Discover more sites that provide coding exercises like Codecademy.
In this article I will take you through some examples of other sites like Codecademy. With over half a million likes on their Facebook page there is no doubting Codecademy’s popularity. Although there are some suggestions that lots of people don’t ever finish the courses they sign up for it seems that people just can’t get enough of the web-based, interactive coding school. Imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery and this is evident with the other sites like Codecademy that are trying to make this interactive approach work for them. You might therefore want to check out some other sites that you can use either as an alternative or to advance your knowledge (should you be in the 8% who actually finish!). If you are stuck on any of the JavaScript course on Codecadmey you can checkout my guide that covers all of the Codecademy JavaScript answers.
1. Freecodecamp.com
At Free Code Camp you can work on building a portfolio of working apps that solve real problems. The main aim is to put together your portfolio whilst building up your technical skills. At the end of the program you get the opportunity to work with non-profit companies on actual projects. The interface is pretty similar to Codecademy and you get to learn web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) amongst other things in a fun and interactive way.
2. Codeschool.com
Codeschool has some free and premium content which comprises of some video tutorials followed by some interactive exercises. It’s slightly different from Codecademy as you get some theory and background from the videos first. You then have to complete the exercises via the interactive interface provided.
3. Codeavengers.com
Codeavengers is another site like codecademy in the sense that you have an interactive environment to complete challenges. A while back the site mainly focused on game development and had a simplistic approach for entering commands to make little guys move around on the screen. The site has matured since then offering over 500 lessons on web, game and app development.
4. Codingbat.com
If you are looking to brush up your Java / Python skills then Codingbat.com might be worth a look for you. The site focuses on lots of different coding challenges that you have to provide solutions for. There isn’t much in the way of tuition on the site – just lots of exercises to test your capabilities. Solutions are provided if you get stuck.
5. Codewars.com
Want to get serious about your coding challenges? Codewars provides challenges created by the community called ‘kata’. You start off with simple challenges and every time you complete one you move closer to levelling up. You’ll have to pass some entry level questions to even create an account (don’t worry they’re not that bad) and even the basics kata will get you thinking.
6. Tryruby.org
You can do a 15 minute tutorial on ruby at tryruby.org. Just load up the page and type ‘help’ to get started. You’ll then be taken through some of the basics of Ruby right in your browser. The site is created and maintained by codeschool.com
7. Pyschools.com
If you want to enhance your Python skills with an interactive tutorial try pyschools.com. You will be walked through lots of the basics of Pythons and provided with challenges to test your skills. There’s also a leader board of the top students!
8. Javascript.com
Another site provided for free by codeschool.com. The site is focused on a short tutorial which gives you an introduction to JavaScript. It’s quite basic especially when compared to Codeacademy’s JavaScript track but worth a look if you haven’t quite the hang of JavaScript basics yet.
9. Datacamp.com
Interested in data analysis / mining? A totally different beast, datacamp.com gives you Codeacademy style interactive learning but without your usual web development languages. Instead, you can learn about data science using either the R language or Python.
10. try.github.io
There’s an introduction to the version control software Git which is available at try.github.io. Almost an essential for any modern developer, the tutorial will leave with the skills to be able to commit your work to a Git repository and push it to the Github servers.
11. try.jquery.com
A free course provided by codeschool.com. Once you understand the basics of JavaScript you might want to add jQuery to your skill list. The course will take you through accessing and working with a web page’s DOM and also touch on styling. Expect the usual codeschool.com format of some videos covering your knowledge followed by some exercises in your browser.
12. w3schools.com
One of the biggest web development reference sites on the Internet – w3schools.com comes up in Google searches more often than Stack Overflow results! One of the nice things whilst reading their material is they give you the option to ‘Try it yourself’. This opens up another page where you can experiment with the bits of markup / code that is being discussed. Therefore it’s made it on to my sites like Codecademy list.
13. tour.golang.org
If you are interested in learning more about Google’s own programming language Go, you can take a quick tour in your browser at tour.golang.org.
14. railsforzombies.org
One final free course from codeschool.com. If you want to learn more about the Ruby web framework; Ruby on Rails this site has it covered. Video tutorials followed by exercises at the end of each section make it a fun interactive site.
15. General Assembly - Dash
For our last entry in our sites like Codecademy, Dash from General Assembly provides our closet match. There isn’t the breadth of courses that are available on Codecademy however there is a pretty robust HTML/CSS/JavaScript course available for free.
Conclusion
There are plenty of sites like Codecademy where you can go to improve your coding skills. The above list should keep you busy for everything from web development to data science. Whilst learning interactively is a great way to learn a language you might want to also get setup on your local computer. For example, there are lost of ways that you can run JavaScript on your computer. Got any more sites like Codecademy you could add to the list? Share your resources in the comments below.