Top 11 of the Best Apache Spark Courses & Classes Online Right Now
Apache Spark has cemented its position in the global big data industry as a leading tool for large-scale distributed data analysis and processing. So if you want to learn this important tool and start a career in big data and algorithms, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, I have gathered all the best online Apache Spark courses in 2024 that will teach you the very foundations of using Apache Spark for data processing. You will learn how to develop applications, analyze structured and unstructured data, scale up Spark applications, and much more.
You will get a lot of practical hands-on examples in most of these online courses and tutorials so that you can comfortably work with Apache Spark and turbocharge your career. Let’s get started!
Top 11 Best Online Apache Spark Courses & Classes
1. Apache Spark 3 with Scala: Hands-On with Big Data! (Skillshare)
First on my list is a comprehensive online Apache Spark course on Skillshare that focuses on teaching the data analysis tool through loads of hands-on examples to help up-and-coming data engineers. This beginner-level online course has been taken by close to 300 students and is ideal for people who love hands-on learning.
Your instructor for this online course will be Frank Kane, the founder of Sundog Education. Frank has worked at companies like Amazon and IMDb and holds 17 patents related to data mining, distributed computing, and machine learning.
In this 7 ½ hours long online class, you will go through a wide range of topics related to Apache Spark including the resilient distributed data-stores, basics of the Scala programming language, using Amazon’s Elastic MapReduce service, using Hadoop YARN, and much more.
By going through 20 real examples that increase in difficulty as you progress forward, you will develop an instinct for working with Apache Spark!
- Beginner/intermediate/advanced: Good for all future data scientists
- 7 ½ hours long
- Taught by ex-Amazon and ex-IMDb data expert
- Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
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2. Big Data Analytics with Hadoop and Apache Spark (LinkedIn Learning)
When used together, Apache Hadoop and Spark can prove to be an ideal big data solution for any enterprise that has to deal with huge amounts of data. So if you want to learn how to make the two work in tandem, take this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on LinkedIn.
In this online course, you will be taught by Kumaran Ponnambalam, a senior AI architect at Cisco who has been working with data for more than 20 years. Kumaran has a master’s degree in Information Technology from Aspen University.
Through 1 hour-long bite-sized video lessons, you will learn the foundations of how Apache Spark deals with data, the different data types you can work with, the role of bucketing in partitioning data, reading HDFS files, and best practices for data processing, and much more.
If you’re a new or premium user on LinkedIn, you can take this online course for free, and get a certificate of completion at the end!
- Intermediate level
- 1 hour long
- Taught by data professional with 20+ years of experience
- Certificate of completion
- Free access to new/premium LinkedIn users
3. Big data analysis with Apache spark – PySpark Python (Skillshare)
If you want to learn industry-relevant Apache Spark skills that will quickly get you a job in a top company, you should definitely check out this online Apache Spark course on Skillshare. This intermediate-level online course will teach you how to use Spark on the back of its Python API.
As for your instructor, Ankit Mistry will be teaching you in this online course. Ankit has a master’s degree in machine learning and artificial intelligence and has been working for 8+ years in a renowned private investment bank.
In this 2 ¼ hours long online course, Ankit will start by giving you an overview of the big data landscape, how Apache Spark fits into it, and how to get it set up on your machine before going to advanced topics like structured streaming, machine learning, and feature engineering in Spark.
With a free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium, you can take this online Apache Spark course (along with hundreds of others) for free!
- Intermediate level
- 2 ¼ hours long
- Taught by machine learning graduate with 8+ years of experience
- Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
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4. Apache Spark 2.0 with Java -Learn Spark from a Big Data Guru (Udemy)
For those of you already comfortable with programming in Java and looking for an online Apache Spark course that will allow you to play around with big data, this is the online course for you. Taken by over 18,000 students, this intermediate-level online course has a rating of 4.4 stars.
You will be instructed in this online course by Tao W. and James Lee, software engineers who have worked for big names like IBM, Google, and Microsoft, and hold master’s degrees in computer science from McGill University.
Once you’re done with the 3 ½ hours of on-demand video lessons, you will have developed the skills required to build Spark 2.0 applications, analyze data using DataFrames and Datasets, understand Spark SQL, learn the best industry practices, integrate with Hadoop, and much more.
You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this online course which you can use to showcase your newly acquired industry-ready skills to your network!
- Intermediate level
- 3 ½ hours long
- Taught by pair of experienced software engineers
- Certificate of completion
- Full lifetime access
5. Beginning Data Exploration and Analysis with Apache Spark (Pluralsight)
You can’t do much with data if you can’t make any sense of it. So if you want to learn how to use Apache Spark to prepare your data and bring it into a form suitable for analysis, this beginner-level online Apache Spark course is the perfect choice for you.
Swetha Kolalapudi, a data science expert from India, will be teaching you in this online course. Swetha worked for Flipkart in the early days and played a pivotal role in scaling it up to 100+ employees through her Analytics role.
In this 2 hours long online Apache Spark course, you will learn how to clean, transform, and summarize your data using Spark by going over topics like the resilient distributed datasets, using Spark independently on a local machine, and working on a fun project to apply your skills.
Take Pluralsight’s free 10-day trial to audit this online course for free and figure out if you find the platform and its features well-suited your taste!
