Want to create your own app? To do so, you need to learn a programming language. Fortunately, Apple has a language for writing apps for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and you can have fun learning it, as well. It’s called Swift.

Released in 2014, Swift’s popularity amongst programmers continues to grow. Swift is an open-source language, so you can write apps for Linux, as well.

There are a lot of ways to go about learning Swift, and many of the lessons can be done on your own time, sometimes for free. Many of these tutorials and guides are based on the premise that you already know how to program in another language, or are familiar with programming concepts.

If you’re absolutely new to programming, you may want to prep yourself first on the general programming core concepts. There are several online courses, like Khan Academy, Udemy, Coursera, and Lynda.com that have introduction courses. You can also check your local community college if you think you would benefit from being in a classroom and computer lab. Prices vary and some institutions offer tuition assistance.

If you’re already familiar with coding core concepts, or you just want to dive in and see how it goes, you can get started on learning Swift. Here’s how.

How to learn Swift: Getting started

The first step is to download Xcode, Apple’s app for creating software. Xcode includes Swift and it’s free. You can download it by clicking the link below, which will take you to the App Store.

Download Xcode

The next step is to take a look at Apple’s Swift resources. These are free guides, code samples, videos, and documents you can access, and you don’t need a developer account.

Go to Apple’s Swift Resouces

How to learn Swift: Apple tutorials and courses

If you’re a student or you’re absolutely new to programming, make your first foray into Swift with Swift Playgrounds. Swift Playgrounds is an iOS app for iPad that uses interactivity to learn the language. You learn Swift fundamentals by using real code to work your way through a set of puzzles. As you progress, you lean more complex concepts. It’s a fun way to lean Swift, even if you’re an experienced coder, and it’s free.