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Courses and workshops for beginners and aspiring front-end developers.

Learn how to build your own web projects from scratch.


I've advised and written code for organizations like...


Get really good at web development

  • 25 Courses & Workshops
  • 520+ Quick Guides
  • 24/7 Peer Chat

Get instant, unlimited access to project-based workshops designed to help you solve problems, write easy-to-maintain code, and build your own projects from start-to-finish.

  1. Every other day, you get a project to work on, 1-3 short lessons that provide some background, and a template to help you get started.
  2. On the in-between days, I share my approach to the project and some of the common challenges and “gotchas” that students often run into.

If you get stuck, there’s a 24/7 private Discord community exclusively for students, where you can share your work, ask questions, and get help.

Making myself a little web tool and using a whole range of stuff that Chris Ferdinandi’s Vanilla JS Academy taught me.

I struggled with JavaScript for a decade so I really would recommend it for anyone who needs a big friendly confidence-booster.- Laura Kalbag

What You’ll Learn

Get instant access to project-based workshops and self-paced courses including…

Modern JavaScript for Beginners

A project-based JavaScript workshop for beginners and aspiring developers. Get the skills and confidence to really understand JavaScript and build your own projects from scratch.

JavaScript Patterns & Architecture

Learn patterns and approaches for managing your code. Write JavaScript that's performant, maintainable, and can be easily reused across projects.

Resilient Web Apps

Learn how to build dynamic web applications from start-to-finish. Create interactive UI components, write your own APIs, and add offline support.

And so much more...

  • DOM Manipulation
  • Strings & Numbers
  • Arrays & Objects
  • Variables, Functions & Scope
  • DOM Injection & Traversal
  • Browser Storage
  • APIs & Asynchronous JS
  • Writing JS Libraries
  • ES Modules
  • Service Workers
  • Web Components
  • State-Based UI
  • Testing JavaScript
  • Accessible Components
  • Serverless
  • Token-Based Authentication
  • Terminal & the Command Line
  • And more...

🧠 Multiple formats for different learning styles. Tutorials include both written text and streaming HD videos (with captions). Watch or read on any device.

Tired of tutorials? Want to really dig in and work with other developers on how to become a vanilla JS badass? I can't tell you how much I've learned.- Ben Rudolph



Work on fun projects!

Grow your portfolio and build a wide range of fun projects, including…

Toggle Password Visibility
Show and hide passwords by toggling a checkbox field.
Word Count
Count the number of words and characters in a block of text as the user types.
Random Ron
Show random Ron Swanson quotes on a website using an API.
Dragon Trainer Magazine
Create a magazine website by combing several APIs from Dragon Trainer Magazine.
Find the Monsters
Create a fun game where you find your monster friends and avoid the sock.
Form Saver
Automatically save form data as a user types and reload it on future visits.

And more, including JavaScript libraries and a complete web app from start-to-finish.

This program is super hands-on. I always wanted to learn how to make my own libraries, or to know how jQuery library works. Async, Promises and Fetch was another huge one for me, that I used in my projects right away.

It gave me a lot of confidence as a developer, I wish I had a training like this when I started. It got me much closer to my goal of becoming a senior front-end dev.- Maria Blair

Don’t go it alone! Get lots of support.

You get 24/7 access to a private Discord community, where you can chat with other students, get feedback on code, and ask questions to help you get unstuck.



Over 500 tools at your fingertips

The Lean Web Club includes a treasure trove of tools and resources to help you thrive as a developer!

  • Quickly look things up with 520+ short, focused guides on a wide range of topics.
  • Build projects faster with a growing collection of hand-picked boilerplates, Web Components, helper functions, and libraries.

You can even bookmark your favorite lessons and resources for quick access later.

Wanting to learn JavaScript from scratch, make the transition from jQuery or some other library? Already pretty competent and just want to get better?

Chris Ferdinandi has got your back and his learning platform is a *tremendously good value*.- Jonathan Schofield

Go from beginner to confident coder

Over the last decade, I’ve helped thousands of developers demystify web development and build tons of cool stuff. I can help you…

  • Learn modern best practices and code patterns.
  • Spend less time Googling and more time working on cool stuff.
  • Get the skills and confidence to really understand HTML, CSS, JavaScript and more.
  • Follow structured learning paths to grow your skills more quickly.
  • Work on real projects and build your portfolio.

Imagine being able to just sit down and build whatever cool project you wanted!

Best investment and course I have taken. If you want a bite sized course that will hold you accountable take this course. I have reduced the amount I Google and use Stackexchange by 50% and actually feel like I understand what I am coding.- Walter Jenkins

Your 100% Money-Back Guarantee 💰

Don’t put off learning web development! If you’re not 100% satisfied with the Lean Web Club, let me know and I’ll give you a full refund for your first month of access.

Hi, I'm Chris Ferdinandi. 👋

Chris Ferdinandi

I help people learn front-end web development, and I believe there’s a simpler, more resilient way to make things for the web.

I’ve advised and written code for organizations like NASA, Apple, Harvard Business School, Chobani, and Adidas. My developer tips newsletter is read by over 14k developers each weekday.

I want to help you master web development, without all of the painful false starts and roadblocks I encountered when I was learning.



Stuff students have said...

In terms of knowledge gained per effort expended, this course is hands down the best I've ever tried. More than just the content, it is the growing confidence that maybe even I can actually do this. I feel like I am beginning to know what I don't know. That is huge. Well done.- Stewart Davis
Honestly, the projects so far plus seeing your examples have helped me learn so much faster.- Craig Haggart
Your course provided the impetus to knuckle down and challenge myself. You got me writing code (not merely reading about it or watching videos).

Having a caring, well-spoken guide such as yourself made it fun to work through the projects. Having that in a group all tackling the same projects added that dynamic aspect that also got me moving.

Some specific things I liked: The fabulously well-crafted projects/challenges. The clarity of your teaching (videos, in-code comments, etc.). The supportive Slack channels. The feeling that no question is a dumb question -- and the thrill of having a dialogue going permitting sharing tidbits with others.

No Lynda.com tutorial or other tutorial provides that environment.- Ron Amick
Having your interaction is priceless. Such added value.- Elliott Porter
After going through this program, I found that using vanilla JS, you can accomplish A LOT more than the larger dev community would lead you to believe.- Zac Heisey
I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it had not been for you, I would not be able to learn JavaScript.- Patricia Parker
We need more people like Chris, who not only have this mindset that we need to stick to the basics of JavaScript, but are willing to evangelize it.- David Walsh
Can you actually create a website without JS frameworks? Yes! Here's a collection of resources to get started.- Ed Rivas
God, you're amazing... I'm learning so much from you.- Mojtaba Seyedi, Front End Developer
I recommend Chris Ferdinandi to all JavaScript learners :)- Alex Muraro
Shout out to Chris Ferdinandi's blog that keeps coming up whenever I google anything vanilla JS. Nice little tips every day.- Wes Bos



Not ready yet? Get daily developer tips.

Hate the complexity of modern front‑end web development? I send out a short email each weekday on how to build a simpler, more resilient web. Join over 14k others.

If you have any questions about anything, feel free to send me an email at chris@gomakethings.com.