20 Best YouTube Channels for Back-end and Front-end Engineers

Better Stack Team

Updated on April 10, 2024

This time, we went on a digital pilgrimage of the hidden gems of tech YouTube.

With over 113 million channels, even if boiled down, there are at least 320,000 channels with 100k subscribers – so, which ones should you watch to improve your code? Or keep up with the hungry tech industry? Which framework is the new go-to? The reality is, you don’t have the time to spend hours searching.

Before you start to worry, we’ve got you — we asked our trusted engineers and cherry-picked the best channels that are educational, opinionated, and help you grow in the tech community.

Back-end list:

Better Stack
Hussein Nasser
Nick Chapsas
The coding train
Corey Schafer
Alex Hyett
conaticus
ThePrimeTime & ThePrimeagen
TechwithTim
Fireship

Front-end list:

Forrest Knight
Learn with Jason
Programming with Mosh
Andrew Burgess
WebDevSimplified
ThePrimeTime & ThePrimeagen
ColorCode
CodeGrid
Matt Pocock
Coder Coder

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Top 10 Back-end Youtube channels

1. Better Stack

Topics: Python, PHP, Golang, DevOps, Logging, Monitoring

Posting frequency: once a week

Subscribers: 2k

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

We have to admit, yes, this one is a little bit of a self-promo, but we’re not just handing out the golden ticket. We've built a community around our tech guides with over 200k+ dev readers every month, and now we're doing videos of the most popular content on scaling apps, logging, monitoring, and more.

The channel has lots to offer with walkthrough videos and shorts of popular example setups based on Better Stack’s written guides, which also have handy copy-paste code snippets, so you can always keep one eye on the written project.

Popular videos to explore:

2. Hussein Nasser

Topics: databases, JavaScript, SQL, networking

Posting frequency: once or three times a month

Subscribers: 386k

Level of engineering: advanced

Reddit folks simply adore this guy!

Hussein’s channel sets the scene for engineers who want to boost their skills in the backend and network engineering. He offers incredible insight with real-life examples and the inner workings of hardware and software coordination.

His channel has plenty of detailed discussions on databases, internet protocols, architectures, exclusive member-only content on databases, and extended cuts of his videos.

Popular videos to explore:

3. Nick Chapsas

Topics: C#, .NET, JavaScript, networking

Posting frequency: two or three times a week

Subscribers: 273k

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

Nick Chapsas, is our maestro for all things C#, .NET, and JavaScript.

We are particularly fond of Nick’s Code Cop videos where you can see Nick debunk clean code or best practices tips and tricks from LinkedIn, and go through the problem and solution with him. What’s also worth mentioning, are his videos on new .NET feature releases and version comparisons that will give you a glimpse of changes coming to your ecosystem.

Safe to say, you can find all kinds of gems, so we would definitely have Nick’s channel bookmarked to keep up with the new updates!

Popular videos to explore:

4. The coding train

Topics: JavaScript to algorithmic art, machine learning, simulation, generative poetry

Posting frequency: once or three times a month

Subscribers: 1.67M

Level of engineering: beginner-friendly

The coding train is not your usual coding channel. Algorithmic art, machine learning, simulation, or generative poetry - that's what you can expect to see here.

It’s run by Daniel Shiffman, a passionate Mathematician dedicated to catering the best beginner-friendly tutorials and creative projects, to the community of beginner engineers and code-curious alike. Since 2015, he's been sharing his passion through tutorials and live streams, covering topics that made people fall in love with code, such as the Nature of Code series. The series is based on his book, and dives deep into how can your code capture the properties of nature – and guess what! It’s at 45 videos right now and new videos are still being added.

The choo-choo train also has a Discord with over 10k members who are ready to offer a helping hand with your projects and share some relatable memes with you while you’re in there.

Popular videos to explore:

5. Corey Schafer

Topics: Python, Git, Frameworks, SublimeText, SQL, Terminal tutorials, JavaScript

Posting frequency: four times a year

Subscribers: 1.28M

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

A channel that brings tutorials to another level has got to be Corey Schafer. With 1.28 million subscribers, Corey is known for his in-depth Python tutorials, covering everything from basic syntax to topics like web development and data analysis.

