Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

This is a beginner's book teaching Python and Django web app development for non-programmers, written by a web designer who used this approach to build her own bootstrapped startup. The book breaks down concepts… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. I'm writing a book to teach beginner Django web app programming launched in 2014; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1IW
   I wrote a book teaching web app development for non-programmers▲16

   Hey HN, I wrote a book teaching beginner web app development using Django, launching on May 4th (successfully Kickstarted last year.) Website: http://hellowebapp.com Highlights: - Aimed at people who have previous HTML/building websites experience. - Template-first development: see the web app as a website first, before setting up databases and models. - Generic “collection of things” tutorial. Readers are encouraged to create something using this rubric that means something to them (a blog, a directory of people, etc.) Adding creativity will make the material stick better. -…

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2MD
   My Django book, Hello Web App, is now free online▲28

   A couple of years ago I wrote Hello Web App (http://hellowebapp.com) to teach beginner Django web app development. It's aimed at non-programmers and designers, and walks folks through building and deploying a basic web app. I'm working on my third book to teach web design fundamentals to programmers (Hello Web Design: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1868398473/hello-web-design-design-basics-for-non-designers), so I've made Hello Web App free online during the Kickstarter campaign for the new book. The full Hello Web App tutorial can be accessed here:…

   2017 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Hello Web App▲173

   Learn how to build a web app with Python and Django

   2018 · hellowebbooks.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Hello Web App▲156

   Learn Python & Django by building a web app (pre-order)

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Hello Web App: Intermediate Concepts▲63

   Intermediate tutorials and concepts for Django web apps

   2016 · hellowebbooks.com · its alternatives →

6. 6IW
   I wrote a book about WebAssembly▲410

   Hey HN! I've been working on a book about WebAssembly over the last few months, and it's finally available at http://levelupwasm.com! Why a book on WebAssembly you ask? Well... WebAssembly is awesome (obviously ) but it's certainly not the easiest thing to learn. So I wrote this book as a practical intro to using WebAssembly in your web apps. I would appreciate any feedback!

   2019 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Hello Web Design▲234

   A book for programmers who want to learn design

   2018 · hellowebbooks.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Practical Python Projects book release▲88

   Hi everyone! I just released the Practical Python Projects book! (https://practicalpython.yasoob.me) I am happy to announce the first version as a release candidate. I have poured a lot of love into writing this book and would love to hear what you guys think. (A limited 100% off and discount coupons at the end) This is not a pure beginner book. The book does assume some background Python knowledge. You need to know the basics like methods, functions, classes, and such. If I use something that is not typically covered in beginner Python books, I will explain it before I use it.…

   2021 · practicalpython.yasoob.me · its alternatives →

9. 9
   100 Vibe Coding▲351

   Hi HN, I have been making side projects since I was 14, and my team mate (this is his very first side project! Congrats!) designed and implemented the UI. Over time, people kept asking me how they could start coding and turn ideas into reality. So we had an idea. Coding is changing. With AI, the bottleneck is no longer writing every line by hand but knowing how to prompt effectively to reach a working outcome. Our objective is not to make people code better, or even learn to be a proficient software engineer, but just to keep it simple and start building. We want to remove fear and barriers…

   2025 · 100vibecoding.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    I wrote a book about Python▲181

    Hey HN! I wrote a book on programming called The Elements of Code. I put the entire book online here: https://elementsofcode.io/ When mentoring (usually new) programmers, I noticed there were a few common mistakes that seemed to account for about 80% of the complexity in their code. I couldn’t find a concise guide to fixing those mistakes, so I decided to write one. The title is an homage to The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, which is the classic guide for communicating well using prose. That guide is quite tactical in nature, and I wanted to parallel its focus in The…

    2021 · pragprog.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    My book for programmers called “Junior to Senior” was published today▲183

    After a four year journey, the book I wrote to help junior and mid-level programmers earn their first promotion was published today . The book is titled Junior to Senior: Career Advice for the Ambitious Programmer and is now available on Holloway’s website[0]. I truly believe that soft-skills are what makes the difference between a good programmer and a great one. I also believe that anyone can learn the soft-skills needed to accelerate their programming career. I wish I’d had better resources to learn these things in the early years of my career and I’m hoping this book will become a useful…

    2022 · holloway.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    One Month Python▲159

    Learn to build Django apps in just one month.

