10 YouTube Channels You Should Follow in 2020
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For the last 2 years, I have shared a list of the Java-related YouTube channels that I find the most enjoyable or useful. And based on the popularity of these articles, it seems like I’m not the only one who enjoys watching good lectures and conference talks on YouTube. That’s especially the case in the current situation when I’m not able to travel to any in-person events. Right now, recordings and virtual live events are the safest and most comfortable way to learn from some of the best in our industry.
That’s why I decided to publish an updated version of that article featuring my recommended YouTube channels for 2020. If you want to compare that list with my previous recommendations, you can find them here:
Recommended Channels in 2020
1. Java
For the last 2 years, Oracle’s Java channel has been one of my recommendations, and it has become even better. It not only brings you lots of interviews with leaders in the Java community and talks from Oracle conferences, like CodeOne or the JVM Language Summit. They now also embed playlists from other popular conferences, like JFocus, Jakarta One, and Devoxx. That makes it one of my go-to places for Java-related talks.
2. Thoughts on Java
You didn’t think I would miss out on the chance to promote my own channel, did you? 😉
I create weekly tutorial videos about JPA, Hibernate, and other persistence technologies. I also started to a weekly live stream to which I invite guests or answer questions from the viewers, my Blog, and StackOverflow.
If you work with Java and relational databases, you should follow my channel.
3. vJUG
Due to Covid-19, most Java User Groups around the world had to pause their in-person meetups. So what shall you do instead, if you want to interact with like-minded developers and improve your skills?
The virtual Java User Group (vJUG) provides a great alternative to all the canceled in-person events. Their team live-streams webinars with some of the best Java experts and is a good alternative to your regular JUG meetup.
4. Docker
Docker containers are one of the core technologies in software development. And even if you don’t want to become an expert on it, you should at least keep an eye on recent developments.
The Docker YouTube channel provides an easy way to do that. Their virtual meetups and webinars provide you with great insides on recent developments and common technologies.
5. Adam Bien
Adam is well known for his entertaining and insightful conference keynotes and conference talks. On his YouTube channel, he publishes short tutorial videos and monthly Q&A live streams on various software development topics.
6. Devoxx
If you have been active in the Java community for a while, you probably heard about the Devoxx and Voxxed Days conferences. These are 2 huge conference series here in Europe. On the Devoxx channel, you can watch lots of recorded talks from these events.
7. Spring Developer
If you’re working with Spring, you should follow the Spring Developer channel. I especially like Josh Long’s Spring Tips series.
From time to time, the team at Pivotal seems to take a break and not publish new videos. But because of the overall number of high-quality tutorials, conference sessions, and webinars, I highly recommend this channel to everyone who’s working with Spring.
8. InfoQ
If you’re interested in good conference talks on various software development topics, you should follow the InfoQ channel. They mostly publish talks from their QCon conferences.
9. GOTO Conferences
GOTO Conferences is another popular conference series. They record their sessions and upload them to their YouTube channel.
10. JetBrainsTV
If you’re using one of JetBrains’ IDEs, you might also want to take a look at their YouTube channel. They publish an interesting mix of product-related videos, general tutorials on software development, and recordings from the KotlinConf conference.
Who else could you watch?
If you compare this list with last year’s post, you will recognize that some channels dropped out of it.
One of them is Nicolai Parlog’s channel CodeFX. I still recommend Nicolai’s content, but he recently spends a lot more time on his Twitch stream and doesn’t upload a lot of videos. I, therefore, didn’t include him on the list.
But if you want to learn more about Java and JUnit, I recommend joining one of his live streams.
Another channel that didn’t make the cut is the Brazilian SouJava channel. They offer a mix of very interesting interviews and webinars about Java and Jakarta EE. The only reason I didn’t include them in the list is that for the last few months, the far majority of their content was in Portuguese. Unfortunately, I don’t understand that language and stopped following them. If you speak Portuguese, I recommend you give the SouJava channel a try.
And the 3rd one is Sebastian Daschner’s channel. He doesn’t publish very often, but his tutorial videos and small courses are great. The quality of his content secures him a spot on my extended list.
Which channels do you watch?
These were my favorite channels for 2020. Which channels did you watch in the recent weeks? Which of them do you recommend?
