Welcome, fellow programmers! Are you looking for a community where you can connect with like-minded people, learn new skills, and share your knowledge? Look no further! In this blog post, I’m going to round up the best of the best forums and communities for programmers on the World Wide Web.
As a programmer myself, I know firsthand how valuable it is to have a support network of other professionals who understand the challenges and triumphs of coding. Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or a seasoned veteran, there’s always something new to learn and someone else to help out.
Grab a cup of coffee, fire up your favorite IDE, and let’s dive in!
Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow is by far the most popular questions and answers website for programmers, and the community every developer should have in their browser’s bookmarks or pinned tabs. If and when you find yourself stuck with figuring out how to do something, chances are somebody else has already asked that question on Stack Overflow and at least a few experts have proposed solutions.
Use the search form more than the “Ask Question” button, though. Even if you’re a complete beginner, you’re still expected to do your research and make an effort to get to the answer before writing a post — if you don’t, others will be quick to remind you of it.
Reddit is also a great place for software development discussions and coding Q&As. Go to r/programming and r/learnprogramming subreddits as a starting point, and be sure to look for the subreddits created specifically for your preferred platform or programming language.
And if you’re looking to wind down from a stressful day of coding, check out r/ProgrammerHumor, where you’ll find the Internet’s funniest memes and jokes about programming and Computer Science as a whole.
Quora
Quora is an interesting place to explore. The threads there are less about specific problems and more about computer science, software architecture, and development in general. Many replies are shameless self-promotion by SaaS tool marketers, but others are pure gold.
To make the most of Quora, follow a few topics and spaces. Computer Programming is a great topic to start with, and Beginner programmer is an active space with at least a few dozen new questions a day.
Hacker News
Hacker News, an online community by startup accelerator Y Combinator, isn’t for everybody. You have to have an interest in news, curiosity pieces, and nerd gossip. But if you are, I guarantee you this website will quickly become your number-one hangout place on the Internet.
Hacker News is all about the depth and quality of discussion. Just look at this thread about category theory for programmers, or this one about why Python uses 0-based indexing. Everyone’s watching cats break things in YouTube Shorts and grandmothers dance on TikTok these days, and it’s hard to find discussions this good anywhere else. It’s like a refuge for people who still… think.
What About All the Others?
Search for “best forums for programmers,” and you’ll see long lists of 30+ communities for software developers or 20+ forums you need to join right now. While these numbers sound impressive (and they get you to click and read through), the people who’ve written them either know nothing about programming or haven’t taken the time to verify that the sites they’re recommending are still active.
Hint: Many of them are not. Although I could give you a countless list of forums to visit, the sad fact is that many of them are remnants of a Web 1.0 long gone — and they’re slowly but surely dying off.
There are a few havens with small, active communities out there, but they’re few. If you need anything related to programming, the communities above should give you everything you need.