    2015 · onemonth.com · its alternatives →

13. 13MF
    my first ever coding project (7bks.com)▲25

    Hey HN. I've just launched my very first webappp and would love your feedback. http://www.7bks.com It's a book list sharing website - kind of like playlists for bookworms. The site is built on pyton/appengine - and I learned to code in under 4 weeks to build the site. There's more details on the background of the site here: http://www.7bks.com/blog/179001 I've also published the full Python code for the site here: https://gist.github.com/670034 Feedback is really important to me and I want to work hard to make the site better so any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Contact…

    2010 · 7bks.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    How I Learned to Code▲65

    Lessons From Teaching Myself Web Development

    2017 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Hello Python, my book about learning python, has just been released▲46

    Start coding today! Learn Python from the ground up with this easy-to-follow, hands-on guide.

    2012 · manning.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    From PHP to Python – A Straight-to-the-Point Guide▲5

    Hello everyone! After two years of hard work, I'm excited to announce the release of my first book, "From PHP to Python". As developers, it can be frustrating to learn a new language from scratch. This is why I wrote this book to help PHP developers quickly learn Python by focusing on what's different and taking shortcuts when things are similar. It's written in a straight-to-the-point style and the chapters are concise and condensed. The book covers everything needed in my opinion to have solid foundations in Python, in a web-oriented approach. After finishing this book, you will be able to…

    2023 · einenlum.gumroad.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Template Universe by CodeSandbox▲97

    Kickstart new coding projects with one-click⁠—no setup.

    2019 · codesandbox.io · its alternatives →

18. 18
    My first software project – a website to set goals and track progress▲17

    Two years ago, I started building this site that allows people to document their learning and progress in real time. The idea is: as you learn new things, you document your progress piece by piece, creating a collection of failures, breakthroughs, and knowledge. Along the way, your friends can cheer you on, and the community can give you tips and feedback. Over time, we'll create a public collection on how different problems were solved. With each progress, the site prompts you to reflect on questions like, "If you could go back in time, what do you wish you had known?" This was my first web…

    2024 · opus.cafe · its alternatives →

19. 19
    A Python native engine for web development▲24

    A Pythonic wraparound of HTML/CSS/JS. Contribute to BrainStormYourWayIn/sierra development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    An e-book about integrating front end libraries▲38

    From the creator of Bootsnipp.com, Laravel-tricks, MyMapList.com and more websites. Are you good at building all things back end but […]

    2014 · maxoffsky.com · its alternatives →

21. 21MW
    My Weekend Project - Sending a blog to your Kindle▲9

    Over the weekend I wrote a small web app that takes an RSS feed for a blog, grabs the feed, cleans up the HTML, strips out small irrelevant images and compiles them into an e-book with chapter anchors. It requires a Google login since it uses the Google Reader "API". As an example, I was going on a long vacation and had recently discovered Paul Buchheit's blog. I used this tool (which was then just a Python script) to create an e-book and I literally read his blog "cover to cover". It's still rough around the edges, but I figured I'd iron those out if at least one other person thinks they…

    2011 · blog2kindle.com · its alternatives →

22. 22SL
    soft-launching one of my pet projects▲27

    So a while ago I was thinking it would be neat to build a site that had the most absolute utility. The idea I came up with was a site to store those little protips that are super useful, if you know them ahead of time. I hired a guy to work on it with me, and ClueDB was born: http://cluedb.com/ Please give it a whirl (it uses Twitter auth as login but doesn't tweet anything) and tell me what you think! (Various trivia: My first try at a project coded by someone else and "product managed" by me. Runs on Flask + MongoDB. Also, this is totally unrelated to my startup.)

    2011 · cluedb.com · its alternatives →

23. 23WW
    Write webapps in Go without framework [updated]▲7

    Over three months ago, I posted my book on HN and got tremendous +ve reponse. I am happy to inform that I have published the book to leanpub as per the comments I got on HN itself! It is pay as you go model, and the minimum is $0 because I wanted to contribute back to the FOSS Community

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24MF
    My first start up (30 days in)▲29

    I quit my job a month ago and have been heads down working on my startup. It's my first time working with Ruby or web development at all. I launched on the 7th - http://www.onefatpig.com Now I'm done with the easy part (code) and working on the substantially harder part (getting users). Any advice?

    2011 · onefatpig.com · its alternatives →

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