Free Software Engineering & Web Development certifications
Front-end, back-end, mobile and the engineering practices behind them. 33 free tests from beginner to advanced, every question based on a published source, with a verifiable certificate you can add to LinkedIn.
Founder, Science of AppsWhat are the best free Software & web dev certifications?
Science of Apps has 33 free Software Engineering & Web Development certifications and skill tests: front-end, back-end, mobile and the engineering practices behind them. 5 beginner, 25 intermediate, 3 advanced — each a timed online test of original scenarios based on published standards, graded instantly, with a verifiable, LinkedIn-ready certificate.
Beginner Software & web dev certifications
No experience needed: fundamentals and clear reasoning.
- 10 questions · 10 minSOA-HTML
HTML and CSS Fundamentals Certification
Tests modern HTML and CSS — semantic elements, forms, accessibility basics, the box model, Flexbox, Grid, responsive design and newer features like container queries.
Difficulty: BeginnerFor Junior front-end developer, Web designer, Coding bootcamp studentTake the 10-minute test → - 10 questions · 10 minSOA-JS
JavaScript Fundamentals Certification
Tests core modern JavaScript — variables and scope, types and equality, functions and closures, arrays and objects, promises and async/await, modules and the DOM.
Difficulty: BeginnerFor Junior web developer, Front-end developer, Full-stack developerTake the 10-minute test → - 10 questions · 10 minSOA-PY
Python Programming Certification
Tests core Python — data types, control flow, functions, lists and dictionaries, comprehensions, exceptions, files, modules, virtual environments and PEP 8 style.
Difficulty: BeginnerFor Python developer, Data analyst, Automation engineerTake the 10-minute test → - 10 questions · 10 minSOA-GIT
Git and GitHub Proficiency Certification
Tests everyday Git and GitHub — commits, branches, merging and rebasing, resolving conflicts, pull requests and reviews, undoing changes safely and keeping secrets out of history.
Difficulty: BeginnerFor Software developer, Data scientist, DevOps engineerTake the 10-minute test → - 10 questions · 10 minSOA-MAD
Mobile App Development Fundamentals Certification
Tests mobile development basics — native vs cross-platform, app lifecycle, UI and navigation, local storage, networking, permissions, testing and publishing to the App Store and Google Play.
Difficulty: BeginnerFor Mobile developer, Junior iOS developer, Junior Android developerTake the 10-minute test →
Intermediate Software & web dev certifications
Assumes hands-on experience in the role.
- 15 questions · 15 minSOA-TS
TypeScript Fundamentals Certification
Tests practical TypeScript — types and interfaces, unions and narrowing, generics, utility types, strict mode, the satisfies operator and typing real-world code.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Front-end developer, Full-stack developer, Node.js developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-FED
Front-End Development Certification
Tests modern front-end engineering — component architecture, state, performance and Core Web Vitals, accessibility, responsive layouts, testing and build tooling.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Front-end developer, UI engineer, Web developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-BED
Back-End Development Certification
Tests server-side fundamentals — HTTP and REST, databases and transactions, authentication, caching, queues, scalability, logging and secure back-end design.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Back-end developer, API developer, Software engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-FSWD
Full-Stack Web Development Certification
Tests end-to-end web development — front end, APIs, databases, authentication, deployment, environment configuration and performance across the stack.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Full-stack developer, Web developer, Software engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-REA
React Developer Assessment
Tests modern React — components and props, state and hooks, effects, rendering and keys, performance, React 19 Actions and Server Components.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor React developer, Front-end developer, Full-stack developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-ANG
Angular Developer Assessment
Tests modern Angular — standalone components, signals, dependency injection, templates and control flow, routing, forms, RxJS interop and performance.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Angular developer, Front-end developer, Full-stack developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-VUE
Vue.js Developer Assessment
Tests Vue 3 — the Composition API, reactivity with ref and reactive, computed and watch, components and props, single-file components, Pinia and routing.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Vue.js developer, Front-end developer, Full-stack developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-NEXT
Next.js Development Certification
Tests the Next.js App Router — Server and Client Components, layouts, data fetching and caching, Server Actions, rendering strategies, metadata for SEO and deployment.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Next.js developer, React developer, Full-stack developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-JAVA
Java Programming Certification
Tests modern Java — types and OOP, collections and generics, exceptions, streams and lambdas, records, concurrency with virtual threads and JVM basics.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Java developer, Back-end engineer, Android developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-NET
C# and .NET Development Certification
Tests C# and modern .NET — types and nullable references, LINQ, async/await, dependency injection, ASP.NET Core APIs, Entity Framework Core and testing.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor .NET developer, C# developer, Back-end engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-LAR
PHP and Laravel Development Certification
Tests modern PHP 8 and Laravel — types, Composer, routing, controllers, Eloquent ORM, validation, migrations, queues, authentication and security.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor PHP developer, Laravel developer, Back-end developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-NODE
Node.js Development Certification
Tests Node.js — the event loop, async patterns, modules, npm and package security, building HTTP APIs, streams, error handling and running Node in production.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Node.js developer, Back-end developer, Full-stack JavaScript developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-APID
API Design and Integration Certification
Tests how to design and integrate APIs — REST resource design, status codes, versioning, pagination, authentication with OAuth 2.0, webhooks, rate limits and OpenAPI documentation.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor API developer, Back-end engineer, Integration engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-REST
REST API Testing Certification
Tests how to test REST APIs — functional and negative tests, status codes, schema and contract testing, authentication, data setup, automation in CI and API security checks.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor QA engineer, SDET, API testerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-GQL
GraphQL Fundamentals Certification
