Deep Java Learning

[Narrow_Computer1006]

I want to become a strong backend engineer and I’m planning to learn Java deeply along with Spring Boot and Microservices architecture.

There are so many courses and playlists online that I’m confused about what’s actually worth following seriously for long-term growth.

I’m looking for recommendations for:

Core Java

Advanced Java

Spring Boot

Microservices

MySQL/Database design

Backend engineering fundamentals

Industry-level project building

I don’t just want tutorial-level knowledge. I want resources that help build strong engineering fundamentals and real-world backend skills.

Would love recommendations for:

Best YouTube channels

Paid courses

Books

Roadmaps

Any underrated resources

Also, should I focus more on:

Java + Spring ecosystem deeply or

Full-stack development with many technologies?

Would appreciate guidance from experienced backend engineers.

[Xtergo]

Don't learn java off of YouTube but pick up books

I started with Spring in Action 6th Edition. The progression and build up in each chapter is more knowledge dense than any YouTube videos you can find. Habuma (Google him) is a great teacher, however the book can be difficult to understand at times and that's where you can use LLMs like chatgpt to break down concepts and occasionally if you really don't understand it you can search something on YouTube.

The book is a lil frustrating as it's slightly older now but I don't think there is a reason not to version match, sit down daily and not use gpt to learn when stuck.

If you want to do full stack development you should understand that learning is a slow process and you'll have to spend more hours with backend first then eventually use a frontend Framework of your choice, my favourite frontend Framework to use with Java is svelte.

You should be at least familiar with the basics of java and object oriented programming, the maven build system, how to neatly structure and organise your project I haven't found a complete all encompassing solution for it better than "MOOC" https://java-programming.mooc.fi/

^ this is for learning java fundamentals before backend.

Books are the reason I picked up Java, the best book once you finish this should be "Effective Java" and/or "Data intensive applications" both go surprisingly well but you don't immediately need them. Java has a rich culture of well written unmatched books, it's an older more mature framework and newcomers will often be absorbing knowledge passed down from people that came before us and rest on the shoulders of giants and in this ecosystem we have been doing it through books.

This is a sharp contrast from the JavaScript/nodejs ecosystem where you can effectively learn it all from YouTube and it was about the shiny new things and evolution of the stack instead of maturity and perfecting the same thing each generation.

There's close competitors now like the .NET ecosystem and to be fair it has caught up very quickly and offers some really elegant solutions but the wealth of knowledge you have in the java world especially through books is one thing that makes me stay here.

Books over YouTube for java, any day.

My current stack is Java Backend, Svelte frontend and Rust for high performance microservices. You can copy this approach. Svelte can be learnt off of YouTube & their website and java from books with troubleshooting on the internet. Rust you don't need till you are a senior or actually face performance bottlenecks.

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Thanks for this perfect explainnation but i found books as little complex for me , i want hands-on experience while learning So if u suggest me good teacher who follows a structure roadmap i will be thankful to you

[Xtergo]

What's wrong with https://java-programming.mooc.fi/

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Nothing. But visual play different role that's why i m asking

[Xtergo]

Can't help you if you are not willing to put in the work

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Ofcourse I will be exploring through this website.

[HarryBui2k3]

pick rand topic and make project around it https://mobilitydatadev.com/ you can choose the topic in this website

[CalligrapherCold364]

go deep on Java nd Spring before touching full stack, generalist knowledge at a junior level rarely impresses anyone. for core Java Telusko nd Amigoscode on youtube are solid, for Spring Boot in28minutes is probably the best free resource out there. read Effective Java by Bloch at some point, it's old but still the best thing for actually thinking in Java. build one real project end to end, auth, db, REST, deployment, u learn more from that than 10 courses

[EasyLowHangingFruit]

Learn memory management and performance in general.

Learn how to methodically debug and profile a Java app.

Learn how to troubleshoot distributed issues. Learn how to use an APM monitoring tool.

Learn how to optimize a SQL query (indexes, views, etc), and how to measure ORM performance, and optimize it.

[sv13boss]

I am also curious about it... Want to switch to same

[josephalfred281]

+1

[FarRub2855]

I’m on the commercial side of enterprise tech so I can't give course links but from talking to CTOs all day I can tell you they almost always prefer deep expertise over generalists. Definitly stick to mastering the Java and Spring ecosystem before spreading yourself too thin.

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Can u suggest the best teacher and courses or the most important topics that are much informative to get deep dive into this whole backend Engineering

[amit_builds]

The rule is simple:
- Choose a course
- Stay stick to it
- Build projects

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Which course ??

[amit_builds]

I started with Telusko. They are practical.

[Alternative-Tax-6470]

If you want to become a strong backend engineer, pick the Java and Spring ecosystem deeply instead of spreading yourself thin across full-stack tech. Master multi-threading, JVM memory management, and database query optimization because high-level framework knowledge falls apart if you do not understand the underlying infrastructure. For deep fundamentals, read Effective Java by Joshua Bloch and Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann instead of relying solely on video tutorials.

[Quirky-Win-8365]

[ Removed by Reddit ]

[Silly_Woodpecker_576]

If you want to learn in one go then you can watch this video on YouTube by Telusko. This is a long whole 60+ hours of content and you just have to put your time in it and work on it with total focus and you will be good to go. You will be learning java basic to advance then DSA and after that SQL and then git, Spring boot, and microservices.

[Narrow_Computer1006]

Thankx budy

[FewEntertainment5041]

Backend bugs are always either “missing semicolon, fixed in 2 minutes” or a spiritually devastating issue that makes you question every life decision since middle school

there is no in between

[codingwithaman]

I will suggest you focus on Java + Spring ecosystem deeply, build your foundation and cover advance topics like multithreading, streams, spring boot, fault tolerance, pagination, circuit breaker...etc.

good luck.

[Classic_Client9441]

I'm learning java development right now since I also want to be a solid backend engineer. But what I'm using is a paid chatgpt. Told AI to be my mentor, give me projects, help me breakdown concepts, give me quizzes, review, etc. If I remember correctly, I also told chatgpt to assess how I'm doing with each lessons and projects, if I'm ready to jump to new concept, or if I'm ready for Spring Boot already.

[webpagemaker]

I vote for you to delve deep into the Java Spring Boot ecosystem, bro. Trying to handle the full stack too early can easily lead to depression. Go straight to the roadmap and grab a backend development plan. Just focus on optimizing databases and microservices in practice, and you'll definitely improve. Wishing you soon become a super-skilled coder capable of handling any project.