Top Developer Communities to Join in 2023
Imagine developing a code for more than two weeks, tedious hard work put into it, and finding yourself stuck. Only when nothing you try seems to work, and you start doubting if you have what it takes to be a developer, you realise that what you’re going through… has happened to most. That's why we have decided to introduce Joberty Community where you can ask your fellow developers about career-related topics. But there are other developer communities from which you can source your programming knowledge and we will focus on them in this blog article.
When you join a developer community, you’re matching up with programmers that have gone through similar agonies and can thus show you the right path toward error-free deliverables. Who can support you better than those who understand what you’re going through? That’s why we've hand-picked some of the most valuable developer communities that can help you elevate your skills, solve complex problems, and stay motivated in your coding journey. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a newbie, these communities offer many resources and opportunities to grow as a developer. It’s not like going to therapy, but it’s the next closest thing.
So, if you're looking for a new community to join and take your coding game to the next level, read on. These are the top developer communities in 2023:
1. Product Hunt
Product Hunt is like a treasure hunt for the best and latest tech products, a place where gadget and product-loving enthusiasts meet and geek out discussing the latest mobile apps, websites, hardware projects and tech creations. It's the ultimate directory for products and services, a great place to learn from founders and hunters and find engaging new platforms.
It's a community where makers and entrepreneurs meet to build together, exchange reviews and help each other to make spectacular products. Likewise, it allows small-medium-sized businesses to showcase their products and receive feedback from people who are genuinely willing to help to improve them. Launching a product can be a long, shaky and complicated process. Still, this community provides spaces to learn from the maker's experiences and support to overcome the barriers that keep you uneasy.
Want to be up-to-date with the latest products that are being launched in the tech world? Do you want your project to be reviewed by other users who share your struggles? Then visit this community right now. You’ll find support and feedback from fellow founders.
2. Hacker News
Don't you miss the old Reddit? Hacker News was founded to bring just that back to life; to some, it’s a community where Reddit’s core group of refugees migrated. One can submit links to stories, ranked according to a voting system, similar to Reddit.
The website is aesthetically set for hackers and developers to feel at ease, similar to how tabular data is set up: it relocates stirred-up arguments or deeply nested debates to the bottom of the list as they lose relevance for the community. Spam detection software also keeps the space relevant.
All in all, it's a social news aggregator focusing on computer science and entrepreneurship where anyone can submit anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity, kept relevant by the ranking system.
I just checked in with this guy. He discovered chatGPT since posting this.
— gaut (@0xgaut) March 27, 2023
He now has 20 remote engineering jobs, $3.8M in total comp.
Don’t tell me AI is replacing jobs. pic.twitter.com/RWkI4D0gH0
Hacker News is owned and operated by YCombinator, the seemingly indie but actually colossal startup accelerator and venture capital firm. Coincidentally, much of the overemployment lore started there, like the plausibly sarcastic report about an engineer stacking up ten jobs at a time.
3. Daily.Dev
Daily.Dev is a professional network for developers that provides the latest tech news and articles, all in one space. This product curates posts from over 600 tech news sources and presents them in a single feed that you can customise to your interests using tags. You can comment on this news and contact other community members to discuss the news as well.
Daily.Dev helps you by saving time, showing news that a) are high quality and b) will be relevant to you as they’ll be customised. Start getting informed now!
4. Reddit
Imagine a bustling metropolis on the internet, where millions of people from all corners of the globe gather to share their thoughts, passions, and endless cat memes. Welcome to Reddit, the city that never sleeps! With dedicated subreddits like /r/rprogramming, /r/computerscience, and /r/coding, you'll find a community for every aspect of your developer journey.
You’ll have the chance to interact with actual humans in endless conversations. These communities are more than just virtual gathering places for programmers, they are hubs of collaboration, where the spirit of teamwork reigns supreme. You'll find developers supporting each other, offering advice, and celebrating each other's victories. It's like a tightly-knit family, united by the love of all things code.
Reddit recently went dark in protest of fees that the site’s owners want to charge API consumers. It brings up the question: Do owners really control Reddit? Or is it the community holding the grip of peak copypasta?
5. GitHub Forum
When it comes to collaboration and version control, GitHub is every developer's best friend. But did you know they also have a vibrant forum? Connect with fellow developers, share your projects, seek guidance, and experience the true power of an open-source community.
GitHub also offers other add-ons such as Discussions which bring out community forums to GitHub, making it easier for open-source communities, developer teams, and companies to ask questions, share ideas, and build connections with each other — all right next to their code. After all, two developers are better than one, and ten developers are… a merger conflict waiting to happen!
Here are some ways open-source communities and teams are using GitHub Discussions:
- Creating community announcements
- Share ideas and get community feedback
- Discuss a new release
- Spotlight meaningful conversations by pinning them
- Determine hot topics in your community
- Ask questions and get answers with Q&A posts
- Coordinate engineering resources
What are you waiting for?
6. TLDR
TLDR Is a free daily newsletter with links and TLDRs of the most interesting stories in startups, tech, and programming. They curate the most important news, articles, and releases, and present them in bite-sized, easily digestible formats, perfect to read with your morning coffee. It's not a community where you’ll be able to discuss with other developers, but one where you’ll be able to get informed quickly and precisely.
TL;DR? Just sign up and you’ll see.
7. Programmers Palace (Discord)
Programmers Palace is an open and helpful community for people of all experience levels who are interested in programming or computer science. In addition to constant live support, they periodically have events and offer courses in programming and web design. The community hosts bot jams, game jams, competitions, virtual lessons, and AMAs, among other events. You can enter this server for free to join thousands of diverse coders from all over the world, check it out!
8. Lobsters 🦞
Lobsters (spell it out like lobste dot rs, please) is a developer community that focuses on quality content and respectful discussions. Unlike other platforms that rely on upvotes and downvotes, Lobsters uses a tagging system that allows users to filter and sort posts by topics, such as programming, security, design, or culture. Lobsters also encourages constructive feedback and civil debates, and avoids sensationalism and clickbait.
This whimsical yet brawny developer community lives up to its unique name in the best possible way. Hatched from a Hacker News post, it serves as a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness of developers worldwide.
Lobste.rs is a by-invitation community for developers who value quality over quantity. The site prides itself on maintaining a troll-free environment, and the community is known for its meaningful discussions, insightful comments, and collaborative spirit. Moreover, Lobsters has a hard fork for no-BS bootstrappers called Barnacles (yes, you guessed the URL right).
Summary
Communities are places where one can seek guidance, learn about the hidden gems of the tech world, and receive feedback on their work. These communities also offer a space for developers to showcase their skills, gain recognition and even find employment opportunities. The constant flow of information that you’ll find in these communities will make you stay competitive in your career and push the boundaries of what's possible in web development.
There won't be a need to dissect the internet looking for reliable reviews on companies you are applying to, some noise-cancelling headsets you wish to purchase or the best extensions for any program you’re using. The best thing about them is that you’ll enjoy the in-between, exciting discussions, hilarious memes and off-topic conversations; these communities will change developers' lives for good!
