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Learn Functional Programming in Python

Functional programming knowledge is critical to being a well-rounded developer. Learn the conceptual fundamentals in Python (yes, Python).

What will you learn?

Functional programming is back in vogue. There's a reason front-end frameworks like React and Vue are moving toward functional programming, and after this course you'll more than understand its benefits. We'll dive in-depth into all of the foundational concepts of functional programming in a familiar language.

Chapter List

1
What is Functional Programming?
Learn about the difference between OOP and functional styles, and what the real difference is: imperative vs. declarative
2
First Class Functions
First class and higher order functions are foundational to everything we do in the functional paradigm
3
Pure Functions
My favorite part of functional programming is the focus on pure functions that are easy to test and reason about
4
Recursion
While not unique to functional programming, recursion is a powerful tool that is used often when trying to avoid imperative code
5
Function Transformations
Learn how to transform functions into other functions to write more abstract and generalized code
6
Closures
Learn about encapsulating state within functions and how to use closures to write more expressive code
7
Currying
Learn to transform a function with multiple parameters into a series of functions with one parameter, and why you might want to do that
8
Decorators
Learn about Python's decorators and how they're essentially syntactic sugar for higher order functions
9
Sum Types
Learn about sum types, a powerful way to represent data that is used in many functional languages

Join 1,609 students in the Learn Functional Programming in Python course

Read reviews of their learning experiences

This lesson exceeded my expectations. I went in thinking I knew the basics, but the deeper dives into trade-offs and edge cases were exactly what I needed. The instructor didn’t just show ‘happy path’ solutions: they demonstrated how to think about failure modes, performance bottlenecks, and future extensibility. The capstone project, while optional, gave me the perfect sandbox to experiment and get feedback.

(3/5)
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Sunny Jamshedji

Richmond, TX, USA

Fantastic! The explanations were crisp and the demos were grounded in real engineering scenarios. What stood out to me was the clear discussion around testing strategies and how to evolve a codebase over time. The sample repository was well-structured and made it simple to jump between sections. I’d love to see a follow-up lesson that goes deeper into profiling and performance tuning.

(3/5)
Ashley Eatly profile image

Ashley Eatly

Ferryside, Dyfed, Wales (UK)

Great lesson, super clear.

(3/5)
Marius  profile image

Marius

Vienna, Austria

Helpful examples and explanations.

(3/5)
Roberto de Lima Souza profile image

Roberto de Lima Souza

Ribeirão Preto/SP

Great lesson, super clear.

(4/5)
Giulio Baia profile image

Giulio Baia

Los Angeles

Challenging but rewarding.

(3/5)
Marjiba Jamir profile image

Marjiba Jamir

Dimapur, Nagaland

Fantastic! The explanations were crisp and the demos were grounded in real engineering scenarios. What stood out to me was the clear discussion around testing strategies and how to evolve a codebase over time. The sample repository was well-structured and made it simple to jump between sections. I’d love to see a follow-up lesson that goes deeper into profiling and performance tuning.

(3/5)
Nicole Sager profile image

Nicole Sager

13045

Loved the pacing and depth.

(4/5)
Salih Cemil Çetin profile image

Salih Cemil Çetin

Dubai, UAE

This lesson exceeded my expectations. I went in thinking I knew the basics, but the deeper dives into trade-offs and edge cases were exactly what I needed. The instructor didn’t just show ‘happy path’ solutions: they demonstrated how to think about failure modes, performance bottlenecks, and future extensibility. The capstone project, while optional, gave me the perfect sandbox to experiment and get feedback.

(5/5)
David Tozier  profile image

David Tozier

Manchester NH USA

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Mediocrity doesn't cut it anymore

The only way to become a great developer is to write a lot of code

Avoid tutorial hell

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Stay motivated with

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Build portfolio projects

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Delve deeper

into foundational concepts

Learn flexibly online

without interrupting your life

For 1% the price of college

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Frequently asked Questions

Got questions? We've got answers

Yes! It's free to create an account and start learning. You'll get all the immersive and interactive features for free for a few chapters. After that, if you still haven't paid for a membership, you'll be in read-only (content only) mode.