Tests GraphQL — schemas and types, queries, mutations and subscriptions, resolvers, the N+1 problem and DataLoader, pagination, errors and securing GraphQL APIs.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor GraphQL developer, Back-end engineer, Front-end developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-OOP
Object-Oriented Programming Certification
Tests object-oriented design — encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, composition over inheritance, SOLID principles and common design patterns.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software developer, Java developer, C# developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-CRQ
Code Review and Code Quality Certification
Tests how to review code and keep quality high — what reviewers look for, giving useful feedback, small PRs, tests, readability, static analysis and technical debt.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software engineer, Tech lead, Engineering managerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-SCF
Secure Coding Fundamentals Certification
Tests secure coding against the OWASP Top 10 — injection, XSS, broken access control, authentication, secrets, dependencies, input validation and secure defaults.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software developer, Web developer, Application security engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-AISD
AI-Assisted Software Development Certification
Tests how engineering teams build software with AI — assistants and agents across the SDLC, prompting with context, verifying generated code, security, licensing and measuring impact.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software engineer, Tech lead, Engineering managerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-TPS
Technical Problem-Solving Assessment
Tests how engineers approach technical problems — clarifying requirements, breaking problems down, debugging systematically, estimating, choosing trade-offs and verifying solutions.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software engineer, Support engineer, DevOps engineerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-SEI
Software Engineering Interview Readiness
Tests readiness for software engineering interviews — coding problem approach, complexity, system design basics, behavioural answers and communicating trade-offs.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Software engineering candidate, New graduate, Bootcamp graduateTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-RN
React Native Development Certification
Tests React Native — components and styling, navigation, state and data fetching, native modules, Expo, performance, testing and releasing to both stores.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor React Native developer, Mobile developer, React developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-AND
Android Development with Kotlin Certification
Tests modern Android — Kotlin essentials, Jetpack Compose, state and ViewModel, coroutines and Flow, Room, navigation, permissions and Play Store release.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor Android developer, Mobile developer, Kotlin developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-IOS
iOS Development with Swift Certification
Tests modern iOS — Swift optionals and value types, SwiftUI views and state, navigation, async/await and actors, data persistence, privacy and App Store submission.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor iOS developer, Swift developer, Mobile developerTake the 15-minute test → - 15 questions · 15 minSOA-APDC
API Documentation Certification
Tests API documentation skills — writing reference docs with the OpenAPI Specification, creating quickstarts, tutorials and guides that improve developer experience, and docs-as-code workflows, style, versioning and maintenance.
Difficulty: IntermediateFor API technical writer, Developer advocate, Software engineer who writes docsTake the 15-minute test →
Advanced Software & web dev certifications
Assumes years in the role or deep specialist knowledge.
- 20 questions · 20 minSOA-CPP
C++ Programming Certification
Tests modern C++ — RAII and smart pointers, move semantics, references, the STL, templates, undefined behaviour and C++ Core Guidelines best practice.
Difficulty: AdvancedFor C++ developer, Game developer, Systems engineerTake the 20-minute test → - 20 questions · 20 minSOA-DSA
Data Structures and Algorithms Certification
Tests core DSA for interviews and real work — Big-O, arrays, hash maps, stacks and queues, trees and graphs, sorting and searching, recursion and dynamic programming.
Difficulty: AdvancedFor Software engineer, Computer science student, Competitive programmerTake the 20-minute test → - 20 questions · 20 minSOA-SARC
Software Architecture Fundamentals Certification
Tests architecture decisions — monoliths vs microservices, quality attributes, scalability, caching, messaging, data consistency, trade-off analysis and documenting decisions.
Difficulty: AdvancedFor Software architect, Senior software engineer, Tech leadTake the 20-minute test →
More free certification categories
- AI & GenAI36 tests
- Data & BI28 tests
- Marketing, SEO & AEO39 tests
- UX/UI & design42 tests
- Product & project35 tests
- Security, cloud & DevOps50 tests
- Sales & support24 tests
- HR & people14 tests
- Finance & operations69 tests
- Communication & leadership30 tests
- Languages60 tests
- Healthcare, education & more64 tests
- Test prep & academics31 tests
- Language exam prep15 tests
- Office & productivity13 tests
- Engineering & safety30 tests
- Hospitality & retail8 tests
Frequently asked questions
What are the best free Software & web dev certifications in 2026?
Science of Apps offers 33 free Software Engineering & Web Development certifications and skill tests, including HTML and CSS Fundamentals Certification, JavaScript Fundamentals Certification, TypeScript Fundamentals Certification, Front-End Development Certification, Back-End Development Certification, Full-Stack Web Development Certification. Each is a timed online test of original scenarios based on published standards, graded instantly, with a founder-signed certificate and a credential ID employers can verify.
Which Software & web dev certification should I take first?
Start with a Beginner test such as HTML and CSS Fundamentals Certification, JavaScript Fundamentals Certification, Python Programming Certification, then move to Intermediate and Advanced ones such as C++ Programming Certification, Data Structures and Algorithms Certification. Every test page shows its difficulty, the skills it covers and a sample question.
Are these Software & web dev certifications really free?
Yes. Taking a test, receiving the certificate as a PDF and by email, adding it to LinkedIn and having it verified are all free — no course, payment or sign-up.
How long does each Software & web dev test take?
Quick skill tests are 10, 15 or 20 questions (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced) at a minute each; full role certifications are 20 scenarios in 30 minutes. Every answer is explained with its source when you finish, and a retake draws questions you haven't seen.
How much do Science of Apps certifications cost?
Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.
How are the tests graded?
On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.
What happens if I don't pass?
You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.
Do the certificates expire?
No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.
Can I add the certificate to LinkedIn?
Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.
How can an employer verify my certificate?
Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.
Are these accredited qualifications?
No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.