- Beginner level
- 2 hours long
- Taught by data analytics expert from India
- Certificate of completion
- Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight
6. Apache Spark and Scala Certification Training (Simplilearn)
Next on my list is an online Apache Spark course on Simplilearn that will teach you the Scala programming language before diving into the applications of Spark itself. You should have a good idea of a programming language and SQL database to take this intermediate-level online course.
Your teacher for this online course will be Ronald van Loon, a top 10 big data influencer. Ronald has authored a number of data-focused websites like Data Science Central and Datafloq.
Through 5 hours of video lessons in this online course, you will be taught the basics of programming using the Scala language before you dive deep into Spark by going over topics like using resilient distributed datasets, running SQL queries, GraphX programming, and much more.
At the end of the lessons, you will get the opportunity to work on a project resembling a real-life scenario so that you can really master the knowledge you’ve learned!
- Intermediate level
- 5 hours long
- Taught by Top 10 Big Data influencer
- Certification exam after completion
7. Big Data Analysis with Apache Spark (edX)
Brought to you by the University of California, Berkeley, this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on edX will introduce you to the world of analyzing and processing big data. You will learn how to leverage the useful Python API for Spark called PySpark.
As for your instructor, Anthony D. Joseph will be teaching you in this online course. Anthony is the professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California Berkeley and received all degrees up to his Ph.D. from MIT.
You will be spending 4 weeks to complete this online course with 5-10 hours of work required every week. During this period, you will learn how to use Apache Spark to analyze data in various ways, use parallel programming in PySpark to manage large datasets, and much more.
Don’t worry if you can’t take out time regularly to devote to this online course – with self-paced learning, you can complete the entire course in whatever time you can spare!
- Intermediate level
- 4 weeks long with 5-10 effort hours per week
- Taught by MIT-trained computer scientist
- Certificate of completion
- Free auditing of course contents
8. Learn Spark and Hadoop Overnight on GCP (Skillshare)
Google’s Cloud Platform offers a streamlined method for big data enthusiasts to make use of Apache Spark to build their projects. This intermediate-level online Apache Spark course is ideal for you if you will be using Spark on the GCP in your upcoming projects and work.
You will be instructed in this online course by CS Viz, an education company from India that specializes in big data and all of its sub-fields like data visualization and analytics. CS Viz has published 2 online courses on Skillshare on the subject.
In this 3 ½ hours long online Apache Spark course, you will get a solid introduction to the ideas behind Apache Spark before going through topics like hot and cold data, the architecture of Hadoop, high replication, configuring Spark in GCP, DataFrames, and much more.
The video lessons are divided up into nice bite-sized chunks, so you won’t end up falling asleep while going through the lectures!
- Intermediate level
- 3 ½ hours long
- Taught by education company from India
- Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
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9. Distributed Computing with Spark SQL (Coursera)
Spark SQL enjoys a special position because of its unique ability to manage gigantic amounts of data and make machine learning applications easy to apply. Get enrolled in this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on Coursera if you want to master Spark SQL and all its features.
Brooke Wenig and Conor Murphy, professionals from Databricks, will be teaching you in this online course. The duo are machine learning and data science experts and have taught over 15,000 students through this online Apache Spark course.
Through 12 hours of video lectures and practical labs, you will learn to use Databricks in conjunction with Spark SQL to manage data that is spread out across multiple machines. You will use Spark UI to analyze performance, create an end-to-end pipeline, and much more.
Coursera offers the option to apply for financial aid and take the entire course for free – so don’t worry if you find yourself unable to pay the full fees for this online course!
- Intermediate level
- 12 hours long
- Taught by experts from Databricks
- Certificate of completion
- Financial aid available
10. Apache Spark Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)
Next on my list is a popular online Apache Spark course on LinkedIn that has been taken by more than 34,000 people. This intermediate-level online course will help you get started with Apache Spark and build all sorts of applications, becoming an attractive target for potential employers.
Your instructor for this online course will be Ben Sullins, an expert data ‘geek’, as he likes to call himself. Ben has built a reputation for himself through his work for top companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
In this 1 ½ hours long online course, Ben will give you a refresher on Spark by teaching you about its components, data interfaces, and strengths. He will then go over topics like making use of text files, loading CSV data, analyzing data with Spark SQL, making ML models, and much more.
By enrolling in this online course, you will get access to special learning groups where you can resolve your own confusions and queries, and share your own work as well!
- Intermediate level
- 1 ½ hours long
- Taught by expert data professional
- Certificate of completion
- Free access for new/premium LinkedIn users
11. Python Spark Certification Training using PySpark (Edureka)
The final entry on my list is an online Apache Spark course on Edureka that is perfect for those who are looking for live weekly classes that bring back the feel of a traditional classroom. You don’t need to know anything beforehand to take this beginner-level online course.
Instructors for this online course will be provided to you by Edureka itself. The company hires subject matter experts from the industry who have at least 10 years of experience to work on producing the content and giving the live lectures.
You will have 36 hours of instructor-led live classes and two options: 12 sessions (3 hours each) on the weekend, or 18 sessions (2 hours each) on weekdays. During this online course, you will learn everything about Hadoop, Apache Spark, Python’s Spark API, Spark RDDs, and much more.
A useful feature of this online course is that you will have 24 by 7 expert support for help with any issues based on a ticketing system!
- Beginner level
- 36 hours of instructor-led live classes
- Taught by industry experts
- Certificate of completion
- 24/7 expert support
