Self-taught application development

v0.1

Toolbelt

weeks 1–2 · ~20 h

Set up the tools every developer uses daily — terminal, editor, Git, GitHub — so they never slow you down again.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

The Missing Semester of Your CS EducationMIT ~12 h Shell, editors, version control, debugging and profiling — the things degrees skip. Do lectures 1–6 now, the rest as needed.

Learn Git Branchinginteractive ~4 h Branching, merging and rebasing as a game. Finish the main sequence.

GitHub SkillsGitHub ~3 h Hands-on courses that run inside your own repository: intro, pull requests, Markdown.

Pro Git, chapters 1–3free book ref The book behind the tool. Read when the game leaves gaps.

Visual Studio Code docsMicrosoft ~1 h Editor, extensions and the integrated terminal. Any editor works; this one is the common default.

Build

chore: initialize learning log

A public repository called learning-log with a README. From here on, one commit per study session — the commit history becomes your proof of consistency.

Done when

You can clone, branch, commit, push and open a pull request without looking anything up
You have caused and resolved a merge conflict on purpose
You can move around the filesystem, pipe commands and run a script from the terminal

v0.2

Programming foundations

weeks 3–12 · ~120 h

Learn to think in programs: variables, control flow, functions, data structures, and the habit of testing your own code. Pick one track and finish it.

Already write code every day? Skip the courses here, but still do the build and tick the finish line.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

CS50x: Introduction to Computer SciencedefaultHarvard ~120 h C for fundamentals, then Python, SQL, HTML/CSS/JavaScript and Flask. Free certificate from CS50 on completion.

CS50P: Introduction to Programming with PythonHarvard ~60 h Faster track if you want Python only. Pair it with CS50 SQL in v0.6.

Python for EverybodyUniversity of Michigan ~40 h Gentlest start: free book, videos and autograded exercises.

Java Programming MOOCUniversity of Helsinki ~150 h Choose this only if you already know the Android lane is your destination.

Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms using PythonNPTEL · IIT Madras / CMI 8 wk The Indian university option: a new run opens each semester on nptel.ac.in; free to learn, proctored exam certificate for a fee.

Exercismpractice ongoing Mentored exercises in 70+ languages. Two a week for the whole plan.

Build

feat: CLI expense tracker with JSON storage

A command-line app that saves to a file, handles bad input without crashing, and has a test suite.

Done when

You can write a 200-line program from a blank file with no tutorial open
You can explain recursion, lists vs. dictionaries, and Big-O to someone else
Every function in your build has at least one test

v0.3

Web foundations

weeks 13–20 · ~100 h

Understand what a browser actually does with HTML, CSS and JavaScript before a framework hides it from you.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

The Odin Project: Foundationsspinecommunity-run, free ~70 h Project-based from the first lesson; you build as you read. Follow it in order.

Learn web developmentMDN · Mozilla ref The authoritative modules on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, forms and accessibility. Keep it open beside Odin.

The Modern JavaScript Tutorialjavascript.info ref Deep, well-ordered JavaScript reference. Part 1, chapters 1–11, is the core.

Eloquent JavaScriptfree book ~25 h Chapters 1–11 for depth; the exercises are the point.

Learn on web.devGoogle ~15 h Short courses on responsive design, forms, accessibility and performance.

freeCodeCampalternativeResponsive Web Design + JavaScript certifications ~100 h If you prefer small graded steps in the browser over Odin's self-directed projects.

Frontend Masters free bootcampalternativevideo-based ~21 h A compact video on-ramp to HTML, CSS and JavaScript if you learn better by watching first.

Build

feat: vanilla JS habit tracker, responsive

A browser app with no framework: add, edit, delete, persist in the browser, and usable on a phone-sized screen.

Done when

You can build a responsive page from a mockup without a CSS framework
You can explain the DOM, the event loop, fetch and async/await
Your build scores 90+ on the Lighthouse accessibility audit

v0.5

Full-stack web apps

weeks 21–34 · ~180 h

Build real applications: a frontend that talks to an API you wrote, backed by a database, with tests and a public URL. This is the longest milestone and the one that matters most.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

Full Stack OpenbackboneUniversity of Helsinki ~170 h Parts 0–9: React, Node/Express, MongoDB, testing, state management, routing, GraphQL and TypeScript — all project-based. Free certificate.

CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScriptpython routeHarvard ~100 h Django, SQL, JavaScript, testing and deployment. Take this instead of Full Stack Open if Python is your language.

Writing your first Django appDjango project ~8 h The official tutorial. Do it before CS50 Web on the Python route.

React: LearnReact team ref The official course. Read it alongside Full Stack Open parts 1–2.

The TypeScript HandbookMicrosoft ~10 h Read after Full Stack Open part 9. Types are how larger apps stay sane.

The Odin Project: Full Stack JavaScriptalternativecommunity-run, free ~300 h Slower and broader than Full Stack Open; a natural continuation if you loved Odin in v0.3.

App Academy Openalternativefree bootcamp curriculum ~500 h A complete bootcamp syllabus, free. Use it if you want a single structured place for everything from v0.2 to v0.9.

Build

feat: notes app with auth, REST API, CI

A multi-user app: sign up, log in, create and share items. A documented REST API, a database, backend and frontend tests, deployed to a public URL.

Done when

You can design and implement a REST API from a one-page spec
Passwords are stored hashed and you can explain sessions vs. tokens
You can trace a request from browser to database and back, out loud
Tests run on both the backend and the frontend

v0.6

Data & APIs

weeks 35–40 · ~60 h

Apps are mostly data. Learn to model it properly and to publish an API that other people — and your own mobile app — can build on.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

SQLBoltinteractive ~6 h Warm-up: SELECT through JOIN, in the browser.

CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQLcoreHarvard ~40 h Schema design, relationships, indexes, transactions; SQLite, PostgreSQL and MySQL.

PostgreSQL tutorialPostgreSQL project ~6 h Part I of the official docs — the database you will most likely run in production.

SQLite in 5 minutes or lessSQLite project ~1 h The database inside every phone. You will meet it again in v0.8.

Learn OpenAPIOpenAPI Initiative ~4 h Describe your API so tools and teammates can use it without reading your code.

FastAPI tutorial Python — or Express for JavaScript ~15 h Build the API with the framework from your track.

CMU 15-445: Intro to Database Systemsoptionalpublic lectures ~40 h How databases work inside. Skip unless curious; come back later.

Supabase docs or Firebase docsoptional ~6 h Hosted backends (database, auth, storage) for fast prototypes and mobile apps.

Build

refactor: normalized schema, migrations, OpenAPI spec

Redesign the v0.5 app's database: a normalized schema, the right indexes, versioned migrations, and a published OpenAPI document.

Done when

You can design a schema from plain-English requirements
You can write joins, aggregations and an index — and show the query plan improved
You can explain transactions and the N+1 problem
Your API spec renders in a viewer and matches the running code

v0.8

Mobile

weeks 41–52 · ~140 h

Put your app in someone's pocket. Pick one lane; the API you built in v0.5 is the backend.

Lane A — Android: Kotlin + Jetpack Compose

runs on any laptop · largest market in India

Android Basics with ComposecoreGoogle ~100 h Google's own project-based course: Kotlin, Compose UI, navigation, data persistence, networking.

Learn Kotlin for AndroidGoogle ~6 h Kotlin syntax fast, aimed at people who already program.

Kotlin documentationJetBrains ref The language reference; roadmap.sh/android for a gap check at the end.

Lane B — iOS: Swift + SwiftUI

requires a Mac

CS193p: Developing Apps for iOScoreStanford ~50 h The full lecture series and assignments, in SwiftUI.

Develop in Swift tutorialsApple ~30 h Apple's guided projects: Swift, SwiftUI, data and navigation.

Introducing SwiftUIApple ~10 h The classic landmarks tutorial; roadmap.sh/ios for a gap check.

Lane C — Cross-platform: one codebase, both stores

runs on any laptop · iOS builds still need a Mac

Learn Flutter plus Write your first Flutter app · Google ~60 h Dart and Flutter from the official docs; excellent tooling and a single codebase.

Full Stack Open, part 10: React NativefastestUniversity of Helsinki ~40 h Reuses the React you learned in v0.5 — the shortest path if you took that route.

React Native docs and Google Codelabs ref Framework reference, and hands-on labs for Android and Flutter.

Build

feat: mobile client with offline cache

A mobile client for your v0.5 API: list and detail screens, a form, a local cache so reads work offline — running on a real device.

Done when

The app runs on a physical phone, not only the emulator
It survives rotation and backgrounding without losing state
Reads work offline and writes sync when back online
You have shipped an internal test build (Play internal testing or TestFlight)

v0.9

Ship & operate

in parallel · weeks 37–52 · ~50 h

Make shipping boring: containers, automated tests on every change, automatic deploys, and the security basics every app needs. Run this alongside v0.6–v0.8, an hour or two a week.

CourseTimeWhy it's here

Docker: Get startedDocker ~10 h Package the app so it runs the same everywhere.

GitHub Actions documentationGitHub ~8 h A pipeline that lints, tests and builds on every pull request.

Render docs or Fly.io · Vercel ~6 h Pick one host with a free tier and deploy from your main branch.

Playwright end-to-end · Jest or pytest for unit tests ~12 h Tests that click through the real app, plus fast unit tests underneath.

OWASP Top TenOWASP Foundation ~6 h The ten mistakes behind most breaches. Check your own app against each one.

CS50's Introduction to CybersecurityoptionalHarvard ~20 h Non-technical but thorough grounding in how systems get attacked.

Build

ci: test and deploy on merge to main

Every pull request runs the tests; merging to main deploys automatically; secrets live in environment variables; a health endpoint and error logging exist.

Done when

A failing test blocks a merge
Main deploys itself within minutes of a merge
No secret has ever been committed (you checked the whole history)
You found and fixed one OWASP-class issue in your own app

v1.0

Capstone

weeks 53–60 · ~80 h

One complete product for real users, built and run by you. This is the portfolio piece; everything before it was practice.

ResourceTimeWhy it's here

App ideas collectionGitHub · florinpop17 ~1 h Tiered app ideas with user stories, if you need a starting point. Better: solve a problem for people you know.

Project-based learningGitHub · curated list ref Tutorials that build complete things, organised by language, for when a piece of the capstone is new to you.

Full stack developer roadmaproadmap.sh ~1 h A gap check before you start: anything unfamiliar on the map gets a day of reading.

Build

release: v1.0

Web client, mobile client, API, database, CI/CD, a README with an architecture diagram, and a two-minute demo video. Published to a public URL or an app store.

Done when

A stranger can use it from the link with no help from you
The README explains the architecture and how to run it locally
You have handled a bug report from a real user
You can walk through every layer of it in a 30-minute interview

Zero to shipped apps, on open courses alone.

The road, to scale

Ground rules that make self-teaching work

Toolbelt

Programming foundations

Web foundations

Full-stack web apps

Data & APIs

Mobile

Lane A — Android: Kotlin + Jetpack Compose

Lane B — iOS: Swift + SwiftUI

Lane C — Cross-platform: one codebase, both stores

Ship & operate

Capstone

Beyond the plan