Even in this digital age of AI, Books are still the best source for learning anything. They contain everything in depth with perfect examples. Here are 12 Must-Read Books for Software Developers to master coding. These books will help you gain more knowledge about software engineering topics, how to manage daily routines with development, etc.
12 Amazing Books for Software Developers
You can read them at night or in the morning. They will increase your knowledge in the coding world, as well as give you some time away from the computer screen.
1) Introduction to Algorithms
Algorithms are one of the most important topics for beginners. It is just not about knowing the algos, but also how it works. It is one of the best books for learning algorithms. his book was written by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald Rivest, and Clifford Stein.
This book contains most of the algorithms and explains them in depth. It is beginner-friendly; anyone who has done programming can also refer to it.
2) Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules
It is written by Steve McConnell. He has written several software development books. This book is best for those who want to manage their projects. Most software programs fail as they are not made with proper strategies.
This book contains different development approaches and management ideas that are even used in companies like Microsoft.
3) Clean Code
“Clean Code” is written by Robert C. Martin. This book will help you learn how to write maintainable and readable code. Such a skill will make you a disciplined coder. This book contains three parts.
The first part is for learning how to write clean code. The second contains case studies. Each case study is an exercise with unclean code you need to clean. The third part contains rules and guidelines from case studies. This will help us write clean and maintainable code.
4) Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions
This book is written by Gayle Laakmann McDowell. It contains 189 coding questions with their code and explanation. These questions are mainly related to DSA, object-oriented design, etc. While you might think they will not up to the standard of the 21st century, but remember that these are the basics, and that is the first thing to master.
This book also contains tips and tricks (how to uncover the hints and hidden details in a question) to crack coding interview questions. Overall, the book is best for coding interview preparation.
5) Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
This book is written by 5 authors. This book is mainly for programmers or developers who need to improve the design of their code. It is mainly for structuring or refactoring the existing code. This book contains 40 refactoring designs.
It shows when and where to use those designs with step-by-step instructions. It mainly provides knowledge about how to find or which codes need to be changed.
6) Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
This book contains solutions for object-oriented programming software with 23 different patterns. This provides clear and real-life examples along with code in C++ and Smalltalk. Software designers can create more flexible and reusable software designs through these patterns.
7) Rapid Development
This book was written by Steve McConnell. It contains topics like estimation, risk management, etc., with case studies containing common and successful approaches. It contains various strategies for corporate teams who are struggling with tight schedules.
8) Effective Java
Effective Java is written by Joshua Bloch. This book is best for practicing Java as it contains code examples and practical advice for programmers of all levels. It contains topics like concurrency, object creation, generics, enums, lambdas, etc. It also tells you how to write clear and maintainable code.
9) A Smarter Way to Learn HTML and CSS
The author of this book is Mark Myers. This book contains interactive exercises to teach HTML/CSS.
It breaks down the code into manageable chunks and explains everything in easy language. It is suitable for both beginners and experienced developers. It contains free online exercises and a supportive learning structure, it’s praised for its effectiveness and user-friendly approach.
10) Node.js Web Development
The author of this book is David Herron. It contains everything from basic JavaScript to Node.js for the backend.
This will help you to build fast and scalable websites using JavaScript and Nodejs. You can learn how to work with SQL and MongoDB, real-time applications with Socket.IO, Bootstrap for mobile-first design, etc.
11) Designing Your Life
This book is written by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. This book is for those who cannot able to manage their work and rest routines. As sometimes developing some projects creates a stressful environment. This book helps developers manage their daily routines with some questions and answers.
12) Continuous Delivery
This book explains how to make software delivery faster and less risky by using automation for building, deploying, and testing.
It emphasizes collaboration between developers, testers, and operations to release changes quickly, whether the project is big or the codebase complex, often in just hours or minutes.
Conclusion
Some of these books have online PDF versions, so you can read them before purchasing or accessing them online. Books are always the best for learning purposes. These 12 books will surely aid you in mastering coding and upskilling your journey.
