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During those times of coronavirus, where many web developers and web designers work remotely, there are much fewer social interactions. For many software developers, staying up to date with the latest programming news is important.
We get that learning is important, but the daily routine sometimes doesn’t allow us to find high-quality content. Some of us prefer listening to podcasts or watching Youtube videos to learn new things about software development. That's fine for many use-cases, but I find newsletters to be really effective for my ongoing learning. Newsletters are one good way to get curated content with almost no hassle.
daily.dev is a community of developers getting together around discovering and exploring the latest news for programmers. It's entirely open-source, so make sure you check it out on GitHub. That is why we thought to gather some useful resources for you.
If you only came here to see the list of the most useful web development newsletters, here it is:
- JavaScript Weekly
- Smashing Newsletter
- CSS-Tricks Newsletter
- Dev Tips
- CSS Weekly
- Hacker Newsletter
- TLDR Newsletter
- Pointer.io
- Pony Foo Weekly
- Morning Cup of Coding
Additional web development newsletters you may want to check as well:
- Frontend Focus (Formerly HTML5 Weekly)
- Web Designer Weekly
- SitePoint
- Responsive Design Weekly
- Code tuts+
For the WordPress enthusiasts:
- MasterWP
- WP Beginner’s WordPress Newsletter
- The WordCandy Weekly
Why should I subscribe to newsletters as a developer?
According to Disqus, the top two reasons for subscribing were to learn more about a topic that interests you (36.2%), followed closely by a desire to stay up-to-date on the latest content from a website (35.8%). Email newsletters provide a reminder to visit a site you like when there is new content. Plain simple.
How to choose development email newsletters to follow
So this is a personal taste, but I'd like to give you quick thumb rules you can follow to find the best email newsletter for you.
1. Choose your focus
There are plenty of newsletters out there. It can easily become overwhelming for you and your inbox. So I suggest that the first step would be to think about what you are REALLY interested in. and then research the exact newsletters in this niche. You can always subscribe to more newsletters as you go. But starting with just one or two is my best advice.
For example, there are tons of different newsletters by programming language. So if you're into React, Node.js, Python, or HTML, you may want to find things that would be focused on those specific programming languages. Some newsletters are a bit broader and can be about backend or full-stack. Those usually are less focused, in my opinion.
2. Simple and catchy
A good newsletter is one that you would enjoy reading. Many web development newsletters that I've seen can be quite complicated to read. Personally, I read newsletters either first thing in the morning or my bed before going to sleep. For both time frames, I don't want to have to spend too much energy and effort. So the simple newsletters usually retain me better as a reader.
3. User-generated content is included
Some of my favorite newsletter authors are highly engaged on social media, especially on Twitter. Once a week, they post a question for their followers and then use the answers to write the newsletter. It's a great way to obtain fresh knowledge that is nothing like the standard boring stuff. People can be so creative sometimes, so reading user-generated content as part of a newsletter can be hilarious and insightful.
4. Trending topics or events
Some of the best newsletters are written by people who are highly engaged in a specific technology. Following them can be a good way to go to stay up to date on the latest topics and events in that particular niche.
Our favorite web development newsletters
Here are 10 web development and web design newsletters that we love:
JavaScript Weekly
A weekly round-up of JavaScript articles, news, and cool projects. Simple yet powerful. This one is definitely one of the most popular newsletters in the ecosystem.
Smashing Newsletter
A handy newsletter with useful techniques on front-end development and user experience made by The Smashing Magazine.
CSS-Tricks Newsletter
There are many ways to stay up to date with CSS-Tricks, but not many know that they also run an awesome newsletter that keeps you updated about front-end development and web design overall. It covers a bunch of topics like tutorials, plugins, and of course, CSS tricks. Generally, this site is a must for any frontend developer.
Dev Tips
A great newsletter with a nice twist. Dev Tips will send out a developer tip in your inbox each week in the form of a GIF. Bite-size dev news. We love it, and so do many of its subscribers.
CSS Weekly
This one is a weekly e-mail roundup of CSS articles, tutorials, experiments, and tools curated by Zoran Jambor. It's particularly great for anyone who loves web dev.
Hacker Newsletter
A weekly newsletter of the best articles on startups, technology, programming, and more. All links are curated by hand from Hacker News. This is not a hardcore coding newsletter, but it’s nice to keep track of the bigger picture as well.
TLDR Newsletter
Isn’t it a brilliant name for a newsletter? Exactly what we care about, saving time and being efficient. TLDR will deliver you a daily newsletter with links and TLDRs of the most interesting tech, science, and coding stories.
Pointer.io
They describe themselves as a reading club for software developers. Sounds neat, but wait until you get their curated content. These guys are serious.
Pony Foo Weekly
Pony Foo Weekly is an email newsletter discussing interesting and trending topics around the web platform.
Morning Cup of Coding
Morning Cup of Coding is a daily programming newsletter featuring long-form technical articles of all software engineering fields. Written and curated manually. Make sure to check this one out.
Few more web development newsletters that you may want to check
Frontend Focus (Formerly HTML5 Weekly)
A once–weekly roundup of the best front-end news, articles, and tutorials. HTML, CSS, WebGL, APIs, Canvas, browser tech, and more.
Web Designer Weekly
Web Design Weekly was started in July 2011. From what started as just a weekly email to a small number of people has now expanded into a regularly updated blog that focuses on all aspects of web design and an email distributed worldwide to many web developers and web designers.
SitePoint
Keeping up-to-date in the fast-paced web world is hard. Updates, news, and new tools come at you every day. Staying informed can become a major distraction and a tough job in itself. Stock up on the latest tips and links that will help you write better code, design better interfaces, and automate more of your workflow. In this newsletter, you'll find content about computing, development and design, product and entrepreneurship, and the future of the web.
Sidebar.io newsletter
I loved their description, so I bring it as-is :) Just like a podcast. But daily, in written form, and made of links. So not really like a podcast, actually.
Responsive Design Weekly
A free, once–weekly round-up of responsive design articles, tools, tips, tutorials, and inspirational links.
Code tuts+
A weekly email summary of all new Code tutorials.
Are you into WordPress?
MasterWP
Weekly Industry Insights for WordPress Pros. MasterWP is a quality email newsletter for WordPress professionals. Each week get a collection of apps, tools, and links that will make life better and provoke thought.
WP Beginner’s WordPress Newsletter
WPBeginner has decided to create a weekly newsletter called “WordPress Newsletter.” Their editorial staff writes exclusive articles with tips, tools, and other useful resources for WordPress professionals. This newsletter is basically what every WordPress Beginner wants and needs.
The WordCandy Weekly
The WordCandy Weekly summarizes everything you need to know about the latest developments in the world of WordPress. Each edition provides an easily digestible roundup of the latest WordPress-related news, with a particular focus on the ongoing development of WordPress and its major plugins.
One last bonus before you leave
We've also made a curated list of DevOps newsletters that you may want to check out as well. It's not necessarily relevant for every web developer. However, as I mentioned above, if you have a passion for expanding your horizons, subscribing to a newsletter in another domain or another programming language can be effective.
