C Programming 2021: Master The Basics! (Udemy.com)

A free, three hour introduction to C from Ali Badran, split into a two hour lecture block and a shorter set of exercises. The syllabus shows 23 lectures in three sections: a 12 lecture introduction, ten exercises on the basics, and a one minute bonus lecture pointing to more exercises. The description promises the fundamentals and nothing more, and reviewers treat it that way. With about 98,000 students and a 4.3 rating from roughly 3,400 reviews, it is the free, much shorter alternative to the full length beginner courses it sits beside on our C page.

Students like how plainly Badran explains things. Several reviewers say they finished understanding the basics and felt ready to practice, and people who already code in another language call it a quick way to pick up C's quirks, some watching at higher speed. The complaints are fewer but consistent. One two star review says the course is fine up to operators, but after control flow the explanations fall apart, with 'this one' standing in for any clear account of the syntax. Two three star reviewers found parts hard to follow, and one admits to only listening and barely practicing, which matters because there are no quizzes or coding exercises built in, only the walkthrough section.

The last update was May 2021, but the C basics covered here have not changed, so that is not a real problem. What it lacks is depth: a five star reviewer says outright that it is not a complete C course, and recommends it as a refresher or a first step rather than the whole road. Take it if you want a free weekend introduction, then move to one of the longer courses on this page for the rest.