Programming podcasts are fast becoming a fun way to keep up-to-date on developments in the programming world and learn new skills, particularly for those of us whose dominant learning style isn’t reading-based.
Here at Airbrake, we love programming podcasts too. Here are 12 podcasts we have hand-picked for you from a variety of different programming languages, topics and skill levels. Enjoy!
Language-Specific Podcasts
First up, we have a list of our favorite language-specific podcasts. Competition for this category was tough, but eventually we narrowed it down to the following:
- Java - The Java Posse – Unfortunately this much beloved Java podcast, widely regarded as the best Java podcast on the market, recorded its last ever episode in 2015 after 10 years’ service. However, fully formatted show notes from each of their 461 episodes can be accessed via the link above, and the archives are well worth a mention.
- Ruby - Ruby Rogues – Ruby Rogues is a weekly podcast brought to you by the team at DevChat.tv. Each week’s episode features a panel discussion on some aspect relating to the Ruby Ecosystem, or programming practices, tools and careers in general. On their website, users can submit suggestions for future guest panelists or topics they would like to hear discussed.
- Python - Talk Python to Me – Talk Python, hosted by Michael Kennedy, covers a wide range of Python topics on a weekly basis. Each episode is approximately 45 minutes in length.
- PHP - PHP Town Hall – This podcast is for developers who want to keep up-to-date about developments happening within the PHP community. The format of this podcast is quite casual and light-hearted.
- JavaScript - JavaScript Jabber – This well-established podcast now has over 230 episodes under its belt. With new episodes released weekly discussing both front and back end JavaScript development, including node and other frameworks, JavaScript careers and best practices there is a lot of value on offer here.
- C++ - CppCast – CppCast is the first C++ podcast for C++ developers. The show is hosted by Rob Irving and Jason Turner and is developing a loyal following among the C++ community. One of the huge advantages of this podcast is it available everywhere. Listeners can subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Windows Phone, Player FM, Stitcher, tunein or via the RSS feed on the website.
- .NET - .NetRocks! – Lovers of the Microsoft .NET framework, don’t despair, we haven’t forgotten about you! This impressive podcast has a mind-blowing 1,370 episodes to date. The shows caters for both newbies and hardcore .NET geeks alike. Past episodes have covered topics ranging from Serverless Architecture, Migrating Legacy Apps to Docker, Distributed Caching, PHP using Peach Pie and ASP.NET Core. Put simply, there is something here for everyone.
Mobile Development
Mobile application development is becoming increasingly important, and most programmers will be involved with mobile app development at some point in their career. Here are the leading mobile development podcasts for Apple and Android.
- iPhreaks – If you’ve been searching for a new iOS development podcast since iOS Bytes ended in September, then iPhreaks is the solution for you. The weekly podcast covers all aspects of Apple tools, practice and code for mobile.
- Android Backstage – This podcast is brought to you by Google’s own in-house Android engineers. The podcast is still in its infancy when compared to the iOS podcasts which were brought to market much quicker, but with a lot of loyal Android developers out there, Android Backstage is likely to build in popularity and reputation quickly.
DevOps
- Arrested DevOps – This bi-weekly panel discussion podcast focuses on the basic technologies and ideas of DevOps. Hosted by Matt Stratton, Trevor Hess and Bridget Kromhout, it is also one of the few programming podcasts that features a woman co-host. Listeners can subscribe to Arrested DevOps via iTunes or Google Play.
General
Lastly, there are two more great podcasts we recommend that don’t fit into any of the above categories.
- Software Engineering Radio – This podcast releases a new episode every 10 days. Each episode covers one programming language, and the programming language covered changes from episode to episode. Guests on the show are usually world-renowned engineers and the purpose of the podcast is to provide regular content that adds to the skill base of its listeners, rather than cover the latest news in the programming world.
- EntreProgrammers – Exclusively for programmers who are working for themselves, creating start-ups or their own companies, this podcast focuses on how to run a successful business as a programmer. Topics discussed include advertising, blogging, design and marketing. It’s a useful resource for any programmers who are aspiring entrepreneurs.
With software development being a rapidly changing industry you always need to stay up-to-date and learn new skills. The benefit of listening to podcasts is you can learn and absorb new information on the go, whether you are at the gym or commuting to work.
I hope you liked the list we put together for you. Are there any podcasts we missed off the list that you love? Are you looking for programming podcasts that cover a different topic? Let me know at andrew@airbrake.io.
