What are the best resources for learning InterSystems IRIS as a beginner?
Hello everyone,
I am new to InterSystems IRIS and would like to know which resources you recommend for beginners.
I have already explored some of the documentation, but I would appreciate suggestions for tutorials, videos, training courses, or hands-on exercises that helped you learn the platform.
What learning path would you recommend for someone just getting started?
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Comments
A good beginner-friendly starting point is the InterSystems Developer Hub and the Getting Started experience, especially the hands-on path for mastering source coding with InterSystems IRIS. These are presented as entry resources for people who want to learn InterSystems and start working with it. [1][2][3][4]
A practical learning path for someone just getting started would be:
- Start with the Getting Started / Developer Hub resources to get an overview and begin coding quickly. [1][2][4]
- Watch an introductory product video such as “Introduction to InterSystems Products and Technologies.” [1]
- Learn the fundamentals:
- InterSystems ObjectScript Basics
- InterSystems SQL Basics
- InterSystems IRIS Objects Introduction [1]
- Move into guided developer training such as:
- Add hands-on tutorials and examples:
- Use the documentation and Developer Community as reference while building small projects and solving problems. [2][5]
For tutorials and hands-on exercises, these are strong recommendations:
- InterSystems Developer Hub tutorials and “IRIS tutorials for developers” for practical coding work. [2][3]
- Free interactive Instruqt tutorials, including:
These hands-on tutorials are described as useful for getting up to speed quickly in real environments and building confidence with IRIS-based development. [6]
For structured training, the main recommendation is the InterSystems Learning site, which offers self-paced courses, videos, exercises, task-based learning paths, and role-based programs. [1][7][5][4]
For a beginner developer, especially useful courses and learning paths include:
- InterSystems ObjectScript Basics [1]
- InterSystems IRIS Objects Introduction [1]
- Getting Started with InterSystems ObjectScript [3]
- Developing on an InterSystems Server Using Visual Studio Code [3]
- Getting Started with InterSystems IRIS for Coders (21h) [3][5]
- Building a Server-Side Application with InterSystems [1][3]
- Setting Up RESTful Services [1]
- Using JSON in InterSystems IRIS [1]
- Configuring InterSystems IRIS Applications for Client Access [3]
For videos, useful sources include:
- the introductory InterSystems product video [1]
- the InterSystems YouTube channels:
- InterSystemsCorp
- InterSystemsLearningServices
- InterSystemsDevelopers [2]
For learning by example, Open Exchange and GitHub repositories are recommended for reading and modifying working examples, which is described as especially effective for learning faster than reading documentation alone. [2]
If you want a role-based official onboarding route, the “Onboarding with InterSystems IRIS” guide recommends, for developers:
- Online Program: Getting Started with InterSystems IRIS for Coders
- Classroom Training: Developing with InterSystems Objects and SQL
- Classroom Training: Developing System Integrations [5]
A concise beginner path could be:
- Begin with Developer Hub / Getting Started. [1][2][4]
- Take ObjectScript and SQL fundamentals. [1]
- Learn VS Code-based development. [3]
- Complete Getting Started with InterSystems IRIS for Coders. [3][5]
- Do one or two interactive tutorials such as Full Stack Tutorial or REST + Angular Application. [3][6]
- Build a small server-side app. [1][3]
- Use documentation plus the Developer Community when you get stuck. [2][5]
For ongoing support and discovery, the Developer Community is recommended for asking questions, reading articles, and staying updated. [2][5]
Sources:
I believe the best way to learn a new programming language/framework is through a pet project. In the present time, you can ask AI to explain to you all that you need to do step by step, but not do the work for you. I myself use this way 🙂 not with IRIS
Welcome to the Developer Community Patrick!
The good news is that there is a ton of resources available to you, the bad news is that there is plenty to learn! IRIS has so many features and use cases that it is difficult for newcomers to find the best entry point for them. It also depends on what you are working on with IRIS and your own technical background.
The first port of call is probably learning.intersystems.com, you can find plenty of courses here. I recommend filtering to see Learning Paths, then working on the paths which sound most suitable for your use case. My favourite when I was starting was Building a Server-Side Application with InterSystems. There are also many quickstart resources here if you want short beginner focussed documentation on different topics.
I would also recommend getting set-up using an IRIS Community docker container, to have a personal IRIS instance so you can start working on your own practice projects locally. If you get used to using docker-compose projects with IRIS, there are over 1000 example applications on Open Exchange that you can look at, test, or even fork for your own projects.
Finally, for more links and resources, this is a really good write up from @Kate Lau with resources she found useful starting out.
If you have any specific topics you are looking for content on, feel free to ask more about these. Best of luck getting going!
You can also try this onboarding guide! https://community.intersystems.com/post/onboarding-intersystems-iris
If you are new to IRIS but are very familiar with other databases take a look at 'Introduction to IRIS for SQL Developers and DBAs.'. It may help you get off on the right foot.