics to penetration testing and malware analysis.

You will also learn how to build home lab virtual environments for hands-on learning, testing tools safely, enhancing skills, and simulating real-world cybersecurity scenarios.

More importantly you will get practical experience from projects and labs that can be added to resume/cv and portfolios.

Talking about the social proof, more than 3,023 people have already joined this course in very quick time and it has rave reviews with on average 4.7 rating out of 5, which makes it one of the highest rated Udemy course on Cyber security.

Here is the link to join this course — — The Complete Hands-On Cybersecurity Analyst Course

That’s all about the best online courses to learn Cyber Security in 2026. All of these courses are also very affordable and you can get it for just $10 now on Udemy sale.

Even if you don’t have time to complete the course now, you can enroll for a low price now and then when you have time, you can complete it.

Other Certification Resources for IT Professionals and Java Programmers

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these Cyber Security online courses then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.

P. S. — — If you are looking for a free course to learn cyber security in 2026 then you can start with this Cyber Security Course for Beginners course on Udemy. It’s completely free and if you need more choices you can also find it here

Top 5 Free Cyber Security Courses for Beginners to Learn in 2026 - Best of Lot

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The Software Architect's Reading List for 2026 (10 Books That Matter)

2026-04-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been a senior engineer, software developer or software architect for a few years, you know that writing code is only a small part of the job. Understanding how to design scalable, reliable systems and architect maintainable software is what separates senior engineers from the rest.

Over the past few years, I’ve read more than 20 books on Software Architecture and System Design — some were too theoretical, others were gold mines of real-world wisdom.

In this post, I’m sharing the top 10 books that truly shaped how I think about architecture and system design.

These aren’t just books you skim through. Each of them offers practical insights, proven architectural patterns, and lessons learned from real-world systems like Google, Amazon, and Spotify.

Whether you’re preparing for a system design interview, trying to become a software architect, or just want to level up your design thinking, these books are worth your time.

Before we start, if you want to complement your reading with hands-on learning, check out these excellent resources:

ByteByteGo — System Design videos, case studies, and a framework for interviews.
Design Gurus — Interactive system design problems and mock interviews.
Exponent — Mock interviews and system design lessons from FAANG engineers.
Educative — Text-based, interactive system design courses.
Codemia.io — A Newer platform focused on real-world design prep.
Udemy — Great for budget-friendly system design and architecture courses.

System Design · Coding · Behavioral · Machine Learning Interviews

Everything you need to take your system design skill to the next level

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Codemia | Master System Design Interviews Through Active Practice

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Top 10 Software Architecture Books for Experienced Developers

Here are the 7 books you can read to transition from a senior software engineer to Software architect role:

1. Head First Software Architecture

If you’re just getting into architecture, this is the perfect place to start. It follows the signature Head First style — engaging visuals, brain-friendly exercises, and practical examples that simplify tough topics.

After reading Head First Design Patterns and Head First Object-Oriented Analysis, I had high hopes for this one — and it didn’t disappoint.

It breaks down software architecture fundamentals in a way that’s approachable even if you don’t have a formal background in architecture.

If you’re aiming to become a tech lead or architect, this book will give you a solid foundation to think beyond code and into system-level decisions.

2. Software Architecture: The Hard Parts — Neal Ford, Mark Richards, Pramod Sadalage, and Zhamak Dehghani

This is not a book you read — it’s one you study.

In Software Architecture: The Hard Parts, the authors go beyond diagrams and buzzwords to show you how to make trade-off decisions in complex distributed systems.

You’ll learn how to evaluate coupling versus cohesion, how to think about data ownership in microservices, and how to design architectures that evolve safely over time.

The book emphasizes that architecture is about managing trade-offs, not finding perfect solutions — a mindset that separates real software architects from senior developers.

If you want to build systems that are scalable, maintainable, and grounded in real-world constraints, this book will reshape how you think about architecture decisions.

3. Fundamentals of Software Architecture — Mark Richards and Neal Ford

If you’ve ever wondered how to transition from a strong senior engineer to a true architect, Fundamentals of Software Architecture is the bridge.

This book clearly explains what software architecture really means — beyond UML diagrams and buzzwords. You’ll learn architectural styles, quality attributes, communication patterns, and how to reason about systems as a whole.

What makes it exceptional is how it blends theory with practice. Richards and Ford draw on decades of experience to show how to think like an architect without losing your developer instincts.

It’s one of the best books to read early in your architecture journey — especially if you’re trying to understand how design, communication, and technical strategy fit together.

4. Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann

This is the most comprehensive and technical book on the list — often referred to as the Bible of modern system design.

Martin Kleppmann covers everything from data storage and replication to distributed systems, stream processing, and scalability.

It’s not an easy read, but it’s worth every page. The concepts here will make you see architecture in a whole new light.

If you pair this with Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane (Ex-Amazon), you’ll not only understand how systems work but also how to explain them clearly in interviews.

There is also a newer edition of this book which is now available and I recommend reading that.

5. System Design Interview — An Insider’s Guide

Written by Alex Xu, this is the definitive book for system design interviews. The diagrams and step-by-step breakdowns are incredibly helpful for visual learners.

Even better, Alex has expanded this into an entire ByteByteGo platform, where you’ll find in-depth videos, frameworks, and new content like “Design YouTube” and “Design WhatsApp”.

If you’re actively preparing for system design interviews, this is a must-read — and the ByteByteGo lifetime plan is easily the best long-term value for continuous learning. They are also offering a rare 50% discount now.

If you get the platform access, you will not just get the content of these two books but also all of their 7 books, including OOP Design, ML System Design, and Generative AI System, Coding interview patterns tec.

6. Software Engineering at Google

This isn’t just a book about coding — it’s a deep dive into how Google scales its engineering culture.

It discusses code health, team design, testing at scale, and the trade-offs engineers face every day. You’ll learn what “software engineering over time” really means and how Google balances velocity with quality.

It’s a must-read for senior developers and tech leads who want to grow beyond individual contribution and understand how massive systems evolve sustainably.

7. Clean Architecture

Written by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob), this is part of his legendary “Clean Code” trilogy.

It focuses on designing systems that are flexible, testable, and easy to maintain — all through timeless architectural principles.

This book is ideal for senior engineers transitioning into architectural roles. Combine it with Software Design and Architecture Specialization on Coursera for a practical, project-based approach to applying what you learn.

Honorable Mentions (Also Worth Reading)

Here are few more books which I read and also deserve a mention for those who like to read books:

Head First Design Patterns — Learn patterns the fun, visual way.
Hacking the System Design Interview — Great interview-oriented book by a Google engineer.
System Analysis and Design by Scott Tilley — Classic textbook on system lifecycle design.
Modern Systems Analysis and Design — A complete reference for system modeling and documentation.

Software Architecture: The Hard Parts: Modern Trade-Off Analyses for Distributed Architectures

Software Architecture: The Hard Parts: Modern Trade-Off Analyses for Distributed Architectures [Ford, Neal, Richards…

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Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach

Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach [Richards, Mark, Ford, Neal] on Amazon.com. FREE…

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Head First Design Patterns: Building Extensible and Maintainable Object-Oriented Software 2nd…

Head First Design Patterns: Building Extensible and Maintainable Object-Oriented Software 2nd Edition [Freeman, Eric…

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Bonus: Free eBook on Distributed Systems

Don’t miss this free resource from Microsoft: Designing Distributed Systems (Free eBook)

Final Thoughts

If I had to pick just one book to start with, it would be Head First Software Architecture. If you’re more advanced, go for Designing Data-Intensive Applications and Clean Architecture back-to-back.

Books can give you depth, but pairing them with interactive courses and real-world design challenges from ByteByteGo, DesignGurus, or Educative will give you mastery.

Architecture isn’t about memorizing patterns — it’s about understanding trade-offs and designing systems that evolve gracefully. These books helped me get there — and I’m confident they’ll do the same for you.

All the best with your learning journey !!

