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Written by
Patrick Collins
Published on
March 6, 2024

Top 9 Courses to Learn Web3 Development For Free

Learn how to develop web3 with this step-by-step roadmap and free courses. Learn smart contracts development and kickstart your blockchain career.

Table of Contents

Understanding how to learn web3 development and become a Smart Contract and Blockchain Developer can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be!

Just set aside some time each week, and get cracking on any of the tutorials and pieces of content below. Don’t be afraid to ask a ton of questions, and don’t feel imposter syndrome! Just by reading this article, you are already a welcomed blockchain community member.

To make it easier for you, after the success of the smart contract auditor roadmap, we've put together the ultimate web3 development roadmap, with the top courses to kickstart your career.

In any case, let’s go ahead and get started!

Top 9 Courses to Learn Web3 Development For Free

1. Best course overall: Learn Web3 development on Cyfrin Updraft

Image showing learn web3 development on Cyfrin updraft smart contract development courses

The #1 web3, Solidity, Vyper, smart contract auditing and security, all-encompassing developer and security-focused platform on earth.

The Cyfrin Updraft web3 development courses start from “What is a blockchain” to “Solidity Basics” to “Advanced Deployment and Assembly” down to more advanced topics such as smart contracts fuzzing, as well as smart contract security and auditing

This course is taught with love by some of the top people in the industry. This is a passion project data dump of everything you need to know to get started in web3, and know more than the average developer so you can make some amazing protocols.

Cyfrin Updraft has 50+ hours of smart contract development and security courses completely for free:

  • Blockchain basics
  • Solidity fundamentals
  • Foundry fundametals
  • Foundry advanced course
  • Smart contract security and auditing

Instructors

Myself: I’m a bit biased, but with the lead instructor being myself, who has the #1 and #2 most watched web3 developer educational courses on YouTube, and has been doing security and development in web3 for over 4 years.

Tincho: One of the top security researchers in web3, having found vulnerabilities in multi-billion dollar protocols like ENS, Lido, and Optimism.

You can signup complete for free here.

2. Best interactive web3 course: Cryptozombies

Become a smart contract and solidity developer

For the longest time, Cryptozombies has been one of the go-to smart contract development courses for learning blockchain, solidity and web3 development in general. This gamified platform brings you step-by-step through solidity programming as you build your zombie army!

This course has a wonderful user interface that’s fun for people of any age and is one of the most approachable content on this list.

The Cryptozombies team does a tremendous job showing NFTs, inheritance, and everything you’d need in basic solidity.

3. Best to practice web3 resource: Solidity by examples

Learn web3 development using solidity by examples

A more minimal approach to become a web3 developer, Solidity by examples for people who already have some familiarity with software engineering.

This site and YouTube channel have just the fundamental information, so you can jump right into coding!

4. Best web3 course to build projects: Speed Run Ethereum

Image showing the home page of speedrun ethereum a platform to learn ethereum and web3 development

From creating your NFTs to mastering decentralized staking apps, Speed Run Ethereum offers a comprehensive and enjoyable learning experience for blockchain enthusiasts and developers alike. It was created by Austin Griffith who is one of the most respected Web3 developer educators on the planet.

Join the BuidlGuidl community, a vibrant hub of Ethereum builders focused on crafting innovative products, prototypes, and tutorials that enrich the web3 ecosystem. Showcase your achievements by submitting your DEX, Multisig, or SVG NFT builds, and collaborate with fellow builders to elevate your Web3 portfolio. Embark on an exciting journey of learning and building with Speed Run Ethereum, and become a proficient Ethereum developer ready to shape the future of decentralized technologies.

5. Best web3 resources aggregator: useWeb3

Use web3 helps user become web3 developer through their curated resources - the image shows their homepage

https://www.useweb3.xyz/

Use web3 is an aggregator of the best smart contract development and web3 courses, resources, exercises, and platforms on the web. Definitely one of the go to places to kickstart you web3 development career.

6. Alchemy University

Image showing the home page of Alchemy University a great place to learn web3 development

Put on by the Alchemy team, Alchemy University is a javascript-focused education site, created in partnership with some of the best educators I’ve ever interacted with.

I used to have a group called Chainshot on my list, as they have always been underrated, but Alchemy recently acquired them to make this amazing site!

7. Consensys Bootcamp

Image showing the home page of consensys bootcamp to become blockchain developers

The Consensys bootcamp just always knocks it out of the park.

The Consensys team is one of the teams that has been around from basically the start of this whole thing.

They consistently deliver on bringing in some of the best in the space to give guest lectures to the students, have top quality content, and are another bootcamp that I highly recommend to anyone looking to get into this space with a hands-on learning approach, and a team to guide them.

8. Ethernaut

One of the harder pieces in this space is Ethernaut. You need a little bit of a javascript background, but trudging your way through this course will teach you a lot of the ins and outs and “gotchas” of solidity, and is one of the quickest ways to become “advanced” in the ways of solidity.

This was created by the Openzeppelin team, who are top auditors and security researchers in the blockchain space, and they make contracts for people to fork into their projects. Anyone in the blockchain space worth their “salt” knows who Openzeppelin is and how to work with their tools!

9. The Ethereum Org list

Learn web3 development using the ethereum org list of op resources

What better way to learn about web3 and Ethereum than from the community itself?

The Ethereum org website is JAM packed with content, tutorials, and submissions from around the globe, in exactly the manner you’d expect. You can find just about anything here to learn and grow.

Extra Web3 development resources

On top of all the web3 development resources shared, you need to know about these 3 resources:

  1. ChatGPT
  2. Ethereum Stack Exchange
  3. Peeranha.io

These are helpful Q&A sites that you can ask questions to and will make your life much better when going through these resources.

Conclusions

Now that you have a list of the top courses and tutorials to learn web3 development, and kickstart your career as a smart contract developer, is time for you to pick one, and start practicing! 

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