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Learn Imba

Scrimba's free, 2.9-hour course on Imba, taught by Nathan Manousos: a fast, unusual compile-to-JavaScript language that, notably, powers Scrimba itself.

Quick answer​

Learn Imba is a free, intermediate, roughly 2.9-hour course on Imba, a niche programming language that compiles to JavaScript and is built for very fast web apps. Imba is the language Scrimba's own platform is written in, which is part of why this course exists. It is a curiosity course, well worth the time if the language interests you, but it is not a mainstream career skill and we will not pretend otherwise.

Is it worth your time?​

It depends entirely on why you are here. If you are intrigued by language design, by an unusually terse syntax, or by the fact that Scrimba's whole product runs on Imba, then 2.9 free hours is a genuinely interesting detour. The language has clever ideas about reactivity and performance that are fun to see worked through.

The honest caveat, and it is a big one, is that Imba is niche. The job market for it is effectively nonexistent compared to JavaScript, TypeScript, React, or Vue. Learning it will not move the needle on employability. Take this course for curiosity or for the ideas it exposes you to, not as a step toward a developer job. If your time is limited and career-focused, spend it elsewhere.

What you'll learn​

This course walks through Imba's syntax, its reactive rendering model, and the way it builds fast web apps, taught hands-on in Scrimba's player. Because Imba is designed around speed and a compact way of describing UI, much of the course is about getting comfortable with a style that looks quite different from mainstream JavaScript frameworks.

By the end you can read and write Imba and understand the design choices behind it. What you will not get is a transferable, widely demanded skill; the value here is conceptual and platform-specific rather than vocational.

Who it's for, and who should skip it​

It fits the curious: developers who enjoy exploring languages, people interested in how Scrimba is built, and anyone who wants a low-stakes look at a different approach to web UI.

Skip it if you are early in your learning and focused on getting hired. Your hours are better spent on Learn JavaScript and a mainstream framework like Learn React. Imba is a treat to come back to later, not a foundation to build a career on.

Prerequisites​

A working grasp of JavaScript and general web concepts (HTML, the DOM, how UI updates) makes Imba far easier to appreciate, since you will recognize what it is doing differently. No prior Imba is needed; almost nobody has it.

Where it fits​

Learn Imba does not sit on any of Scrimba's career paths, and that is appropriate. Treat it as an optional curiosity alongside the Frontend Developer Path rather than a step within it.

Free or Pro​

This course is free, with no subscription required. Scrimba Pro is a separate decision that unlocks the career paths, coding challenges, the private Discord, and certificates. See current plans for what Pro includes.

Strengths and limits​

What it does well: it is free, it is taught well, and it is a rare chance to learn a language directly from people close to it, on the very platform built with it. For the curious, that is a unique offering.

Where it is limited: Imba is niche with negligible job demand, so the skill does not transfer to most work, and fast peer help depends on the Pro Discord. This is a course you take knowing it is a detour.

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