If you want to do just one thing at this moment, I suggest go and read Head First Software Architecture, you will thank me later.

Head First Software Architecture: A Learner's Guide to Architectural Thinking

Head First Software Architecture: A Learner's Guide to Architectural Thinking [Gandhi, Raju, Richards, Mark, Ford…

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How AlgoMonster Helped me Master DSA for Coding Interviews?

2026-04-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, let me be brutally honest with you.

After 6 months of regularly grinding LeetCode problems, I thought I was ready for coding interviews, and why not? I read blogs, write blogs and have decent years of experience.

I was dead wrong.

Because when I walked into my first FAANG interview in years and they asked me:

“Find all anagrams of a string in another string”

I panicked.

Sure, I had solved 100+ LeetCode problems. I knew basic algorithms. I could implement bubble sort in my sleep. Wrote application which is running on production and I even had ideas about two-pointers pattern and knew few others.

But I had no idea this was a sliding window pattern problem. I didn’t recognize that it was similar to dozens of other problems I’d already solved.

I started with a brute force approach.

I mentioned nested loops.

Then spent 35 minutes trying to optimize something that should have taken 15 minutes max.

I didn’t cracked the interview.

That’s when I realized something crucial: solving random problems isn’t the same as understanding algorithmic patterns.

I was memorizing solutions instead of learning to recognize when to apply specific techniques.

I needed a systematic approach to pattern recognition, not just more practice problems.

That’s when I discovered AlgoMonster, and it completely transformed how I approached coding interview preparation.

Here’s how this platform took me from randomly grinding problems to systematically recognizing patterns, and ultimately cracking multiple interviews at both FAANG and other Big Tech companies.

1. First, I Realized Random Problem Solving Wasn’t Working

Most people (including me) approach DSA preparation all wrong:

Solve problems randomly on LeetCode
Look up solutions when stuck
Move to the next problem
Hope to see similar problems in interviews

This used to work and I have cracked multiple interviews in past by following just this method but it doesn’t work anymore.

Things have evolved and now more and more companies are using platforms like HackerRank, Codility, CodingGame, and CoderPad to test candidate’s algorithmic and DSA skills where you need to solve real question online with test cases, which not just test for input but also for performance.

But here’s what I learned the hard way: coding interviews test pattern recognition, not memorization.

The same 15–20 patterns appear in 80% of coding interview problems:

Two pointers
Sliding window
Fast and slow pointers
Binary search variations
Tree traversal patterns
Dynamic programming templates
Backtracking frameworks

Random grinding wasn’t teaching me these patterns.

I was solving each problem in isolation instead of understanding the underlying algorithmic thinking.

That’s exactly what AlgoMonster fixed for me.

2. I Discovered the Power of Pattern-Based Learning

When I first logged into AlgoMonster, their approach was completely different from every other platform I’d tried.

Instead of throwing random problems at me, they organized everything around patterns:

a) Pattern Identification First

Before solving any problem, AlgoMonstertaught me to ask:

What type of data structure does this involve?
What’s the constraint or optimization goal?
Does this match a known algorithmic pattern?

b) Template-Based Solutions

Each pattern came with a clear template:

Two Pointers Pattern Template:

left, right = 0, len(array) - 1
while left < right:
    if condition_met:
        # process result
        left += 1
        right -= 1
    elif need_to_expand_search:
        left += 1
    else:
        right -= 1

Sliding Window Pattern Template:

left = 0
for right in range(len(array)):
    # expand window
    add array[right] to window
    
    while window_invalid:
        # contract window
        remove array[left] from window
        left += 1
    
    # process current window

c) Systematic Problem Progression

Instead of random difficulty jumps, problems were ordered to build pattern recognition gradually:

Basic pattern problems — learn the template
Slight variations — adapt the template
Combined patterns — use multiple techniques
Advanced applications — complex real-world scenarios

This systematic approach made everything click.

I wasn’t just solving problems — I was building a mental framework for algorithmic thinking.

They have also shared a nice chart of all top coding Patterns from FAANG interview so that you put your effort where you expect maximum gain in short amount of time.

3. I Learned Through Their Unique Three-Step Method

AlgoMonster’s problem-solving interface was unlike anything I’d seen before.

Every problem followed the same three-step process:

Step 1: Pattern Recognition

Before writing any code, I had to identify:

Which algorithmic pattern applies
Why this pattern is appropriate
What the high-level approach should be

Example: “Find the longest substring without repeating characters”

My pattern analysis:

This is a sliding window problem
We need to expand the window while characters are unique
Contract when we find duplicates
Track the maximum window size

Here is how it looks like on AlgoMonster website:

Once you choose the correct pattern, you can see whether your choice is correct or not and why that particular pattern is the correct choice.

For example, when you choose the “Sliding Window” pattern to solve the “Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters”, you can see that it validate your choice with reasoning

“Correct! The Sliding Window pattern is ideal for this problem. It allows us to efficiently check substrings without recomputing every possible combination, keeping track of the current substring in one pass through the string.”

Once you find the pattern, they also share a code template which you can use to solve any problem which is based on this pattern, for example “sliding-window” pattern in our case:

You can even choose the pattern in any programming language of your choice, this really helped me because while I am a Java developer and I prefer Java, I can also see how its done in Python.

Step 2: Implementation

Only after identifying the pattern and learning about the template could I start coding.

The platform provided:

Language-specific templates
Inline hints when I got stuck
Real-time syntax checking
Test cases to validate my solution

This is really great feature to practice coding problems online because you can type code online without installing any IDE or tools on your machine.

You don’t need to worry about test-cases as they provide comprehensive test case to test your solution for all edge-cases as well as for performance.

They even allow interface to test your solution for a custom input, which is great for debugging purpose.

Here is how it looks like in Algomonster platform:

Step 3: Complexity Analysis

After solving the problem we are not done, I had to analyze:

Time complexity and why
Space complexity and why
Potential optimizations
Edge cases to consider

This three-step process trained my brain to think like an interviewer evaluates candidates.

Pattern recognition → Clean implementation → Complexity analysis

They also share a list of top 50 coding question which often asked on interviews along with Blind 75 and other list similar to ByteByteGo 101 which you can used for practice.

In fact, practicing these questions are completely free on the AlgoMonster website all you need to do is create a free account and start practicing.

📢 Get AlgoMonster 50% OFF here → https://algomonster.io

4. I Mastered Company-Specific Question Patterns

Another huge advantage of AlgoMonster was their extensive company-specific question bank.

What I discovered about different companies:

Google Patterns:

Heavy focus on tree and graph algorithms
Complex string manipulation problems
Mathematical optimization challenges
Multi-step logical reasoning

Amazon Patterns:

Array and string manipulation
Two pointers and sliding window
Basic dynamic programming
Simple tree traversals

Meta Patterns:

Graph-based social network problems
Real-time data processing scenarios
Optimization under constraints
System design coding challenges

Microsoft Patterns:

Classic computer science problems
String and array fundamentals
Recursive problem solving
Clean, readable code emphasis

Instead of preparing generically, I could focus on patterns specific to my target companies.

This targeted approach saved me months of unfocused practice.

By the way, company specific question bank is only available inside paid subscription which I highly recommend to get you and they are offering a whopping 50% discount now, which makes Algomonster subscription even more valuable and worth it

📢 Get AlgoMonster 50% OFF here → https://algomonster.io

5. I Practiced With Their SpeedRun Feature

AlgoMonster’s Speedrun feature is designed to help you go through as many questions as quickly as possible. It is the third step of the 3-step system.

Instead of writing code for each problem, you will be given a multiple choice related to the techniques and templates used to solve the problem.

This cuts down the time to go through many problems significantly.

Why Speedrun?

Train your intuition.
In a real interview, you will be spending at least half the time identifying the algorithm to solve the question and explaining your approach to the interviewer.
Reinforces your learning.
Going through a few more problems after learning the patterns and templates reinforces what you’ve learned. Seeing many problems helps train your “intuition” when faced with a new problem.
Increase your luck.
There are only so many problems out there. The more you see, the greater chance you may encounter a problem at a real interview. You never know!
Most importantly, it saves you time! You can go through many more problems in a shorter amount of time.

