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Python Developer

Go from your first line of Python to a full web app with logins and a database, kept in Git and packaged with Docker — the skills for a junior developer job.

Beginner · 7 courses · 192 lessons · 45 h 53 min · Courses in order · Certificate on completion
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First program to deployed web app

Go from your first line of Python to a full web app with logins and a database, kept in Git and packaged with Docker — the skills for a junior developer job.

Free forever — like every pathway and course on Avro Academy: all lessons, quizzes, downloads and your certificates. Our promise

Who it's for

Beginners who want to become developers. No experience needed to start.

What you'll be able to do

  • Write Python programs confidently
  • Build a full web app with Flask
  • Store data in SQLite and PostgreSQL
  • Work with Git and GitHub like a team
  • Package and run your app with Docker

The courses

  1. Python Foundations: Your First Programs
  2. Git & GitHub for Beginners: Save, Share and Collaborate
  3. Full-Stack Python: Build a Web App with Flask
  4. SQLite in Practice: Track Your Spending
  5. PostgreSQL Foundations: Run the Corner Café Database
  6. Docker Basics: Containers for Your Apps

Optional extras

How it works

  • Join once, and track your progress across every course in one place, under My learning
  • Take the courses in order: each one opens when you finish the one before.
  • 6 required courses, about 39.5 hours in total — at your own pace
  • You get a certificate for each course, and a pathway certificate when you finish them all
  • Completely free

Courses in this pathway

Take these in order: each course opens when the required one before it is complete.

  1. Python Foundations: Your First Programs
    32 lessons · 6 h 40 min
    Not started
    Lessons (0 of 32 done)

    Module 1: Getting started

    • What Python is — and why learn it10 min
    • Coding in your browser with Google Colab15 min
    • Your first program: print, comments and maths15 min
    • Reading error messages (tracebacks)12 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Values and variables

    • Variables12 min
    • Numbers and maths15 min
    • Strings and f-strings15 min
    • Input, booleans and converting types15 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Making decisions

    • if, elif and else15 min
    • and, or, not12 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Lists and loops

    • Lists15 min
    • Loops: for, range and while15 min
    • List comprehensions12 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Functions

    • Writing functions18 min
    • Scope and building with functions12 min
    • Project: shift pay calculator18 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Dictionaries and data

    • Dictionaries15 min
    • Lists of dictionaries: real data15 min
    • Module 6 quiz5 min

    Module 7: Files, errors and modules

    • Reading and writing files15 min
    • Handling errors with try and except12 min
    • Modules: using code others have written12 min
    • Module 7 quiz5 min

    Module 8: Projects and next steps

    • Project: workplace quiz game25 min
    • Project: pay and budget tracker25 min
    • Debugging, AI tools and next steps15 min
    • Module 8 and final quiz5 min
  2. Git & GitHub for Beginners: Save, Share and Collaborate
    23 lessons · 4 h 47 min
    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 23 done)

    Module 1: Meet Git and GitHub

    • What Git and GitHub are10 min
    • Your GitHub account, set up safely15 min
    • Your first repository, on the website15 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Git on your computer

    • Install Git and set it up15 min
    • Your first commits20 min
    • Seeing changes and writing good messages15 min
    • Undo mistakes and ignore files15 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Working with GitHub

    • Connect to GitHub and push20 min
    • Pull and clone15 min
    • GitHub Desktop and VS Code12 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Branches

    • Branches: a safe place to try ideas15 min
    • Merge conflicts — and how to fix them20 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Collaborating

    • Pull requests20 min
    • Issues, forks and contributing15 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Show your work

    • Publish your portfolio with GitHub Pages15 min
    • A GitHub profile employers notice12 min
    • Next steps8 min
    • Module 6 and final quiz5 min
  3. Full-Stack Python: Build a Web App with Flask
    31 lessons · 6 h 20 min
    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 31 done)

    Module 1: How the web works

    • What full-stack means10 min
    • Requests, responses and URLs12 min
    • Setting up: Python, VS Code and Flask20 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Flask basics

    • Your first Flask app15 min
    • Templates with Jinja15 min
    • Static files and links10 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Forms

    • HTML forms, GET and POST12 min
    • Reading and checking form data15 min
    • Flash messages and redirect after POST12 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Databases

    • SQL in 15 minutes15 min
    • Connecting Flask to SQLite15 min
    • Saving, listing and deleting15 min
    • SQL injection and safe queries12 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: User accounts

    • Storing passwords safely12 min
    • Sign up, log in and sessions20 min
    • Protecting pages and actions15 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Security essentials

    • CSRF: forms only you can send15 min
    • XSS, safe redirects and secret keys15 min
    • Module 6 quiz5 min

    Module 7: APIs and JavaScript

    • Building a JSON API15 min
    • JavaScript fetch: no page reload15 min
    • Module 7 quiz5 min