Being the Master of Python, his channel has detailed explanations of coding concepts with best practices that will take you from beginner to intermediate in less than 30 videos. In addition to Python, Corey also covers other essential topics for backend engineers, including Git, SQL, Panda, Django, Flask, and more.

Popular videos to explore:

6. Alex Hyett

Topics: JavaScript, C++, C#, Ruby on Rails, Python

Posting frequency: once or four times a month

Subscribers: 27.8k

Level of engineering: intermediate

With passionate devs swooping left and right, a channel like Alex’s really stands out.

Sharing his insights into software engineering processes, Alex has us on our toes with new tech stress testing, where he focuses on testing the functionality with k6 to showcase how to get your application production-ready.

But don’t fret, Alex's channel isn't limited to mere technical talks. As a bonus to dissecting code, he also talks about project management and productivity, with book recommendations and knowledge systems.

Popular videos to explore:

7. conaticus

Topics: Rust, JavaScript, C++, C#, Python, Ruby on Rails, Go

Posting frequency: once or twice a month

Subscribers: 51.2k

Level of engineering: intermediate

Rust is where to hype is right now and with conaticus you can get right to the nitty gritty.

Conaticus’ videos cover Rust ecosystems in the form of no mere tutorials but walkthroughs with reflective commentary. Otherwise, he can indulge you with game development and occasional throwbacks of his previous projects with retrospectives and lessons learned.

Similarly to previous channels, there is a dedicated community Discord server with over 1,4k members who actively help each other with coding challenges or simply networking. Definitely worth a look!

Popular videos to explore:

8. ThePrimeTime

ThePrimeTime & ThePrimeagen Youtube channel

Topics: Golang, Rust, JavaScript, Kotlin, Mojo, libraries

Posting frequency: once a day

Subscribers: 351k

Level of engineering: intermediate

A little unconventional and chaotic, Prime is the epicenter of tech YouTube.

If you are into live stream coding, captivating style of presentation, Vim or Rust, ThePrimeTime might be your cup of tea. Well-known for his time at Netflix, he is an experienced full-stack developer turned YouTuber focusing mainly on Vim tutorials, comparisons, as well as the struggles and challenges of being an ADHD software engineer in general.

We recommend both of his channels, simply because his second channel, ThePrimeage, takes a more casual spin and introduces videos beyond full-stack topics. From personal project progress with a peek behind the scenes to industry trends and the usual community interaction, there’s something for everyone.

Popular videos to explore:

9. TechwithTim

Topics: Python, Rust, Golang, JavaScript, C++, libraries

Posting frequency: three times a week

Subscribers: 1.46M

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

With over 200 Python projects, Tim is a back-end powerhouse that continues to break down complex topics into easy-to-understand series. His channel is a mother lode for those of you interested in game development and machine learning covering Python, JS, C++, and more.

Here’s the kicker though, you can also expect engaging 12-hour YouTube live streams, or join his Discord server to feel the true coding camaraderie with weekly challenges and a community that shares progress on their projects.

Popular videos to explore:

10. Fireship

Topics: JavaScrip, TypeScript, Dart, Python, databases

Posting frequency: once a week

Subscribers: 2.9M

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

We’re busted.

Jeff Delaney’s Fireship is a classic one that cannot be missing on our list. Most know Fireship because of the 100-second mini-series about code, language, and databases. But that’s not the only thing in his repertoire.

In The Code Report, he gives cheeky commentary on what’s happening in the industry or takes a sneak peek at the new releases and puts them to the test. We don’t even have to mention the obvious talks about Web3 or developer productivity, right?

If there was only one channel we could subscribe to it would definitely be this one!

Popular videos to explore:

Top 10 Front-end Youtube channels

1. Forrest Knight

Topics: Python and Kotlin

Posting frequency: once a week

Subscribers: 513k

Level of engineering: advanced

Forrest Knight is a name you could’ve come across on the YouTube scene whether you’re a front-end or back-end engineer. From 2016 he gathered a loyal fanbase within the programming community and has continued to gain momentum.

