Learn AJAX: The Best Courses and Resources

If you have ever attended an HTML, CSS, or JavaScript bootcamp, you are already on the right path to learn AJAX. While AJAX may be considered an older or even outdated technology, it is fantastic to use when learning to build a seamless web page.

Maybe you want to learn AJAX for your personal use, to complete a specific project, or perhaps your dream employer requires you to know the technology. No matter what the reason, it is safe to say that learning AJAX is a great way to advance your career.

In this guide, you will find everything you need to begin your AJAX learning journey. Covering everything from jobs that use AJAX skills to a few of the best AJAX training classes and other learning resources, you’ll be an AJAX master in no time.

What Is AJAX?

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. This technology is not a programming language and is actually a conglomeration of other technologies including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. AJAX can be considered a set of web development techniques, as there are multiple technologies used to create and maintain web pages, web servers, and even some web applications.

AJAX is most commonly used for the client-side rather than the server-side. Whenever you use a website and it has to request data or retrieve data, using AJAX techniques allows for these requests to the server to be done in the background. This allows a web page’s display to remain uninterrupted.

Basically, AJAX allows you to process all sorts of requests, such as HTTP requests, in your web browser and on your web page, but all through a server in the background to avoid interrupting your display. 

What Jobs Use AJAX Skills?

Even though many refer to AJAX as an old set of techniques, many jobs still require and utilize AJAX skills. A few of the most popular positions for utilizing AJAX skills are listed below.

• PHP Developer. Even though PHP developers typically work with the server-side, it is always good for developers to know their way around all parts of a web page. While you may not necessarily need AJAX skills to become a PHP developer, having these skills listed on your resume will impress employers and make you a more versatile employee to have.
  
  
• Software Developer. As a software developer, you want to be able to develop user-friendly software. By using AJAX, you can take your software development game to the next level by creating more interactive and easily usable software for your consumer market.
  
  
• UX Architect. As a UX architect, you would spend your workdays researching ways to improve user experiences. Future employers would be pleased to see you have mastered AJAX because this set of techniques is extremely helpful when working to improve user experience.
  
  
• Software Engineer. If you want to learn how to become a software engineer, you will likely find that mastering AJAX is high on the to-do list. Using AJAX techniques to create various software programs and user-friendly functions are some of the best ways to perform this job.
  
  

Steps to Learn AJAX

Learning AJAX techniques can be a bit challenging, but if you follow these five easy steps, you’ll be able to master the techniques and technologies in no time.

1. Read Official AJAX Documents

The first step we recommend taking when learning AJAX is to take the time to read the official jQuery API documentation. These documents detail all of the individual functions and abilities AJAX possesses and gives you a better idea of the technologies and techniques AJAX consists of.

2. Watch Video Tutorials

After you have gained an understanding of what AJAX itself is and what it encompasses, you can then begin to watch and follow along with basic video tutorials. Even if you choose to simply watch the tutorials without following along, this will give you a sense of how to use AJAX, as well as what it should look like.

3. Take Online Courses

Online courses make learning AJAX a breeze. While you can begin the learning process with online courses, waiting until after you have read the official documentation and watched a few video tutorials will make the online courses less stressful. Getting a head start will allow you to more easily stay caught up in the courses and learn how to use AJAX quicker.

4. Set Up a Simple Project

Once you have a good understanding of what exactly AJAX is and how it works, we suggest setting up a simple project to practice your new skills. Hands-on learning is one of the best ways to master a skill, especially when it comes to technologies that use AJAX. This project should be as basic as you can make it, and once it is complete, it can be added to your portfolio.

5. Test AJAX Within Your Frameworks

After you have mastered AJAX, you can begin testing it within your frameworks. By performing these tests, you are not only able to gain a bit more practice, but also able to potentially add other projects to an AJAX portfolio, as you could now incorporate AJAX skills.

The Best Courses to Learn AJAX

Learning AJAX skills and techniques can be a bit intimidating, but we have you covered. These are 11 of the best courses you can enroll in to learn everything there is about AJAX and how to use it.

AJAX Development

Offered through Udemy, this $20 AJAX Development course is great for beginners. In this course, you will go over the basics of AJAX and how it interacts with XML, JSON, jQuery framework, PHP, and more. The class itself consists of three hours of video lectures, one article, and nearly 30 downloadable resources to aid your learning.

Intro to AJAX

Udacity offers another fantastic beginner-level AJAX course. This Intro to AJAX class is free and will help you learn to make asynchronous requests with JavaScript by using AJAX. The class takes an average of two weeks to complete and culminates with a project of building a web app.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Web Developers

If you are learning AJAX, you likely have a background as a web developer or want to learn how to become a web developer. While learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is not the same as learning AJAX, it is important. These three languages are used extremely often when using AJAX techniques, so taking this free Coursera course may be crucial to learning AJAX.

JavaScript and AJAX: Integration Techniques

This Lynda course is included with a Lynda membership or free membership trial and covers both the basics and more advanced parts of using AJAX. At the end of this one-hour course, you will have learned how to use AJAX and JavaScript to communicate information between the client-side and the server-side.

Create a PHP and AJAX Login/Registration System

Skillshare is an awesome place to look for video tutorials and classes and this course is fantastic. Though you will likely need a Skillshare account to take this class, you will be able to learn exactly what you need to do to create a PHP and AJAX login or registration system, which is something you will likely do for hundreds of websites as a web developer.

Asynchronous JavaScript Requests

Udacity offers yet another fantastic AJAX course, though this one focuses on JavaScript. Taking approximately three weeks to complete, this free course will teach you everything you need to know to begin sending and receiving data asynchronously. 

AJAX: Let’s Build a COOL Project

If you want a class that includes a portfolio-worthy project, this is the course for you. Offered for $69.99 through Udemy, this AJAX course includes 3.5 hours of on-demand video lectures and one downloadable resource. As stated in the course title, you will also get the opportunity to build a cool project for your AJAX resume.

AJAX with PHP: Add Dynamic Content to Websites

Another course offered through Lynda, this AJAX with PHP course is a good way to learn more about web design. Since AJAX is known for its techniques in making websites dynamic and user-friendly, it only makes sense you would use it to add dynamic content to websites as you build them.

AJAX Using JavaScript and jQuery + 2 Projects

For only $19.99, you can enroll in this fantastic Udemy course that teaches you AJAX using JavaScript and jQuery. Included in this course are 2.5 hours of on-demand video lectures, four articles, four downloadable resources, and of course, two projects to be completed for your portfolio and future professional use.

jQuery and AJAX for Beginners: The Definitive Guide

As a free course offered by Udemy, this jQuery and AJAX for Beginners course may become a staple restaurant while we are here. This is a free course consisting of two hours and 37 minutes of on-demand video lectures and will have you using jQuery and AJAX together much faster than you ever thought.

Learn AJAX and Make an Interactive, Graphical News Feed

This Skillshare tutorial can be accessed with a Skillshare membership. Once you have access to it, you will find yourself quickly learning how to add interactive features to your websites. The introduction video for this course is available free of charge, so give it a try and decide if this course is right for you.

Why Learn AJAX?

We have all heard at least one person say AJAX is old and becoming useless, but that simply isn’t true. If you plan to work in any sort of developing, architect, or software engineering position, learning AJAX is one of the best things you can do for your career. 

This set of techniques allows for easy development of user-friendly web pages and asynchronous requests. When all is said and done, having mastered AJAX is still a very useful set of skills to have, and we think all developers should learn AJAX.