6. I Built Confidence Through Systematic Progress Tracking

AlgoMonster’s progress tracking was incredibly motivating.

What they tracked:

Patterns mastered vs. patterns remaining
Problems solved by difficulty and company
Average solving time by pattern type
Success rate on first attempts
Improvement trends over time

My 4-month progress:

Month 1: Basic patterns (Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Binary Search)
Month 2: Tree and Graph algorithms
Month 3: Dynamic Programming and advanced patterns
Month 4: Company-specific problem sets and mock interviews

Seeing measurable improvement kept me motivated during difficult periods.

Instead of feeling lost in an endless sea of problems, I had clear milestones and achievement markers.

To start with, I highly recommend to solve problems in their Monster 50 questions and track your progress there.

7. I Applied Pattern Recognition in Real Interviews

The real test came during actual coding interviews.

How pattern-based thinking transformed my performance:

Before AlgoMonster:

Interviewer: “Find all anagrams of a string in another string” My brain: “Uh… nested loops? HashMap maybe? Let me think…”

After AlgoMonster:

Interviewer: “Find all anagrams of a string in another string” My brain: “This is sliding window + character frequency tracking. I need to maintain a window of the anagram length and compare character counts.”

Interview at one of Big Investment Bank

Problem: “Design a data structure for autocomplete”
My approach: Immediately recognized as Trie + DFS pattern
Result: Solved in 20 minutes with optimal complexity
Feedback: “Excellent pattern recognition and clean implementation”

Interview at a Product Based Company on AI space

Problem: “Find shortest path in binary matrix”
My approach: BFS pattern with coordinate tracking
Result: Solved with multiple optimizations discussed
Feedback: “Strong algorithmic thinking and systematic approach”

8. I Started Teaching Others Using Pattern-Based Approach

The ultimate test of understanding is teaching others.

How I helped colleagues using AlgoMonster’s methodology:

For Junior Developers:

Taught them to identify patterns before coding
Showed them how to build mental templates
Emphasized complexity analysis importance

For Interview Preparation Groups:

Led mock interview sessions using pattern recognition
Created study guides organized by algorithmic patterns
Shared company-specific pattern insights

Every teaching session reinforced my own pattern recognition skills.

When someone asked “How do I solve this binary search problem?” I could explain:

Why it’s a binary search pattern
What the template looks like
How to adapt it for different constraints
What the complexity implications are

My Results After 4 Months with AlgoMonster

Interview Performance:

Coding interviews passed: 12 out of 14
Offers received: from both banks and product based company
Average problem-solving time: Reduced by 60%
First-attempt success rate: Improved from 30% to 85%

Specific Improvements:

Could identify patterns within 2–3 minutes
Solved medium problems in 15–20 minutes consistently
Handled follow-up optimization questions confidently
Wrote cleaner, more readable interview code
Analyzed time/space complexity accurately every time

Career Impact:

Interview confidence: Complete transformation from anxiety to excitement
Technical leadership: Now lead algorithm discussions in team meetings

The Investment That Transformed My Career

While Algomonster is not cheap, especially if you compared to coding interview courses on Udemy but its still not very expensive unlike those coding interview bootcamps.

It’s very much affordable and when you compare the salary hike and opportunities you get, its no brainer.

AlgoMonster is currently offering 50% off their annual and lifetime plans.

What you get:

Complete pattern-based curriculum covering all major algorithmic patterns
100+ problems organized by patterns and companies
Interactive coding environment with real-time feedback
Company-specific question banks for targeted preparation
Progress tracking and performance analytics
Mock interview simulation tools
Lifetime access option for continuous learning

ROI Analysis:

My salary increase: $180,000+
Time saved vs random grinding: 6+ months
Interview success rate improvement: From 30% to 85%+
Confidence boost: Immeasurable

If you think it make sense, here is the link to get a AlgoMonster PRO lifetime membership for $459, that’s what I have because I know its long time investment and totally worth it.

Lifetime plans are great because they provide best value and you will be using these platforms for rest of your career.

Why AlgoMonster Worked When LeetCode Grinding Failed?

If you ask me, LeetCode teaches you to solve individual problems.

AlgoMonster teaches you to think algorithmically.

Traditional Approach (LeetCode grinding):

Random problem selection
Solution memorization
No systematic pattern learning
Isolated problem-solving
Overwhelming volume without direction

AlgoMonster’s Pattern-Based Approach:

Systematic pattern identification
Template-based problem solving
Gradual complexity building
Connected algorithmic thinking
Focused, efficient learning path

The difference is like learning vocabulary words randomly vs. learning grammar patterns that apply to thousands of sentences.

My Honest Recommendation

If you’re serious about coding interviews, especially at top tech companies, random LeetCode grinding is inefficient and overwhelming.

You need:

Systematic pattern recognition training
Template-based problem-solving approaches
Company-specific preparation strategies
Realistic interview simulation practice
Measurable progress tracking

AlgoMonster provides all of this in one comprehensive platform.

Is it worth the investment?

If you’re targeting even one coding interview at a major tech company, absolutely yes.

The salary difference between passing and failing that interview is typically $100,000-$200,000+.

With their current 50% discount, there’s never been a better time to invest in systematic algorithmic thinking.

If you’re a long-term learner, mentor, or planning to revisit interviews every 1–2 years, the Pro Lifetime at $459 is 100% worth it — especially with the included coaching.

You can also learn more about AlgoMonster plan here

Start Your Pattern-Based DSA Journey Today

Stop grinding random problems hoping to get lucky.

Start learning algorithmic patterns that apply to thousands of problems.

One pattern at a time. One template at a time. One successful interview at a time.

The difference between random preparation and systematic pattern learning is the difference between hoping for the best and confidently expecting success.

All the best for your interview.

Other Programming and Interview Articles you may like

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. — If you are serious about getting into FAANG companies and want to leave no stone unturned then I also suggest you to join Algomonster for DSA and ByteByteGo for System Design, and start practicing mock interviews on Exponent. This is the perfect recipe to crack coding interviews in quick time

System Design · Coding · Behavioral · Machine Learning Interviews

Everything you need to take your system design skill to the next level

bytebytego.com

Rate Limiter - System Design Interview Question [Solved]

2026-04-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

credit --- ByteByteGo

Hello friends, System design interviews often test your ability to solve problems that balance performance, scalability, and correctness. One of the most common questions I've encountered is:

"How would you design a Rate Limiter?"

I've been asked this exact question multiple times, and each time the interviewer wanted to see how I approached it systematically.

The rate limiter is not just an academic problem; it's at the heart of many real systems. APIs, login attempts, payment systems, and messaging platforms all use rate limiting to prevent abuse, control costs, and ensure fairness among users.

In the past, I have shared common questions like how to design WhatsApp or YouTube, as well as some concept-based questions like the difference between API Gateway vs Load Balancer and Horizontal vs Vertical Scaling, Forward proxy vs reverse proxy.

In this article, I'll walk you through the problem, the key requirements, different design approaches, and show you code examples (including the simple timestamp array method I used in interviews).

What is a Rate Limiter?

A Rate Limiter is a system component that restricts the number of actions a user (or client) can perform in a given timeframe.

Examples:

API Gateway: Only allow 100 requests per user per minute.
Login System: Allow only 5 failed attempts in 10 minutes.
Messaging App: Prevent users from sending more than 20 messages per second.

If users exceed these limits, the system should block their requests (often returning an HTTP status code 429 Too Many Requests).

Here is a nice diagram from ByteByteGo which shows Rate Limiter in action:

Key Requirements in Interviews

When designing a rate limiter, interviewers usually want to see if you can handle:

Correctness --- Ensuring requests beyond the limit are rejected.
Efficiency --- Handling millions of requests per second with low latency.
Scalability --- Working in a distributed system across multiple servers.
Fairness --- Avoiding loopholes where burst traffic is allowed.
Configurability --- Easy to change limits per user, per API, etc.

