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After the introduction of the six-month release cycle on Java 10, it's very difficult to keep up with the latest changes in every Java version. But If you're looking for some free resources on Java, such as books, tutorials, and other learning materials, then this article can help you.

There are so many useful resources available to master the features that were introduced in Java 8 and Java 9, but they are not always enough.

In the past, I have shared some of the best Java 8 tutorials, Java 9 tutorials and books, which was appreciated by many Java programmers, which kind of motivated me to write this article.

In this article, I am going to share some of the best Java 8 and Java 9 courses from Udemy and Pluarlsight, two of the most popular online training platforms

These articles contain both free and paid courses. Most of the free courses are pretty similar to the paid courses you might normally buy and many of those are made free for a promotional or educational purpose. You can join these courses to learn JDK 8 and JDK 9 features in just a couple of days.

I used to begin learning new programming features with books, but, nowadays, online courses are my preferred method of learning. It not only takes less time but also teaches me more important stuff quickly.

To add to that, there are so many good free courses also available and that's how I started as well. Though, sometimes, I have noticed that free courses turn into paid courses, especially after the instructor reaches their promotional targets, hence you should check the price before you join these courses.

A good idea is to join the courses now, while they are free. Once you are enrolled in the course, you will have free, unlimited access, even after it is turned into a paid course. This means that you can learn whenever you want.

Even if you are not learning now, you can learn more when you have some free time or your priorities change --- there is no harm in enrolling.

Why should you Learn Java 8 and Java 9?

If you are wondering about the benefit of learning the features of Java 8 and Java 9, then, let me tell you. If you want to be relevant as a Java developer in today's job market, you should learn Java 8 now.

I have mentioned previously in my post 10 Things Java Developers Should Learn in 2021, and I am saying it again: learn Java 8 sooner rather than later.

It's been more than four years since Java 8 was first released, and it was received very well by the Java community. It had several interesting features and language enhancements, like lambda expressions, Stream APIs for bulk operations, new Date and Time APIs for better handling of dates, Default and Static methods on the interface, Method reference, and many more.

Nowadays, more and more companies are adopting the Java 8 style of coding. If you don't know write code in Java 8 style, such as using lambda and functional programming concepts, you may be left behind.

Not only is Java 8 essential to being relevant in the Java community, but it also improves your productivity and makes writing Java code fun, once you know the basics. That's where these courses can help!

Coming to Java 9, it didn't have the spark of Java 8. But it was still packed with some interesting features, like modules and some API enchantments. Knowing those features will, eventually, help you write better Java code and create a better application in Java.

Some Online Courses to Learn Java 8 and Java 9

Here is my list of some online courses to learn Java 8 and Java 9, both free and paid. This list includes courses that are suitable for beginners as well as experienced Java programmers who are not familiar with the JDK 8 and JDK 9 features.

You don't need to attend all the courses. You can watch a preview and make a decision on whether to join or not. At the bare minimum, you can join one course on Java 8 and another on Java 9 to get yourself up to speed.

And, since these courses are absolutely free, you have nothing to lose by joining them.

1. Java 9 Programming for Complete Beginners in 250 Steps

This is an excellent Java course for beginners, especially for those who are starting it for the first time. This course covers the latest version of Java, or Java 9.

If you want to learn Java from scratch, you can join this course. You will not only learn new features of Java 8 and Java 9, such as functional programming, lambdas, and streams, but also other important concepts of Java.

You need to act fast to get this course for free because I am sure instructor Ranga Karanam will make this course paid very soon, once he reaches his promotional target with more than 31K students that have already joined.

Anyway, I personally like Ranga's teaching style and the way he presents concepts, like JShell and Spring concepts in his Spring Framework courses. You will learn a lot in a short period of time --- there is no doubt about it.

2.Java 8: Basics for Beginners

This is a very short course for learning some key features of Java 8, including lambda expressions, method references, functional interface, default methods, Stream APIs, and Optional class.

You will not only learn those, but you will also learn the new Date and Time API and other less popular but useful changes.

Even though this course doesn't provide a comprehensive overview, you can check this out for a quick overview, especially if you are in a rush and don't have much time to spend on self-learning.

3. What's New in Java 8?

This is a slightly more comprehensive course on Java 8, and it covers almost all the features you need to know.

The author, Jose Paumard, has 20 years of experience in computer programming and that shows in this course. You will learn about how lambda expressions and Stream API makes coding in Java fun again.

It not only covers major features, such as Date and Time API, but it also covers small API enhancements, like StringJoinger and the join() a method in the String class for joining Strings in Java 8.

You will also learn about JavaFX and JavaScripting using the Nashorn engine. Overall, this is a great course to learn Java 8, but the course, unfortunately, is not exactly free.

It's from Pluralsight, and you need a membership to get access to the course. The only way you can get access for free is by signing up for a 10-day free trial, which is not bad.

There is also a good chance that your company might have a Corporate Pluralsight license, and then you can get this course for free on your company account.

4. What's New in Java 9?

This is an awesome course to learn Java 9 features from scratch and in quick time. In this online course, Sander Mak, a Java Champion and author of the popular book Java 9 Modularity, has explained some important Java 9 changes.

The course is divided into 6 sections. The first section covers Java modularity, and since the instructor is also the author of the book Java Modularity, you can expect this to be the most comprehensive coverage you can get.

The second section focuses on a more interesting and interactive change from Java 9 --- JShell. You will learn about REPL and how to use JShell.

The third section focuses on small language and library improvements, such as changes in Stream API, Optional, factory methods on Collections, and other improvements. This is the section you will love because you will be using these changes in your day to day life.

The fourth section focuses on HTTP/2 and Process API changes, while the fifth section focuses on Desktop Java Enhancements, like JavaFX updates.

The sixth and last section focuses on performance and security enhancements. It explains G1 Garbage Collection changes and the compact String feature introduced in Java 9.

As with any other Pluralsight course, you need a membership to join this course, either a monthly or annual membership. Though membership doesn't cost much ($29 per month to access their 5000+ courses), you can still get this and the Java 8 course for free by signing up for a 10-day free trial which is more than enough time to complete these courses.

That's all for now about some of the best, free courses to learn new features of Java 8 and Java 9. I strongly encouraged you to take at least one Java 8 and one Java 9 course to get yourself familiar with new features, particularly the JDK 8 features like lambda expressions, Stream API, Collectors, Optional, and new Date and Time API.

Other Free Programming resources you may like:
5 Free Linux Courses for Programmers and Developers
5 Free Spring Framework Courses for Java Developers
Top 5 Courses to learn Web Development in 2021
5 Courses to Learn Big Data and Apache Spark
Top 5 Courses to Learn Spring Boot in 2021
5 Free Data Structure and Algorithms Courses
Top 10 Courses to Learn Spring Framework in 2021
13 Best DevOps Courses for Programmers
7 Best Data Structure and Algorithms for Beginners
10 Best Courses to learn System Design for Coding interviews

Thanks for reading this article. If you find these free Java 8 and Java 9 courses useful, then please share with your friends and colleagues.

P.S. - Java 12 is already out and if you are looking for a course you can try The Complete Java MasterClass, which is the most up-to-date course I have come across, but not sure if this one covers Java 12 yet or not. It's difficult to update courses every six months. If you have any other Java course which covers Java 12, please share it with us in the comment section.