What made him so popular, you ask? Sharing his journey. He began documenting his engineering journey from his student days in computer science with each video tackling more complex problems as he gained popularity.

You can expect videos where Forrest takes you through a project, like creating a YouTube leaderboard from start to finish, software engineering tips and tricks, or discussing data structures. Whether you're a seasoned front-end coder or just starting, Forrest’s channel would be our go-to.

Popular videos to explore:

2. Learn with Jason

Topics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, libraries

Posting frequency: once a week

Subscribers: 43k

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

If you’re looking for someone who covers web development from A to Z, Jason’s channel is definitely a place to be. His channel packs everything around web development into a series of videos from quick 4-minute tutorials all the way to long-form content.

For us, what stood out on Jason’s channel are interviews where you can see how a variety of expert web developers approach challenging tasks with a few constraints – a prompt and a specific technique their build needs to have.

The rest of his videos are tutorials around HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding. But that is not all – more than 600 web developers of all levels are part of his Discord community, which extends beyond his YouTube channel.

Popular videos to explore:

3. Programming with Mosh

Topics: Python, JavaScript, C#, SQL, libraries

Posting frequency: once a month

Subscribers: 3.81M

Level of engineering: beginner-friendly

Programming with Mosh is a channel that does not need much introduction.

From our list, it’s one of the most popular ones out there – no wonder why. Mosh is great at covering the very basics as well as advanced Python and JavaScript topics in his one-hour tutorials. He does not shy away from demonstrating frameworks such as Django or Docker on real-life projects, with pragmatic approaches you also can get inspired by.

And the best thing! Each year you can look forward to new takes on learning tutorials, this year it’s been learning a language in 1 hour.

Popular videos to explore:

4. Andrew Burgess

Topics: TypeScript

Posting frequency: twice a month

Subscribers: 15.8k

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

Even though we have channels with more subscribers on the list, Andrew’s videos always feel like opening a Christmas present earlier than you’re supposed to.

Reflecting on real-life TypeScript challenges he comes in contact with, Andrew will hold your hand, and take you through the entire solving process. He dives deeper into the different parts of TypeScript such as unions, functions, and generics, which can fill the gaps you might have in the advanced concepts.

You can also come across his productivity recommendations, neat open-source tools, and some tips about writing prompts and shell scripts. Definitely one of the hard-to-skip channels!

Popular videos to explore:

5. WebDevSimplified

Topics: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, libraries

Posting frequency: once a week

Subscribers: 1.52M

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

If you’re starting your web development journey, Kyle Cook will mold you into a web dev wizard.

He is the one behind the Web Dev Simplified where he breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand chunks with practical applications. With close to 700 videos he covers a variety of HTML and JavaScript themes, but also popular frameworks and libraries like React, Vue, Angular, and Node.js.

On top of his YouTube channel, Kyle also built a web development community on his Discord server where you can chat and find other talented developers to collaborate with, share your latest projects, or get help when you’re stuck.

Popular videos to explore:

6. ThePrimeTime

Topics: JavaScript, Vim, Rust, TypeScript, libraries

Posting frequency: two to four times a month

Subscribers: 325k

Level of engineering: intermediate

Since we mentioned Prime in the previous section, we’ll skip to the main point.

For you, as a front-end engineer, Prime can offer a different perspective whether it is about the choice of your text editor or code formatting. What you can see from glancing at his channel, are tips on how to make your code go “blazingly fast” or choose your logging library without regretting it later.

As it goes, his videos are well known for their advanced coding tips and discussions of the latest viral news in the software industry, each time offering a spicy twist on the situation. Primeagen is also sitting on 153k followers on Twitch where he goes live for interactive coding sessions, so if you have any questions for him, this might be the right place to ask. And don't forget about his second channel - ThePrimeagen.

Popular videos to explore:

7. ColorCode

Topics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript

Posting-frequency: once every second month

Subscribers: 70.8k

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

ColorCode might not be as well known as some of our other contenders on this list, however, his delivery makes him stand out from the crowd and grab our attention every time.

