5 best web dev YouTube channels

When you’re a web developer, it seems like there’s always a new language to learn. Thankfully, there are a lot of YouTubers out there who are exploring these languages and putting-together tutorials for them.

There is a wide range of tutorials, from the beginner level to the deeply advanced. And, as coding becomes a more important part of the National Curriculum, it’s never been more important to have easy access to this knowledge.

As the roles of developer, designer and digital marketer evolve and intersect, it becomes increasingly likely that people who don’t consider themselves developers need at least some understanding of coding.

The UK government is aware of the benefits of this, its research cshows that “roles requiring digital skills pay 29 per cent (£8,300 per annum) over those roles that do not”.

With this in mind, here’s our run-down of five of the best YouTube channels dedicated to developing your skills as a web dev.

YouTube Channel #5: CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks has 54,000 subscribers.

Although this channel has, by far, the fewest subscribers of any on this list, we don’t feel this figure properly reflects the quality of the videos on the channel.

With coming-up on 200 videos produced over some ten years, one of the most unusual and interesting things our genial host, Chris Coyier, does is set himself a 20 or 30 minute challenge and solve it live, while you’re watching.

Alternatively, he isn’t scared to take a deep dive into a subject, such as his 63-minute look at Scully, the SSG for Angular or his 70-minute long double-hander with Tobias Günther on the subject of Git Tricks.

Over on the CSS-Tricks website, you’ll also find a library of written articles available on many more subjects, written by Coyier and his team of web devs.

• These tutorials are supported by an archive of videos and blogs.
• Real-time problem-solving tutorials are available.
• A wide range of languages and techniques are explored.

YouTube Channel #4: LevelUpTuts

LevelUpTuts has 327,000 subscribers.

This channel offers more than 800 videos, featuring a mix of informal live streams and formal tutorials, all of which are free and chunked down into bite-size pieces, with individual episodes typically running between five and ten minutes.

All the videos are hosted by Scott Tolinski, who you can follow on Twitter. Or you can ‘go Pro’ on the Level Up Tutorials website, and access far more content. These range from Level 1 beginners’ courses to Level 3 advanced courses and you can purchase courses individually. So, watching the free YouTube tutorials may tell you everything you need to know, or they may just help you develop a taste for Tolinski’s style, so you can decide if you want to purchase more in-depth tutorials from him.

• These tutorials are great if you’re serious about a career in web development, they will help you become a professional.
• They aim to help users improve their documentation skills and provide training on web projects.
• They offer a wide range of in-depth, easy to follow tutorials on web dev and design.

YouTube Channel #3: Codecourse

Codecourse has 337,000 subscribers.

Based in London and hosted by Codecourse founder, Alex Garrett-Smith, these practical videos (or ‘screencasts’ as he prefers to call them) help developers learn through doing. So, instead of reviewing a piece of software or discussing theoretical applications, they create actual functioning projects and show you how all the necessary tools contribute to this end product.

Typically, the first few parts of these long courses are free to watch, so you can get a taste before you pop over to their website and commit to buying the full course.

They also offer some invaluable and completely free ‘beginners’ guides’, such as this 35-part PHP course, which is almost-five-hours long.

• Their content is constantly updating to reflect the latest developments.
• You can build projects from scratch with these step-by-step guides.
• Master PHP and CSS language.

YouTube Channel #2: Google Chrome Developers

Google Chrome Developers has more than 500,000 subscribers.

Backed by the almighty Google, these videos are posted by a range of developers from around the world, each speaking to their own specialism.

There is a huge range of playlists available here, featuring everything from tutorials and top tips to chat shows. There really is something for everyone. Not least because this channel also links to other Google YouTube channels like Google Developers and Android Developers.

When Google organises conferences and summits, they get the cream of the web dev world to give presentations and this channel is your window into that world. This year’s Web.Dev Live event was entirely online (unsurprisingly) and filled this channel with dozens of videos from experts around the world discussing everything from Cookie recipes to taming your web notifications and from JavaScript v8 to Zoom.

They also run a range of tutorials and developer shows, such as their HTTP 203 series, which features Google Developers, Jake Archibald and Surma, discussing their philosophies about web dev and offering life-hacks as well as lessons they’ve learned.

• These videos explain the fundamentals and how to use a vast array of web applications.
• You can stay updated on the latest that Chrome has to offer with What’s New in DevTools.
• Stay in the loop with everything that’s going on in the world of Google.

YouTube Channel #1: LearnCode.Academy

LearnCode.academy has over 700,000 subscribers.

LearnCode is run by veteran coder, Will Stern. The channel is rich with lengthy and in-depth tutorials, such as the 14-part, 90-minute long React Rapid course and the follow-up React+Redux course. You’ll also find web development tutorials and website design tutorials covering Angular, CSS, HTML, Javascript and beyond.

• Will also includes industry overviews and product reviews to give a wider perspective of the web dev world.
• Covers broad topics HTML, CSS, JavaScript, CSS layouts and Responsive Design
• This channel prides itself on offering everything you need to learn web dev from the beginning, or to keep your highly-developed skills current.