Friends often ask, what is the best path to learn SwiftUI? Considering everyone’s technical background, learning ability, and work experience are different, it’s hard to say which method of learning or which materials are suitable for them. However, as this question keeps coming up, I still want to try to organize some materials for friends who are interested in SwiftUI. This article will introduce some tutorials that have relatively low technical requirements for learners (even suitable for beginners).
This article only introduces some materials that I have read and understood, and only introduces tutorials with a certain complete system. Also, please read SwiftUI Column #6 Document Tools and Websites to learn how to search for APIs related to SwiftUI.
Hacking with Swift
Paul Hudson has written a large number of books and tutorials on Swift and SwiftUI. On his website Hacking with Swift, he provides a lot of excellent free content. 100 Days of SwiftUI is a collection aimed at SwiftUI beginners.
The author has set two rules for learners:
- Spend an hour each day reading or watching the tutorial, and writing SwiftUI code.
- Post your progress on social media every day for supervision and self-supervision.
The tutorial also includes knowledge about the basics of the Swift language (Days 1 - 15), creating the possibility of learning for beginners.
The tutorial contains videos, documents, and code. For learners with limited English skills, the translation tools built into browsers are sufficient to understand the documents in the tutorials. The video part has been carried on domestic websites (with machine-translated subtitles, and some creators have provided practical Chinese voiceovers).
AppCoda
“Mastering SwiftUI” is the Chinese version of the book “Mastering SwiftUI” published by AppCoda. The first four chapters of this book can be read for free.
English version of the course
This book is written for beginners who have no programming experience and want to learn SwiftUI development. It covers a lot of content, but don’t be misled by the “Mastering” in the title.
Design Code
Perhaps due to Meng To’s background as a designer, the courses he develops are visually stunning. Meng To engages learners’ desire to learn from a designer’s perspective. Learning his SwiftUI course will bring a high sense of achievement.
Design Code’s tutorials are not entirely suitable for absolute beginners. It is better if learners have a bit (really just a bit) of technical background. All courses are presented in video format, so some proficiency in English is required for learners.
Big Mountain
Big Mountain’s e-books teach in the form of cards. This method is very intuitive for learners who have a bit of a foundation.
Their website currently offers a 200-page free book.
I personally appreciate this creative form, and the Tips I post on Twitter are somewhat influenced by this style.
Raywenderlich
A veteran tech book publishing company that offers a multitude of courses (quite a few are free) on their website.
Raywenderlich’s SwiftUI Apprentice is written for beginners, and the first third of the book can be read for free.
Additionally, Raywenderlich’s website has many free tutorials on SwiftUI. It’s recommended to start with the older tutorials.
Both Raywenderlich and Hacking with Swift’s free tutorials come with complete Xcode project documents, which is particularly friendly for beginners.
Kodeco
Update August 2023
At the end of 2022, Raywenderlich was renamed Kodeco. In August 2023, they released a free ebook, SwiftUI Cookbook. This book introduces SwiftUI in a systematic way and provides rich sample code.
Apple’s Official Tutorials
Apple has made commendable efforts to promote SwiftUI, creating an exceptionally beautiful tutorial for it (the technology used to create this tutorial eventually evolved into DocC).
The tutorial offers nanny-level tips and shows developers every step of the development process.
Unfortunately, despite the high quality of the tutorial, its tone is somewhat aloof and lacks a sense of engagement.
Develop in Swift Tutorials (Apple’s 2024 New Tutorial)
Apple launched a new interactive tutorial in 2024. This tutorial covers the basics of SwiftUI, SwiftData, and VisionOS, providing a comprehensive introductory experience for beginners. Even experienced developers can find new learning opportunities and inspiration within these tutorials. Whether you are a novice programmer or a seasoned developer looking to expand your skills, this tutorial is well worth exploring.
SwiftUI Field Guide
Created by Chris Eidhof and designed by Nicholas Christowitz, this website utilizes web technology to explain how the SwiftUI layout system works.
The site focuses on fundamental layout concepts and uses interactive methods to deepen visitors’ understanding of different components.
Jiafu and Ziran’s Studio
They have channels on YouTube and Bilibili. Their video tutorial series SwiftUI Development for Beginners on YouTube is designed for beginners and consists of 29 videos. Although each episode is only a few minutes long, the teaching is very clear and well-structured.
Given that the entire series is not time-consuming to watch, beginners can get an overall understanding of SwiftUI after going through all the videos, and then decide on their next learning direction and content.
Videos are in Chinese.
ChaoCode
The YouTube channel of Chinese YouTuber Jane (Jane’s Youtube Channel). What I personally appreciate the most is her mastery of the pace of the videos.
Chinese audio with subtitles available in other languages.
Her channel includes videos about SwiftUI, but here I recommend her Swift Basics and Intermediate Series. This series is relatively complete and is very necessary for beginners to master SwiftUI.
If you choose to study the 100 Days of SwiftUI tutorial, it’s recommended to watch this series in parallel, especially in the early stages (Days 1 - 15).
Update: Jane has created a new series on ChaoCode — SwiftUI Beginner’s Course. Those interested in learning SwiftUI should definitely check it out.
Kavsoft
Not at all suitable for beginners, but immensely useful for them, is this YouTube channel (also available on Bilibili).
Kavsoft’s videos are characterized by being no-narration and fast-forwarded, featuring content on interaction effects that are both practical and showy.
Regardless of which of the above tutorials you choose to study, beginners will need some time before they can write applications with certain functionalities. When you feel weary from studying, you can relax by watching Kavsoft’s videos, treating them as a “mental nitrous boost.”
Conclusion
Paul Hudson said, learning programming is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t rush ahead just to “learn faster,” because you might lose your way. Take it slow!