    Module 8: Test and launch

    • Automated tests with pytest20 min
    • Put your app online25 min
    • Next steps as a developer10 min
    • Module 8 and final quiz5 min
  4. SQLite in Practice: Track Your Spending
    20 lessons · 5 h 35 min
    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 20 done)

    Module 1: Meet SQLite

    • What SQLite is10 min
    • Install sqlite3 and DB Browser15 min
    • Your first database file20 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Getting data in

    • Import a CSV file20 min
    • Clean it into a proper table25 min
    • Duplicates from overlapping files20 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: How SQLite is different

    • SQLite's flexible types20 min
    • Dates and times20 min
    • Keys and the foreign keys switch20 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Answering money questions

    • Categorise the spending25 min
    • Monthly reports and the budget25 min
    • Views and sharing results20 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Python and beyond

    • SQLite from Python25 min
    • Adding data safely from Python20 min
    • Backups, sharing and choosing a database25 min
    • Module 5 and final quiz5 min
  5. PostgreSQL Foundations: Run the Corner Café Database
    32 lessons · 9 h 15 min
    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 32 done)

    Module 1: Meet PostgreSQL

    • What a database is10 min
    • Install PostgreSQL20 min
    • psql and the café database20 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Asking questions with SELECT

    • Your first queries with SELECT20 min
    • Filtering with WHERE25 min
    • Sorting and removing duplicates15 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Summaries

    • Counting and totals20 min
    • GROUP BY and HAVING25 min
    • Dates, times and text25 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Joins

    • Keys: how tables connect20 min
    • Joining tables25 min
    • LEFT JOIN and joining many tables25 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Changing data

    • Adding rows with INSERT20 min
    • Changing and removing rows20 min
    • Transactions: your undo button20 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Designing tables

    • Data types20 min
    • Creating tables with CREATE TABLE25 min
    • Changing tables with ALTER TABLE20 min
    • Module 6 quiz5 min

    Module 7: More powerful queries

    • Subqueries and WITH25 min
    • CASE and views20 min
    • Indexes and EXPLAIN20 min
    • Module 7 quiz5 min

    Module 8: Safe and useful

    • Users and permissions20 min
    • Backups, exports and other tools25 min
    • Capstone: the monthly report30 min
    • Module 8 and final quiz5 min
  6. Docker Basics: Containers for Your Apps
    24 lessons · 7 h 5 min
    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 24 done)

    Module 1: Meet Docker

    • What Docker is15 min
    • Installing Docker20 min
    • Your first containers25 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: Build your own image

    • Shift Swap and the Dockerfile25 min
    • Build and run your image25 min
    • Layers and the build cache20 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Data and configuration

    • Volumes: keep your data25 min
    • Bind mounts: share a folder20 min
    • Settings and secrets20 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: A production-ready image

    • A real web server: gunicorn20 min
    • Don't run as root20 min
    • Health checks and image size20 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Docker Compose with PostgreSQL

    • Why Docker Compose25 min
    • Start the whole stack25 min
    • Inside the stack25 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Share and next steps

    • Tags and registries20 min
    • Cleaning up and fixing problems25 min
    • Where Docker goes next20 min
    • Module 6 and final quiz5 min
  7. Python for Data: Clean, Analyse and Visualise
    Optional · 30 lessons · 6 h 11 min

    A great extra if you like working with data

    Opens when the course before it is complete
    Lessons (0 of 30 done)

    Module 1: Data with Python

    • What data work really is10 min
    • Colab for data: notebooks and uploading files12 min
    • Data with plain Python first15 min
    • Module 1 quiz5 min

    Module 2: pandas basics

    • DataFrames: loading CSV and Excel15 min
    • Exploring your data15 min
    • Selecting and filtering15 min
    • Sorting and new columns12 min
    • Module 2 quiz5 min

    Module 3: Cleaning messy data

    • Finding the problems12 min
    • Fixing types: prices, numbers and dates15 min
    • Text, missing values, duplicates — and saving20 min
    • Module 3 quiz5 min

    Module 4: Analysing

    • groupby: totals by category, item and staff15 min
    • Working with dates: months and weekdays15 min
    • Combining tables with merge15 min
    • Pivot tables12 min
    • Module 4 quiz5 min

    Module 5: Visualising

    • Bar and line charts15 min
    • Histograms and choosing the right chart12 min
    • Honest charts12 min
    • Module 5 quiz5 min

    Module 6: Automating everyday tasks

    • Combining many files at once15 min
    • Exporting reports to Excel and CSV12 min
    • Project: weekly roster hours report20 min
    • Module 6 quiz5 min

    Module 7: Capstone and next steps

    • Capstone: a year at Corner Café30 min
    • Real data: open datasets, privacy and ethics12 min
    • Next steps in data10 min
    • Module 7 and final quiz5 min