You can also ask questions to clarify any other requirements the Interview will have, like sometimes they ask you to put a limit on a particular URL and on a particular HTTP method.

Top 4 Rate Limiting Algorithms for Interview

Many different algorithms exist for rate limiting, each with trade-offs. Here are the most popular rate-limiting algorithms, which are also asked on technical interviews:

Fixed Window Counter

Divide time into fixed windows (e.g., every minute). Count requests.
Simple but can allow bursts at window boundaries.

Sliding Window Log

Store timestamps of requests in a log (array/queue). Remove old timestamps.
More accurate but requires memory proportional to the request volume.

Sliding Window Counter

Uses counters for current and previous windows, weighted by time.
Memory efficient, smoother than a fixed window.

Token Bucket / Leaky Bucket

Tokens are added at a fixed rate, and requests consume tokens.
Smooths traffic and is widely used in production systems.

How to design a Rate Limiter on Coding Interviews?

As a Java developer, it's important to not just explain the algorithm but also write clean, interview-ready Java code. In this article, I'll explain the approaches and show you Java implementations for two popular solutions:

Sliding Window Log (array of timestamps) --- the one I personally used in interviews.
Token Bucket --- the production-grade solution widely used in APIs.

1. Sliding Window Log in Java

This method maintains a queue of timestamps for each request. Before processing a new request:

Remove timestamps older than the configured time window.
If the queue size is below the limit, allow the request and insert the new timestamp.
Otherwise, reject it.

Here is how it works:

Now, let's see the implementation in Java code:

import java.util.*;\
public class RateLimiter {\
    private final int maxRequests;\
    private final long windowSizeInMillis;\
    private final Deque<Long> requestTimestamps;\
    public RateLimiter(int maxRequests, int windowSizeInSeconds) {\
        this.maxRequests = maxRequests;\
        this.windowSizeInMillis = windowSizeInSeconds * 1000L;\
        this.requestTimestamps = new ArrayDeque<>();\
    }\
    public synchronized boolean allowRequest() {\
        long now = System.currentTimeMillis();\
        // Remove old timestamps\
        while (!requestTimestamps.isEmpty() &&\
               requestTimestamps.peekFirst() <= now - windowSizeInMillis) {\
            requestTimestamps.pollFirst();\
        }\
        if (requestTimestamps.size() < maxRequests) {\
            requestTimestamps.addLast(now);\
            return true;\
        } else {\
            return false;\
        }\
    }\
    // Demo\
    public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {\
        RateLimiter limiter = new RateLimiter(5, 10); // 5 requests per 10 seconds\
        for (int i = 1; i <= 7; i++) {\
            if (limiter.allowRequest()) {\
                System.out.println("Request " + i + ": Allowed");\
            } else {\
                System.out.println("Request " + i + ": Blocked");\
            }\
            Thread.sleep(1000);\
        }\
    }\
}

Sample Output
Request 1: Allowed
Request 2: Allowed
Request 3: Allowed
Request 4: Allowed
Request 5: Allowed
Request 6: Blocked
Request 7: Blocked

This solution is perfect for interviews because it's simple, intuitive, and demonstrates your understanding of sliding windows.

2. Token Bucket in Java

The Token Bucket algorithm is widely used in production (e.g., API gateways, microservices).

Tokens are added at a fixed rate.
Each request consumes one token.
If no tokens are available, the request is rejected.

Here is how Tocken Bucket Algorithms work:

Now, let's see the Java code:

public class TokenBucket {\
    private final int capacity;\
    private final double refillRate; // tokens per second\
    private double tokens;\
    private long lastRefillTimestamp;

public TokenBucket(int capacity, double refillRate) {\
        this.capacity = capacity;\
        this.refillRate = refillRate;\
        this.tokens = capacity;\
        this.lastRefillTimestamp = System.nanoTime();\
    }\
    public synchronized boolean allowRequest() {\
        long now = System.nanoTime();\
        double tokensToAdd = ((now - lastRefillTimestamp) / 1e9) * refillRate;\
        tokens = Math.min(capacity, tokens + tokensToAdd);\
        lastRefillTimestamp = now;\
        if (tokens >= 1) {\
            tokens -= 1;\
            return true;\
        } else {\
            return false;\
        }\
    }\
    // Demo\
    public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {\
        TokenBucket bucket = new TokenBucket(10, 5); // 5 tokens/sec, burst up to 10\
        for (int i = 1; i <= 20; i++) {\
            if (bucket.allowRequest()) {\
                System.out.println("Request " + i + ": Allowed");\
            } else {\
                System.out.println("Request " + i + ": Blocked");\
            }\
            Thread.sleep(200);\
        }\
    }\
}

This implementation is thread-safe and performs well under concurrent loads.

Interview Strategy (for Java Developers)

When asked, "How would you design a rate limiter?" in a Java system design interview:

Start with Fixed Window Counter (simple but has edge cases).
Move to Sliding Window Log (use Deque<Long> in Java).
Mention Token Bucket (useful in production systems).
For distributed systems, bring up Redis-based counters or API Gateway features (e.g., Nginx, Envoy).

This shows both breadth (knowledge of algorithms) and depth (working Java code).

System Design Interview Resources

In order to do well on any interview, resources are very important. Before any System Design and Coding interview, I used to read the following resources

ByteByteGo: click here

I have personally bought their System Design books to speed up my preparation, and joined ByteByteGo for comprehensive preparation.

They are now also giving a 50% discount on their lifetime plan, which is what I have, and I highly recommend that to anyone preparing for the System Design interview.

Join ByteByteGo now for a 50% Discount: click here

Codemia.io : Click here

This is another great platform to practice System design problems for interviews. It has more than 120+ System design problems, many of which are free, and also a proper structure to solve them.

They also have a great platform, editorial solution, and tools to help you practice system design questions online, and the best thing is that they are also offering a 60% discount on their lifetime plan.

I usually combine ByteByteGo (theory), Codemia (practice), and Exponent (mock interview) for a complete prep

Here is the link to get discount --- Join Codemia for 60% Discount

Exponent: Click here
A specialized site for interview prep, especially for FAANG companies like Amazon and Google. They also have a great system design course and many other materials and mock interviews that can help you crack FAANG interviews.

They are also offering a 70% discount now on their annual plan, which makes it a great time to join them.

Here is the link to get discount --- Join Exponent for70% OFF

Conclusion

Rate limiting is one of those interview questions that tests both your algorithm knowledge and system design intuition.

If you just need something clean in an interview, go with the Sliding Window Log approach (with a Deque<Long> in Java).
If you want to demonstrate production-grade knowledge, mention and explain the Token Bucket algorithm.

That way, you cover both the practical coding side and the system design side in one answer.

The Java Microservices Developer's Reading List for 2026 (10 Books That Matter)

2026-04-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, in last few years, Microservices have become the default architecture for building scalable, cloud-native applications. From startups to enterprises, teams are moving away from monoliths to distributed systems that are easier to scale, deploy, and evolve.

But microservices are also complex. Concepts like service boundaries, distributed transactions, observability, and event-driven communication can be difficult to master without strong fundamentals.

That’s where good books still shine. While courses and tutorials are helpful, books provide deeper explanations, real-world case studies, and architectural thinking that short-form content often misses.

In this article, I’ve curated 10 of the best microservices books that every developer, architect, and backend engineer should read to truly understand modern distributed systems.

1. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems — Sam Newman

This is widely considered the definitive introduction to microservices. Sam Newman explains not only how to build microservices, but also when not to.

The book covers:

Service decomposition strategies
Deployment and testing approaches
Monitoring, logging, and scaling
Trade-offs between microservices and monoliths

If you read only one book on microservices, start with this one.

