Clojure Getting Started Roadmap 2024: Introduction

Step-by-step instructions focusing on key areas of Clojure, its core aspects, essential tools, and libraries.

Hello everyone!

The goal of this roadmap is to provide step-by-step instructions on how to start with Clojure in 2024, highlighting the most important areas to focus on.

We’ll cover the core aspects of the language as well as the essential tools and libraries you need to become familiar with. Clojure's unique nature requires a mindset shift to be productive and to work harmoniously with the language, rather than against it.

Clojure is a hosted language that can run on multiple platforms. While we’ll primarily focus on the JVM and scripting with Babashka, much of the content will also be applicable to front-end development with ClojureScript.

To clarify, this is not intended to be an exhaustive book about Clojure. Instead, it’s a practical guide on what to focus on when starting out. With seven years of full-time professional experience in Clojure, I've gained extensive hands-on knowledge of the language and its ecosystem.

This guide is what I wish I had when I was starting out, and I hope it will be incredibly useful to everyone who reads it!

This is what to expect in the following chapters:

• Why Clojure?

• Getting Started with Clojure

  • Setting Up Your Development Environment

  • Your First Clojure Program

• Clojure Fundamentals

  • Basic Syntax

  • Data Types (Numbers, Strings, Collections)

  • Functions

Most of the chapters will be behind a paywall, accessible to all paid subscribers on Substack. Additionally, all paid subscribers will receive the final version of the book in EPUB or PDF format once it’s completed.

The final version will also be available as a paid digital download on various platforms, so stay tuned for updates!

I plan to release a chapter each week, though it’s challenging to predict the exact schedule. I promise to do my best!