With an arsenal of web development and design tutorials, he secured a spot on our list for his way of JavaScript breakdowns, and simple way how to put the problem into perspective.

Besides JavaScript, you can find videos of him tackling HTML, CSS, and a variety of JS frameworks in short (1 minute) or long (30+ minutes) videos. Just the bread and butter of the front-end.

Popular videos to explore:

8. CodeGrid

Topics: JavaScript, CSS, HTML

Posting frequency: twice a week

Subscribers: 113k

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

Awwwards tend to inspire many designers and Front-end engineers alike each year– including CodeGrid, who dedicated an entire Youtube channel to recreating award-winning designs.

As the first designer engineer here, he puts a lot of emphasis on CSS layout and responsive design in practical projects, so in case that is what makes your heart skip a beat, he gets 10 out of 10 from us.

Just like previous YouTubers on the list, he also established a community on Discord where other web developers share their designs and give suggestions for his upcoming videos.

Popular videos to explore:

9. Matt Pocock

Topics: TypeScript

Posting frequency: twice a month

Subscribers: 95.7k

Level of engineering: beginner-advanced

Watching this ex-Vercel TypeScript guru delivers all things TypeScript which will make you dream, think, and eat in TypeScript only.

Matt sits on a gold mine of knowledge about this language and shares it dedicatedly with everyone. You can find quick tip videos, deep dive videos, libraries, resources, and new TypeScript releases and that is still not the end!

He is actively engaging with his community through Twitter, where he also huddles ideas for his next videos based on the challenges others talk about when working with TypeScript. Truly a great channel where beginners or advanced engineers can learn a lot.

Popular videos to explore:

10. Coder Coder

Topics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, libraries

Posting frequency: two to three times a month

Subscribers: 489k

Level of engineering: beginner-intermediate

To finish our front-end list, the last high-five goes to Coder Coder.

She delivers tutorial videos and career advice to aspiring front-end developers at the beginning of their journey. Her beginner-friendly tutorials showcase real-life web pages and application projects from start to finish.

What you can find on her channel are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript tutorials, developer essential tools including Git, code editors like VSCode, and a variety of debugging techniques. Her videos will get you through the basics of web development with ease especially if you’re starting out.

Popular videos to explore:

A few more for the hungry ones

Rahul Pandey

Topics: tech journey, tech interviews, developer skills, Kotlin, Android development

Posting frequency: once or twice a month

Subscribers: 106k

Level of engineering: intermediate

If you’ve ever been interested in becoming the 100x times engineer (and haven’t read our article), tips from a former Meta Staff engineer Rahul might be right up your alley. His channel has gems like skills engineers should improve on including soft skills like communication, interviews with different levels of engineers, why your code sucks, and FAANG discussions.

Popular videos to explore:

Theo. - t3.gg

Topics: Golang, JavaScript, SQL, libraries, AI

Posting frequency: every second day

Subscribers: 249k

Level of engineering: intermediate-expert

With a little bit of over-the-top thumbnails, Theo might seem like a wild card, but his videos are not what you’d expect them to be - under the clickbait, you’d find content of a golden standard.

Watching this ex-Twitch engineer will get you into the loop of what’s behind the corner with new product releases and software update drill-downs. With somewhat strong opinions on the topics, Theo brings about his point with excellent use cases that will tickle your brain.

He’s great with frameworks, Golang, Adobe products, and anything that might be worth knowing within your sphere as a software engineer. A thumbs up from our team!

Popular videos to explore:

Final thoughts

That’s a wrap! Since there is no shortage of tech YouTube channels this list could continue until the end of all days. However, our list should give you a good overview of the variety of what’s out there. Your seniority, front-end focus, or back-end focus will influence which channels and communities you find helpful during your journey, so don't feel pressured to watch them all.

Did we miss your favorite? Let us know at community@betterstack.com!

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20 Best YouTube Channels for Back-end and Front-end Engineers

Contents

Top 10 Back-end Youtube channels

Top 10 Front-end Youtube channels

A few more for the hungry ones

Final thoughts

Make your mark

Join the writer's program

Build on top of Better Stack