Here is the link to get this book: Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems

Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems

Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems [Newman, Sam] on Amazon.com. FREE shipping on qualifying…

www.amazon.com

2. Microservices Patterns — Chris Richardson

Once you understand the basics, this book takes you deeper into production-grade patterns like:

Saga pattern
API Gateway
Circuit Breaker
Event sourcing and CQRS

It’s one of the most practical resources for solving real distributed system problems.

If you want an interactive companion, I found Grokking Microservices Design Patterns particularly useful.

Microservices Patterns: With examples in Java

Microservices Patterns teaches you 44 reusable patterns to reliably develop and deploy production-quality…

www.amazon.com

3. Production-Ready Microservices — Susan Fowler

Many books explain architecture, but this one focuses on operating microservices in production — something that’s often overlooked.

You’ll learn:

Service monitoring and alerting
Failure handling and resiliency
Deployment pipelines and scaling
Incident response and operational maturity

If you’re moving toward a tech lead or platform engineering role, this book is essential.

Here is the link to get this book: Production-Ready Microservices

Production-Ready Microservices: Building Standardized Systems Across an Engineering Organization

Production-Ready Microservices: Building Standardized Systems Across an Engineering Organization [Fowler, Susan J.] on…

www.amazon.com

4. Monolith to Microservices — Sam Newman

Most real-world systems start as monoliths. This book provides a practical roadmap for migrating safely using:

Strangler pattern
Incremental refactoring
Data migration strategies
Versioning and backward compatibility

This is a must-read if you’re working on legacy modernization.

Here is the link to get this book — Monolith to Microservices

Monolith to Microservices: Evolutionary Patterns to Transform Your Monolith

Monolith to Microservices: Evolutionary Patterns to Transform Your Monolith [Newman, Sam] on Amazon.com. FREE…

www.amazon.com

5. Building Event-Driven Microservices — Adam Bellemare

Modern microservices increasingly rely on event-driven architecture. This book explains:

Event streaming and pub/sub
Kafka vs RabbitMQ trade-offs
Event sourcing and data consistency
Designing scalable real-time systems

If your system needs asynchronous processing and high scalability, this book is invaluable.

Here is the link to get this book — Building Event-Driven Microservices

Building Event-Driven Microservices: Leveraging Organizational Data at Scale

Amazon.com: Building Event-Driven Microservices: Leveraging Organizational Data at Scale: 9781492057895: Bellemare…

www.amazon.com

6. Microservices in Action — Morgan Bruce & Paulo Pereira

This is a very hands-on book focused on building microservices with:

Spring Boot
Docker
Kubernetes
REST and messaging systems

For Java developers, this is one of the best practical implementation guides.

You can also pair it with Design Microservices Architecture with Patterns & Principles for hands-on learning.

Spring Microservices in Action — John Carnell

Build scalable, resilient microservices with Java and Spring!

manning.com

7. Domain-Driven Design — Eric Evans

Even though this book isn’t specifically about microservices, it introduced concepts like:

Bounded contexts
Aggregates
Ubiquitous language

These ideas are fundamental to designing well-structured microservices. It’s dense, but incredibly influential.

Here is the link to get this book — Domain-Driven Design

Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software

Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software [Evans, Eric] on Amazon.com. FREE shipping on…

www.amazon.com

8. Implementing Domain-Driven Design — Vaughn Vernon

If Eric Evans’ book explains the theory, this one shows how to apply DDD in real projects and microservice architectures.

It’s especially useful for architects designing service boundaries and domain models.

Here is the link to get this book — Implementing Domain-Driven Design

Implementing Domain-Driven Design

“For software developers of all experience levels looking to improve their results, and design and implement…

www.amazon.sg

9. Architecture Patterns with Python — Harry Percival & Bob Gregory

For Python developers, this book is a gem. It combines:

Domain-driven design
Test-driven development
Event-driven microservices

It’s one of the few resources that shows how to implement clean architecture patterns in Python microservices.

Here is the link to get this book — Architecture Patterns with Python

Architecture Patterns with Python: Enabling Test-Driven Development, Domain-Driven Design, and…

As Python continues to grow in popularity, projects are becoming larger and more complex. Many Python developers are…

www.amazon.com

10. Microservices: Up and Running — Ronnie Mitra & Irakli Nadareishvili

If you’re completely new to microservices and want a step-by-step introduction, this is one of the most beginner-friendly books available.

It explains:

Core architecture concepts
Communication patterns
Deployment and security basics

You can combine it with the Master Microservices with SpringBoot, Docker, Kubernetes for hands-on practice.

Microservices: Up and Running: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Microservices Architecture

Amazon.com: Microservices: Up and Running: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Microservices Architecture…

www.amazon.com

Which Microservices Book Should You Read First?

If you’re unsure where to start, here’s a simple roadmap:

Beginner: Microservices: Up and Running
Architecture Fundamentals: Building Microservices
Design Patterns: Microservices Patterns
Event-Driven Systems: Building Event-Driven Microservices
Legacy Migration: Monolith to Microservices

Implementing Domain-Driven Design

“For software developers of all experience levels looking to improve their results, and design and implement…

www.amazon.sg

Microservices: Up and Running: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Microservices Architecture

Amazon.com: Microservices: Up and Running: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Microservices Architecture…

www.amazon.com

Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems

Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems [Newman, Sam] on Amazon.com. FREE shipping on qualifying…

www.amazon.com

Final Thoughts

That’s all on the best books Java Developers can read to learn Microservices architecture in 2026. Microservices are powerful, but they introduce challenges around data consistency, network latency, observability, and operational complexity.

The books above provide the depth and practical insights needed to navigate these challenges confidently.

If you’re serious about becoming a strong backend engineer or software architect, these books will help you build the mental models required to design reliable, scalable distributed systems.

If you enjoyed this list, you may also like:

Grokking Microservices Design Patterns

Grokking Microservices Design Patterns | Design Scalable & Resilient Systems

Unlock the power of microservices design patterns to build scalable and resilient software. Grokking Microservices…

buff.ly

I Tried 50+ Cloud Computing Courses, Projects, and Labs - Here Are My Top 10 Recommendations for 2026

2026-04-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, when cloud computing appear 10 years ago in form of AWS, I didn’t paid much attention but that was my biggest mistake which I corrected later by learning about AWS and Cloud Computing.

Most of these courses are taken from Educative.io, an interactive online learning platform which I found really useful for learning cloud skills due to their cloud labs feature.

Whether you’re preparing for a certification, diving into hands-on projects, or mastering cloud fundamentals, Educative.io has a range of courses tailored to help you succeed.

From beginner-friendly guides to advanced cloud labs and projects, you’ll gain practical skills to build and manage scalable, secure, and cost-efficient cloud solutions.

Educative: AI-Powered Interactive Courses for Developers

Join 2.5M+ developers learning in-demand skills. Master System Design, AWS, AI, and ML with hands-on courses, projects…

www.educative.io

10 Best Cloud Computing Courses, Labs and Projects in 2026

1. Cloud Computing Fundamentals

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours
Highlights: AI-powered explanations and adaptive learning.
Why Take It: A must for beginners who want to grasp cloud essentials quickly.

Here is the link to join this course — Cloud Computing Fundamentals

2. Master AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours
Highlights: Practical exercises and certification readiness.
Why Take It: This course is ideal for those aiming to land high-paying AWS roles.

Here is the link to join this course — Master AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam

3. Cloud Architecture: A Guide to Design & Architect Your Cloud

Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours 12 minutes
Highlights: No setup, adaptive learning, and cloud architecture fundamentals.
Why Take It: This course bridges technical and managerial insights, making it ideal for leaders.

Here is the link to join this course — Cloud Architecture: A Guide to Design & Architect Your Cloud

4. Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials — From Zero to Hero

This Cloud Lab immerses you in AWS infrastructure, teaching you to create S3 buckets, deploy web servers on EC2, and build serverless applications with Lambda.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Highlights: Hands-on tasks using AWS IAM, S3, and Lambda.
Why Take It: Perfect for building practical AWS skills with zero setup.

