Welcome to Scala! You'll learn what Scala is, who uses it, and why you should use it. You'll explore four common data types: integers, floating-point numbers, logical values, and text, using the Scala interpreter.

A scalable language

What is Scala?

Why use Scala?

Who uses Scala?

Scala code and the Scala interpreter

What makes Scala scalable?

Scala is object-oriented

Reasons for programming in Scala

Immutable variables (val) and value types

Define immutable variables (val)

Don't try to change me

Mutable variables (var) and type inference

Define mutable variables (var)

You can change me

Pros and cons of immutability

A Scalable Language

Discover two more ways of writing Scala code (writing a script and building an application) and popular tools that make writing these programs easier. Then, learn what functions do and how to use them, and structure your data using the Array and List collections.

Scripts, applications, and real-world workflows

Tasks

Create and run a Scala script

Benefits of compiled languages

Functions

What do functions do?

Identify the body of a function

Call a function

Arrays

Create and parameterize an array

Initialize an array

An array, all at once

Updating arrays

Lists

Initialize and prepend to a list

Initialize a list using cons and Nil

Concatenate Lists

Workflows, Functions, Collections

Learn about Scala's advanced static type system. After learning how to control your program with if/else, while loops, and the foreach method, you’ll convert imperative-style code to the Scala-preferred functional style.

Scala's static type system

Static typing vs. dynamic typing

Pros and cons of static type systems

Make decisions with if and else

if and printing

if expressions result in a value

if and else inside of a function

while and the imperative style

A simple while loop

Loop over a collection with while

foreach and the functional style

Is Scala purely a functional language?

Converting while to foreach

Signs of style

The essence of Scala

Type Systems, Control Structures, Style

Get an introduction to the programming language Scala. You'll learn why and how companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Morgan Stanley are choosing Scala for large-scale applications and data engineering infrastructure. You'll learn the basics of the language, including syntax and style, focusing on the most commonly used features in the Scala standard library. You'll learn by writing code for a real program that plays a computer version of the popular card game Twenty-One. You’ll get a taste of the value of a hybrid object-oriented and functional programming language, of which Scala is the foremost example. We recommend this course for learners with intermediate-level programming experience, which can be acquired in the listed prerequisites.

Intermediate Python

Learn the basics of the Sacla language, including syntax and style, focusing on the most commonly used features in the Scala standard library.

Introduction to Scala

Begin your journey with Scala, a popular language for scalable applications and data engineering infrastructure.

Open a blank file in your text editor of choice.

Write one line of code in the file: `println("Let's play Twenty-One!")`

Save the file in your desired working directory with the name `game.scala`.

Open a command prompt. Navigate to your desired working directory, then type `scala game.scala` and click enter.

Observe `Let's play Twenty-One!` printed to output.

Create and run a Scala script

Introduction to Scala

Hands-on interactive exercise