Updated in May 2025.

This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. In this course, you will acquire essential skills in software development and API usage, tailored specifically for network engineers. By the end of the course, you'll be proficient in setting up development and virtualization tools, exploring various data formats, and understanding key methodologies for software development. These skills will empower you to better manage network infrastructure and integrate software solutions effectively. The course begins with an introduction to software development and sets up the foundational tools in both Linux and Windows environments. You'll learn to configure development tools, such as VirtualBox, Vagrant, and Docker, which are critical for creating isolated environments for development and testing. The initial modules will also introduce key data formats like JSON, XML, and YAML, providing a solid understanding of how data is structured and transferred across systems. As you progress, the course dives into the principles behind Agile, Lean, and Waterfall development methodologies. You'll learn how to choose the right methodology for your project and ensure consistent software quality using various tools and techniques. A focus on organizing source code and implementing design patterns will help you maintain a clean and collaborative codebase. Additionally, you'll gain hands-on experience with Git for version control, an essential skill for any developer working in a team setting. Finally, the course explores APIs, beginning with a fundamental understanding of HTTP and API types, and then progressing to practical examples using RESTful APIs. You will learn how to interact with APIs both with and without authentication and delve into webhooks as they relate to real-world applications, particularly in network engineering contexts. This course is ideal for network engineers looking to expand their software development skills, and it is suitable for those with basic programming knowledge.