Here is the link to join this course — Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials — From Zero to Hero

5. Getting to Know AWS CloudFormation

Master AWS CloudFormation and learn to manage resources like EC2 instances and IAM roles through stacks. This lab focuses on creating, deploying, and managing cloud resources efficiently.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 1 hour
Highlights: Hands-on CloudFormation templates and automation.
Why Take It: A quick but impactful course for understanding AWS resource automation.

Here is the link to join this course — Getting to Know AWS CloudFormation

6. Azure Cloud Solutions Architect Program

For those working in Azure environments, this program covers automation, security, cost management, and robust Azure solution design.

Level: Intermediate
Duration: 18 hours
Highlights: 75 lessons, 2 projects, 4 assessments, and 41 playgrounds.
Why Take It: Comprehensive Azure training with hands-on projects and labs.

Here is the link to join this course — Azure Cloud Solutions Architect Program

7. Using AWS Route 53 for Secure Routing

In this project, you’ll use AWS Route 53 to manage web traffic securely. Learn to configure the AWS CLI, create traffic policy documents, and optimize web hosting.

Level: Intermediate
Duration: Project-based
Highlights: Hands-on AWS CLI and Route 53 traffic policies.
Why Take It: Essential for engineers focusing on secure routing and load balancing.

Here is the link to join this course — Using AWS Route 53 for Secure Routing

8. Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Level: Beginner
Duration: 5 hours
Highlights: Business-focused cloud essentials.
Why Take It: A solid starting point for non-technical roles in cloud computing.

Here is the link to join this course — Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

9. Running Serverless Applications with AWS Lambda

Level: Intermediate
Duration: 8 hours
Highlights: Serverless architecture and automation.
Why Take It: Ideal for engineers looking to leverage serverless technologies.

Here is the link to join this course — Running Serverless Applications with AWS Lambda

10. Cracking the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

Explore Google Cloud Platform (GCP) basics, including storage, compute, and networking. This course provides hands-on experience with GCP tools and services.

It will also help you to become a cloud pro with strategic GCP skills. You will not just get hands-on experience, but also understand “Why GCP?”, and prepare with a practice exam.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 hours
Highlights: Practical labs and project-based learning.
Why Take It: A must for those exploring GCP for the first time.

Here is the link to join this course — Cracking the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

Why Choose Educative.io for Cloud Computing in 2026?

Educative.io offers more than just courses. With projects, cloud labs, and hands-on exercises, you get a learning experience that goes beyond theory:

Cloud Labs: Practice real-world scenarios in a no-setup, no-cleanup environment.
Interactive Projects: Build applications and explore tools like AWS Route 53 and CloudFormation.
Certificates: Showcase your expertise to potential employers.

Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an experienced professional, these courses will prepare you to excel in cloud computing in 2026.

Here is the link to join Educative — Educative Unlimited

That’s all about the best online courses, labs, and projects to learn Cloud Computing in 2026. These courses not just covers AWS but also Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

They also cover intermediate and advanced topics like Serverless Computing and they will also help you to prepare for exams like AWS Solution Architect Associate and Google Cloud Engineer.

Educative Unlimited: Excel with AI-Powered Learning

Ready to level up your career? Lock in unlimited access to Educative’s entire library of 1200+ hands-on Courses…

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Other IT and Cloud Certification Articles you may like:

P. S. — While Educative also have Premium plan, I suggest you to get this one as it provide cloud lab access which is really important for learning cloud computing concepts.

Educative Unlimited: Excel with AI-Powered Learning

Ready to level up your career? Lock in unlimited access to Educative’s entire library of 1200+ hands-on Courses…

www.educative.io

The AI and LLM Engineer's Reading List for 2026 (10 Books That Matter)

2026-04-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Guys, The AI world is moving ridiculously fast.

New models, new frameworks, new tools — every week there’s something new for AI engineers to learn. But if there’s one thing that consistently separates great engineers from the rest, it’s strong fundamentals.

And for that, books still beat everything else.

Over the past few months, I’ve been diving deep into some of the best books on AI engineering, LLMs, and production AI systems. These are not just theoretical reads — they cover everything from building LLMs from scratch, to designing scalable ML systems, to deploying AI applications in production.

In this newsletter, I’m sharing 10 AI and LLM Engineering books I’m reading in 2026 — books that every developer, ML engineer, or AI enthusiast should have on their radar.

These include fantastic titles from experts like Paul Iusztin , Chip Huyen, Sebastian Raschka, PhD , Maxime Labonne , Louis-François Bouchard , Louie Peters and others who are shaping how modern AI systems are built.

If you want to learn how to:

Build LLM-powered applications
Design scalable AI systems
Understand prompt engineering and agentic AI
Deploy LLMs in production

then these books are an excellent place to start.

Let’s dive into the list.

10 Must-Read Books for AI and LLM Engineers in 2026

Without any further ado, here is a list of the 10 Best Books to Learn AI and LLM Engineering in 2026. This includes books on AI, Machine Learning, and Large Language Models.

If you’re serious about becoming an AI engineer or working with LLMs, this list is your roadmap.

1. AI Engineering by Chip Huyen

This is the first book you should read on AI Engineering, and if you don’t like reading many books, then this single book is enough to learn all the skills you need to become an AI Engineer in 2026.

Chip Huyen , author of this book, brings a refreshing focus on AI systems design rather than just models.

If you don’t know, Chip has worked as a researcher at Netflix, was a core developer at NVIDIA (building NeMo, NVIDIA’s GenAI framework), and cofounded Claypot AI. She has also taught machine learning (ML) at Stanford University.

This book covers what an AI engineering stack looks like: the one that we software engineers must become experts in order to be an AI engineer.

You’ll learn how to turn machine learning models into real products --- handling data pipelines, model versioning, deployment, monitoring, and scaling.

It also covers what AI engineering is, how it differs from ML engineering, and the techniques AI engineers should be familiar with.

If your goal is to become a true AI Engineer (not just a Kaggle competition winner), this book is pure gold.

Here is the link to get this book --- AI Engineering by Chip Huyen

2. The LLM Engineering Handbook by Paul Iusztin and Maxime Labonne

This book is like an operations manual for LLM development.

It covers prompt engineering, model fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), evaluation strategies, and production patterns.

The authors have real-world experience building LLM apps at scale.

Highly recommended if you want to move from “just using GPT” to designing serious LLM applications.

Here is the link to get this book --- The LLM Engineering Handbook by Paul Iusztin and Maxime Labonne

3. Designing Machine Learning Systems by Chip Huyen

This is another great book from Chip Huyen, one of my favorite authors when it comes to AI and LLM engineering

While “AI Engineering” focuses more on the systems side, this one gets into how to design and operate machine learning systems under real-world constraints like data drift, retraining, and model reliability.

You’ll start thinking like a machine learning product engineer, not just a model builder.

Here is the link to get this book --- Designing Machine Learning Systems by Chip Huyen

4. Building LLMs for Production by Louis-François Bouchard and Louie Peters

This book shows you how to actually ship Large Language Models into production environments. You’ll learn about fine-tuning, deploying, scaling, and maintaining LLMs like a real engineer.

It’s packed with hands-on advice, architecture examples, and real deployment challenges.

If you’re aiming for a career as an LLM engineer, this book should be your first read.

Here is the link to get this book --- Building LLMs for Production by Louis-François Bouchard and Louie Peters

5. Build a Large Language Model (from Scratch) by Sebastian Raschka, PhD

Sebastian Raschka is a legend in the machine learning community. This book teaches you how to build a transformer-based LLM from scratch using PyTorch, with no shortcuts.

You’ll go deep into model architecture, tokenization, attention mechanisms, and training strategies.

Perfect for developers who want to understand LLMs at the code level, not just use APIs like OpenAI’s.

Here is the link to get this book --- Build a Large Language Model (from Scratch) by Sebastian Raschka, PhD

6. Hands-On Large Language Models: Language Understanding and Generation

Jay Alammar and Maarten Grootendorst are two of the most respected names in the AI and NLP space.

This book walks you through building and fine-tuning large language models with modern tools like Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain, and more.

