Want to become an independent iOS developer? These learning resources will help you get started faster

In the past decade or so, with the rapid development of smart devices, you may have heard that more and more people have become independent developers.

How did an unknown person suddenly become an independent developer? In fact, with the right learning resources, you can also teach yourself and turn your dreams into reality.

Generally speaking, when it comes to iOS app development, there are only two things that cannot be avoided. The first is the development tool Xcode, and the second is the programming language Swift. In this article, I will focus on learning these two things and introduce some high-quality learning resources that are enough to help you learn from the beginning to the end on the road of program development.

Swift App Development Introductory Course

If you have no experience in iOS programming, Apple has prepared two tutorials for you to help you get started with Swift and understand the collaborative development system of Swift and Xcode. These two books are "Swift App Development Getting Started Course" and "Swift App Development Core Course".

The introductory course focuses on explaining common concepts in programming, such as strings, parameters, structures, enumerations, etc., as well as how to get started with Xcode; the core course uses five hands-on cases to deeply explain all aspects of iOS development, such as UIKit, ARKit, and Xcode interface building tools.

Get: Free. Both books can be searched and downloaded directly in the Apple Books app, or you can visit Apple - Everyone Can Code to download.

WWDC Video Center

Every June, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference WWDC is held as scheduled. So what exactly is discussed during the conference? In fact, the keynote speech of the conference is mainly for the media reporters, explaining the latest software trends of the year. But the most popular speech for developers is the "Platforms State of the Union", another speech specifically for developers at WWDC. This speech analyzes the specific implementation methods of the new technologies of the year and how developers can use these technologies in their own applications.

There are far more videos during WWDC than these two keynote speeches. In fact, hundreds of new teaching videos will be released during WWDC every year. They contain all kinds of knowledge needed to develop applications, such as touch design, localization solutions, visual design, development tools, marketing, media applications, etc.

Whether you are a beginner who wants to find a teaching video on a certain knowledge, or you are already a senior who needs a deeper understanding of a certain point; whether you are a designer or a programmer, or just a bystander who wants to learn more about the Apple ecosystem, you can find the ones customized for you in the WWDC videos.

Get it: Free. All video resources can be downloaded in the "WWDC" app, or visit Apple-WWDC Video Center to download or watch online.

Xcode Help

Xcode is an indispensable IDE for developing applications on macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Its functions are very powerful, but it is also inevitably very complicated. If you are a novice, you will inevitably be scared by the software in front of you. At this time, you can use the "Help Documentation" that comes with Xcode to quickly get started or answer questions.

When you are writing a program and you don't understand a certain code, you can open another document that comes with Xcode, the "Developer Documentation". Unlike the instruction document which focuses on software explanation, the developer documentation focuses on explaining various APIs for code programming. You can use it as an encyclopedia of APIs.

Get it: Free. You can view it directly in the "Xcode" Help tab, or visit Apple - Developer Documentation to download or view online.

Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a holy land for many programmers, where a large number of the world's top developers gather. You can think of it as the Zhihu of the programming world. When you have a specific problem that you are really stuck on and can't figure out, or can't find the answer, you can consider asking questions here to learn.

Stack Overflow talks about various programming languages. If you only want to understand or learn Swift, you can enter Swift in the search tag to limit the scope of answers.

Get it: Free. Direct access to Stack Overflow.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is an excellent comprehensive learning resource site where you can find knowledge on almost any subject. The teaching method is simple and easy to understand. Although the courses here are not specific to Swift, any programming foundation is largely universal. A solid foundation will make your subsequent programming learning easier.

Get it: Free. Direct access to Khan Academy's Getting Started with Coding.

Ray Wenderlich

Ray Wenderlich is a learning platform focused on iOS development. In the early years, it mainly published text tutorial books, which included iOS animation production, Core Data data management, SceneKit game development, etc. If you like to learn by reading, these books are a very good choice.

In recent years, this website has transformed and also produced video tutorials. The video content covers all aspects related to iOS development, such as iOS, Swift, Game Framework, algorithms, etc. Each video is short and exquisite, which is very suitable for quickly conquering a certain field in a short time.

Get it: Video courses for $19.99/month, book tutorials for around $60 each. Direct access to RayWenderlich website.

Lets Build That App

Lets Build That App is a channel created by individual developers to share iOS development experience. You can learn about personal development, career choices, salary and other information here.

Get it: Free. Direct access to the Lets Build That App Youtube channel.

Harvard University: Programming Theory CS50

If you want to receive systematic programming education, this popular course is worth learning. The instructor of this course knows how to guide you step by step, and the course focuses on explaining the various knowledge needed in programming in different scenarios, such as data structure, dynamic programming, SQL, etc.

In addition to the main course, CS50 currently offers two additional branch courses, namely "CS50: Understanding Technology" and "CS50: Business-Oriented Disciplines". You can choose according to your actual needs.

Get it: Free. You can search directly in the "iTunes U" app, or click this link to view the course information CS50.

Stanford University: iOS Development Course CS193P

If you want to systematically learn Swift application development, CS193P is worth considering. Its instructor Paul Hegarty was a senior software engineer at Jobs Next. This course covers all the hardcore content required for application development, such as MVC, Controller, Core Motion, Segues, etc.

Get it: Free. You can search directly in the "iTunes U" app, or click this link to view the course information Developing iOS 11 Apps with Swift.

Written after the article

Frankly speaking, learning programming is hard, creating applications is also hard, and you may spend hours stuck on a small problem. But it will get easier, and gradually, writing programs becomes like solving a puzzle, which is painful and joyful.

Sharing your carefully crafted, accomplished work with the world may be the joy of programming. Make good use of learning resources and you can also become an independent iOS developer.