It’s hands-on and practical --- ideal for developers, data scientists, and ML engineers who want to build and deploy LLMs that understand and generate human language effectively.

Here is the link to get this book --- Hands-On Large Language Models

7. Prompt Engineering for LLMs: The Art and Science of Building Large Language Model-Based Applications

If you’re building AI products using OpenAI, Claude, or open-source LLMs, this book shows you how to write smarter prompts for better results.

It covers strategies like few-shot prompting, chain-of-thought, and using prompt patterns effectively.

Created by John Berryman and Albert Ziegler this book dives into the evolving art and science of prompt engineering.

A must-read for AI developers and product designers.

Here is the link to get this book --- Prompt Engineering for LLMs

8. Building Agentic AI Systems: Create Intelligent, Autonomous AI Agents that can Reason, Plan, and Adapt

Written by Anjanava Biswas and Wrick Talukdar, this book explores how to build agentic AI systems that can go beyond static outputs.

This book shows you how to create autonomous AI agents that can interact with environments, reason, make decisions, and take actions.

If you’re interested in building AI agents like Auto-GPT, BabyAGI, or LangGraph-based systems, this guide is a goldmine.

Here is the link to get this book --- Building Agentic AI Systems

9. Prompt Engineering for Generative AI: Future-Proof Inputs for Reliable AI Outputs

This is a comprehensive guide to prompt engineering techniques specifically designed for generative AI systems --- including text, image, and code generation.

The book emphasizes how to write prompts that are robust, consistent, and tailored for business and production environments.

Whether you’re working with GPT, DALL-E, or other models, this Prompt Engineering book by James Phoenix and Mike Taylor will definitely help you future-proof your AI input strategies.

Here is the link to get this book --- Prompt Engineering for Generative AI

10. The AI Engineering Bible: The Complete and Up-to-Date Guide to Build, Develop and Scale Production Ready AI Systems

Thomas R. Caldwell’s AI Engineering Bible is a must-have for software engineers and tech leaders.

It goes beyond models and APIs to show you how to engineer real-world AI systems that are scalable, maintainable, and production-ready.

From architecture to infrastructure, deployment to monitoring, it covers the entire AI lifecycle. This is the playbook for anyone who wants to lead AI implementation in their organization.

Here is the link to get this book --- The AI Engineering Bible

Why You Should Read These Books?

Apart from my recommendations and several others on Reddit and HN, here are the top 5 reasons why you should read these AI and LLM Engineering books.

They’re written by practitioners who have built production AI/LLM systems.
They focus on engineering, deployment, and real-world use cases --- not just algorithms.
They don’t waste your time with outdated academic theory.
They prepare you for the future of AI and LLM work: scalable, reliable, explainable systems.
Widely recommended by professionals on Reddit and Hacker News.

Reading books is powerful, but nothing beats building things.

If you want to accelerate your learning, combine these books with a hands-on course like: LLM Engineering: Master AI, Large Language Models & Agents to get some hands-on experience on building RAG RAG-based chatbot and learning LLM by watching.

Conclusion

That’s all about the best books to learn AI and LLM Engineering in 2026. If you’re serious about mastering AI and LLM engineering in 2026 and beyond, start with these must-read AI and LLM Engineering books.

They’ll save you hundreds of hours of wasted time and help you actually build systems that work.

Want even faster progress?
If you want more fun and faster progress then you can also pair these books with hands-on projects like building your own RAG-based chatbot, fine-tuning a model on your own dataset, or deploying a real-world LLM app to the cloud.

I Tried 50+ AI Courses on Udemy: Here are The Best 5

2026-04-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, the AI revolution isn’t coming — it’s already here. In 2026, artificial intelligence skills have become as essential as knowing how to code was a decade ago.

Whether you’re a developer looking to build AI-powered applications, a product manager wanting to understand AI capabilities, or a professional aiming to stay relevant in an AI-driven workplace, now is the time to upskill.

The landscape has evolved dramatically. We’ve moved beyond basic chatbots to sophisticated AI agents that can reason, plan, and execute complex tasks autonomously.

Skills like prompt engineering, agentic AI development, and working with frameworks like LangChain and LangGraph are now among the most in-demand abilities in tech.

After researching 20+ of AI courses on Udemy, I’ve identified the top 5 Udemy courses that will give you practical, job-ready AI skills in 2026. These aren’t theoretical lectures — they’re hands-on courses that teach you to build real AI applications.

By the way, if you are new to AI world then I highly recommend you to start with The AI Engineer Course 2026: Complete AI Engineer Bootcamp, one of the most comprehensive resource to become an AI Engineer in 2026.

Why These AI Skills Matter in 2026?

Prompt Engineering has become the new programming. Knowing how to communicate effectively with AI models can 10x your productivity and unlock capabilities that seem like magic.

Agentic AI represents the next frontier — AI systems that can autonomously accomplish goals, make decisions, and coordinate with other agents to solve complex problems.

LangChain has emerged as the go-to framework for building production-ready LLM applications, making it an essential tool for any AI developer.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) and frameworks like AutoGen are revolutionizing how AI agents communicate and collaborate, opening doors to multi-agent systems that can tackle enterprise-scale challenges.

Let’s dive into the top 5 courses that will help you master these critical skills.

5 Best Udemy Courses to learn Essential AI skills in 2026

Without any further ado here are the top Udemy courses you can join to learn essential AI skills like Prompt Engineer, MCP, Agentic AI development, and frameworks like LangChain and LangGraph.

1. Artificial Intelligence A-Z™: Learn How To Build An AI

Best For: Complete beginners wanting a comprehensive AI foundation

This course is the perfect starting point for anyone new to artificial intelligence. It takes you from zero knowledge to building your own AI systems, covering both the theory and practical implementation.

What You’ll Learn:

Fundamental AI concepts and how AI actually works
Building various types of AI from scratch
Understanding machine learning algorithms
Creating self-improving AI systems
Real-world AI applications and use cases
Both supervised and unsupervised learning techniques

Why This Course Stands Out:

The “A-Z” format means you get comprehensive coverage without gaps in your knowledge. The instructors break down complex concepts into digestible lessons, making AI accessible even if you’re coming from a non-technical background. You’ll build actual AI projects, not just watch theory lectures.

The course balances theory with hands-on coding, ensuring you understand why things work, not just how to copy-paste code. This foundational knowledge becomes invaluable as you move into more specialized areas like prompt engineering or agentic AI.

Perfect If You’re:

New to AI and want a solid foundation
Looking to transition into AI development
Wanting to understand what’s possible with AI before specializing

Here is the link to join this course — — Artificial Intelligence A-Z™: Learn How To Build An AI

2. The Complete Prompt Engineering for AI Bootcamp (2026)

Best For: Anyone wanting to master AI communication and maximize productivity

Prompt engineering has become one of the hottest skills in 2026. This isn’t just about writing better ChatGPT prompts — it’s about understanding how to architect complex instructions, chain prompts together, and extract maximum value from any AI model.

What You’ll Master:

Advanced prompt design patterns and techniques
Creating effective system prompts for consistent results
Chain-of-thought reasoning and few-shot learning
Building prompt templates for common tasks
Debugging and iterating on prompts systematically
Model-specific optimization techniques
Ethical considerations in AI interaction

Why This Course Is Essential:

Prompt engineering is the skill that multiplies all your other AI abilities. Whether you’re building applications with LangChain or deploying agentic systems, knowing how to communicate precisely with AI models is foundational.

The bootcamp format means you get intensive, practical training with real exercises. You’ll learn techniques that work across different models — from GPT-4 to Claude to open-source alternatives. The 2026 update ensures you’re learning cutting-edge techniques, not outdated methods.

Real-World Applications:

10x your productivity with AI assistants
Build better AI-powered products
Create custom GPTs and AI tools
Optimize costs by reducing token usage
Develop AI applications that actually work reliably

Perfect If You’re:

Using AI tools daily and want to get more from them
Building AI features into products
Working as a product manager, designer, or developer

Here is the link to join this course — — The Complete Prompt Engineering for AI Bootcamp

3. LangChain — — Develop LLM Powered Applications with LangChain

Best For: Developers building production AI applications

LangChain has become the standard framework for building LLM-powered applications. This course teaches you to harness its power to create sophisticated AI systems that go far beyond simple chatbots.

What You’ll Build:

Complete LLM-powered applications from scratch
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems
AI agents that can use tools and APIs
Conversational AI with memory and context
Document analysis and question-answering systems
Custom chains for specific use cases

Core Concepts Covered:

LangChain architecture and components
Prompt templates and chains
Memory systems for conversational AI
Vector databases and embeddings
Integrating external tools and APIs
Building production-ready AI applications

Why LangChain Matters:

While you can technically build AI applications without frameworks, LangChain provides battle-tested abstractions that save months of development time. It handles the complex orchestration of prompts, manages conversation memory, integrates with vector databases, and provides easy tool connectivity.

The course goes beyond documentation — you’ll understand the design patterns and architectural decisions that make great AI applications. You’ll learn when to use chains versus agents, how to optimize for cost and latency, and how to handle errors gracefully.

Perfect If You’re:

A developer wanting to build AI features
Creating chatbots or AI assistants
Interested in RAG and document AI
Building internal AI tools for your company

Here is the link to join this course — — LangChain — — Develop LLM Powered Applications with LangChain

4. Building AI Agents & Agentic AI Systems via Microsoft AutoGen

Best For: Developers ready to build autonomous multi-agent systems

Welcome to the cutting edge of AI development. Agentic AI represents systems that can reason, plan, and execute tasks autonomously. AutoGen, Microsoft’s powerful framework, makes it possible to build sophisticated multi-agent systems where different AI agents collaborate to solve complex problems.

What You’ll Create:

Autonomous AI agents that accomplish goals independently
Multi-agent systems where agents collaborate
AI assistants that can use tools and execute code
Self-improving systems with feedback loops
Enterprise-grade agentic applications

Key Skills Developed:

Understanding agent architecture and design
Building agents with different roles and capabilities
Orchestrating agent conversations and collaboration
Implementing tool use and code execution
Managing agent memory and state
Debugging and monitoring agent behavior

Why AutoGen Is Revolutionary:

AutoGen represents a paradigm shift from single-model interactions to complex multi-agent orchestration. Imagine having a team of specialized AI agents — one for research, one for coding, one for testing, one for documentation — all working together on your projects.

The course teaches you to architect these systems, handle the complexity of agent communication, and build reliable systems that can tackle problems far beyond what a single AI model can handle.

Real-World Use Cases:

Automated software development workflows
Research and analysis systems
Customer service with specialized agents
Data processing pipelines with intelligent routing
Complex decision-making systems

Perfect If You’re:

Building advanced AI applications
Interested in autonomous systems
Working on AI research or innovation
Ready to push beyond basic LLM applications

Here is the link to join this course — Building AI Agents & Agentic AI Systems via Microsoft AutoGen

5. The Complete Agentic AI Engineering (2026)

Best For: Engineers wanting comprehensive coverage of modern agentic AI

This comprehensive course brings everything together — prompt engineering, LangChain, multi-agent systems, and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It’s designed for engineers who want to master the complete agentic AI stack.

Comprehensive Coverage:

Building sophisticated AI agents from first principles
Implementing agentic workflows and patterns
Understanding and using the Model Context Protocol
Creating agents that can plan and reason
Memory systems and context management
Tool use and API integration at scale
Production deployment and monitoring

Advanced Topics:

Multi-agent coordination and communication
Implementing reasoning patterns (ReAct, Chain-of-Thought)
Building feedback loops for self-improvement
Handling failures and edge cases gracefully
Cost optimization for agentic systems
Security and safety considerations

Why This Course Completes Your AI Education:

While other courses teach you individual skills, this one shows you how everything fits together. You’ll understand the architecture of production agentic AI systems, learn best practices from real deployments, and avoid common pitfalls.

The 2026 edition includes the latest developments in agentic AI, including MCP for standardized agent communication, advanced reasoning techniques, and patterns for building reliable autonomous systems.

You’ll Be Able To:

Architect complete agentic AI solutions
Build agents that reliably accomplish complex goals
Implement multi-agent collaboration patterns
Deploy and monitor production agent systems
Optimize for both performance and cost

Perfect If You’re:

An engineer building serious AI systems
Interested in the complete agentic AI stack
Wanting to stay ahead of AI trends
Ready to build the future of autonomous AI

Here is the link to join this course — The Complete Agentic AI Engineering (2026)

How to Choose the Right AI Course for You?

Here is a simple to the point guide to choose the right course for you:

Start with The AI Engineer Course 2026: Complete AI Engineer Bootcamp if you’re completely new to AI and need foundational knowledge.

Jump into “Prompt Engineering Bootcamp” if you’re already using AI tools and want to become a power user immediately.

Pick “LangChain Development” if you’re a developer ready to build your first AI application.

Choose “AutoGen AI Agents” if you want to work on cutting-edge multi-agent systems.

Go with “Complete Agentic AI Engineering” if you want comprehensive coverage of modern agentic AI.

My Recommended Learning Path for 2026

Here’s how I’d approach learning AI skills in 2026:

Month 1–2: Foundation

Start with AI A-Z to understand fundamentals
Practice with the Prompt Engineering Bootcamp daily
Build small projects to apply what you learn

Month 3–4: Application Development

Dive deep into LangChain
Build 3–5 real applications (chatbots, RAG systems, etc.)
Focus on production-ready code, not just prototypes

Month 5–6: Advanced Agentic AI

Learn AutoGen and multi-agent systems
Take the Complete Agentic AI Engineering course
Build a complex multi-agent project

Throughout: Keep Practicing

Build side projects regularly
Contribute to open-source AI projects
Stay updated with AI news and papers
Join AI communities and share your work

Why Udemy for AI Learning?

Udemy’s courses offer several advantages for learning AI skills:

Practical, hands-on approach — You build real projects, not just watch theory
Affordable pricing — Often available for $10–15 during sales
Lifetime access — Learn at your own pace, revisit whenever needed
Updated content — Courses are regularly updated with new techniques
Active communities — Q&A sections help when you’re stuck

The AI Skills Gap Is Your Opportunity

There’s a massive shortage of people who can actually build with AI.

Companies are desperately seeking engineers who understand prompt engineering, can develop with LangChain, and know how to architect agentic systems.

These aren’t “nice to have” skills anymore — they’re becoming baseline requirements for modern developers. The good news? You can learn them right now, and the investment will pay dividends throughout your career.

Final Thoughts

That’s all about the best Udemy courses to learn AI skills in 2026. AI is the most transformative technology of our generation, and 2026 is the perfect time to build your skills. The field is mature enough to have great learning resources but still early enough that learning now gives you a massive advantage.

Each of these five courses teaches skills that complement each other. Start with one, master it, then move to the next. Within six months of dedicated learning, you can go from AI beginner to building sophisticated agentic systems.

The question isn’t whether AI will impact your career — it’s whether you’ll be creating the AI future or just reacting to it.

Start your AI journey today. The best time to learn was yesterday. The second-best time is now.

By the way, if you want to join multiple courses on Udemy then you can also checkout Udemy’s Personal Plan, where you get access to best of Udemy’s 11000+ courses for a monthly fee of $30.

If you want to join multiple courses then Udemy Personal Plan is actually a better deal. You can also try for free for 7 days to get a feel of it.

So, what are you waiting for? Pick a course, start learning, and join the AI revolution!

Happy Learning!

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find these Udemy Courses for learning essential AI skills like Prompt Engineering, LangChain, and Agentic AI then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. — If you are a complete beginner on Agentic AI then I also recommend you to first go through a comprehensive course like The Complete Agentic AI Engineering (2026) Course, I highly recommend that to anyone who want to start with Agentic AI.