Choosing a ClickHouse® course depends on your role, budget, and how quickly you need to be productive. Some paths focus on developer workflows and production patterns. Others target certification, cluster operations, or learning by doing with official documentation.
This post compares five options teams evaluate most often, from Tinybird's free developer course through ClickHouse Academy, Altinity training, Udemy alternatives, and the official docs.
The 5 Best ClickHouse® Learning Options
1. Tinybird's ClickHouse® Course
What the Course Is and Why It Exists
Tinybird's course page presents a free course aimed at developers to learn how to work with ClickHouse® from fundamentals to typical production patterns and decisions. The promise is clear: help you understand how product and data teams at companies like Vercel and Canva query billions of rows with very low latencies, but without stopping at "hello world."
The focus isn't on memorizing syntax, but on internalizing the mental model: how data is physically organized, why schema design rules performance, how to prevent ingestion from becoming the bottleneck, and which pieces typically break when you scale. The site indicates they share over three hours of video content, with 40+ tutorials and 70+ lessons spread across 6 modules.
Overall Structure: 6 Modules with Logical Progression
The FAQ summarizes the progression well: you start with foundations (architecture, schema, engines), then move to ingestion, and from there, query optimization, schema evolution, distributed architecture, and practice with real cases. Starting from the ingestion module, they introduce Tinybird in examples, but the course emphasizes that it's not required to follow the curriculum.
Module 1: Foundation (Real Foundations)
This covers what you need to avoid designing ClickHouse® "as if it were Postgres": architecture, schema design principles, and storage engines. The module page lists reasonable prerequisites (SQL, some command line knowledge, and familiarity with distributed systems concepts, though not mandatory).
The table of contents shows lessons on columnar databases, "internals", table design, data type rules, codecs, and why data locality matters. There's also a deep dive into engines and especially the MergeTree family (including variants like ReplacingMergeTree and AggregatingMergeTree).
Module 2: Ingestion (Ingestion and Scaling)
This module gets practical: ingestion types (batch vs streaming), typical problems when scaling writes, the "ingestion proxy pattern", and practical connectors (HTTP, Kafka, cloud storage), plus backfilling, snapshots, and the APPEND vs REPLACE distinction. It also covers real-time change data capture patterns.
An operational detail: content in this and other modules is "unlockable" by providing your email, which the site explicitly states.
Module 3: Querying and Optimization (Production-Grade Speed)
The core of this module: materialized views for pre-aggregation, optimization strategies, sorting keys and index granularity, EXPLAIN, data skipping indices, PREWHERE, JOIN optimization, and dictionaries. In other words, what separates a dashboard that flies from one that collapses under concurrency.
It includes practical comparisons like Projections vs Materialized Views and detailed guides for writing efficient queries.
Module 4: Schema Evolution (Migrations Without Tears)
Few courses explain this well, but here it gets an entire module: why schema evolution is hard, what primitives the engine offers, how to classify changes by operational cost (from metadata updates to mutations and rewrites), and safe migration patterns. It closes with a real multi-tenant example—typically the point where many teams hit a wall.
Module 5: Distributed Architecture (Clusters and Operational Reality)
This module dives into shards, replicas, parts, partitions, merges, and indexes; along with scaling strategies (reads and ingestion) and operational challenges. It's important because ClickHouse® doesn't "scale automatically by magic"—performance depends on partitioning decisions, sorting choices, and how you manage the lifecycle of parts and merges.
Module 6: Practice What You Learned (Cases and Templates)
Here the course moves from theory to practice: case studies (web analytics, log analytics, and user-facing analytics) and a "Build Your Own" section with project ideas like OpenTelemetry, logs explorer, LLM tracker, Ghost CMS, URL shortener, or "Inbox Zero"—designed to help you practice building a complete data product from start to finish.
Why It's Useful If You Already "Know SQL"
If you come from row-based databases, ClickHouse® forces a mental shift: in analytics, what matters is reading fewer bytes, leveraging columnar storage, and designing for repeated filters and aggregations. The course emphasizes this from the beginning and chains together topics that, in scattered documentation, often remain disconnected.
For example:
- The MergeTree family is the heart of storage and brings concepts like partitioning, indexes (including data-skipping), and internal mechanics that directly affect latency and cost.
- Materialized views (and their relationship to projections) are a huge lever for moving computation from "query time" to "insert time" and maintaining low P95s in real analytics.
- Understanding parts, merges, and how they grow or compact explains 80% of production surprises when ingestion spikes or when you change the schema.
Cost, Requirements, and Fine Print (Matters)
According to the site, the course is free—no credit card, no hidden costs, no upsells. To get started, they ask for an email and warn you'll be subscribed to a bi-weekly newsletter (you can unsubscribe). They also indicate you don't need to install anything or prepare a specific instance: you can follow along with any ClickHouse®, including Tinybird's free tier if you want hands-on practice.
In parallel, they clarify the difference between ClickHouse® (open source technology) and ClickHouse®, Inc., noting that Tinybird is not affiliated with or sponsored by that company, along with the trademark notice.
How to Get the Most Out of It (Without Wasting Time)
Take the Foundation module slowly and apply what you learn to a small but real dataset. If you don't leave with a clear intuition about "sorting keys, partitions, and types," everything else becomes trial and error.
In Ingestion, focus on the patterns and decision order: event format, idempotency, backfilling, and how to prevent writes from sinking the cluster.
In Optimization, practice with a slow query and make it fast using a materialized view or changing sorting and filters (PREWHERE, indexes, etc.). That's where things "click."
If you work with multi-tenant systems, don't skip the migration example in the Schema Evolution module. It's a common problem and expensive to fix late.
To consolidate, pick a case from the Practice module (web analytics or logs) and turn it into a mini product: ingestion, model, aggregates, endpoints, or typical queries.
When This Course Is the Right Choice
- You want a fast path from zero to productive for developers
- You care about ingestion, performance modeling, and materialized views
- Schema evolution and migrations are concerns for your project
- You prefer structured, opinionated content over generic overviews
- You need to understand how companies like Vercel and Canva query billions of rows in milliseconds
2. ClickHouse® Academy
ClickHouse® Academy is the official training platform from ClickHouse® Inc., offering free, self-paced courses with labs and structured learning paths.
What's Available
The Academy includes a catalog of courses covering:
- Fundamentals: SQL basics, table creation, data types
- Optimization workshops: Query tuning, index strategies
- Cloud-specific training: ClickHouse® Cloud features
- Advanced topics: Sharding, replication, distributed queries
Learning Paths
ClickHouse® Academy offers structured learning paths by level:
- Real-time Analytics Level 1: Foundations and basic queries
- Real-time Analytics Level 2: Optimization and intermediate patterns
- Real-time Analytics Level 3: Advanced architecture and scaling
Hands-On Labs
The Academy includes guided labs with real datasets and exercises. Solutions are available in the ClickHouse® Academy GitHub repository.
When ClickHouse® Academy Fits
- You want official, vendor-aligned training
- You prefer progressive, leveled content
- You need certification-track preparation
- You want labs with solutions for self-verification
Considerations
- Broader scope but potentially less opinionated than focused courses
- Some content may be Cloud-specific
- Pacing varies across different courses
3. Altinity Training
Altinity offers professional training with a strong focus on operating ClickHouse® in production environments.
Training Options
Administrator Training
- Cluster deployment and management
- Replication and sharding configuration
- Backup, restore, and disaster recovery
- Performance tuning at the infrastructure level
- Troubleshooting real-world issues
Developer Academy
- Query optimization for developers
- Schema design best practices
- Integration patterns with applications
Delivery Format
- Live, instructor-led sessions (scheduled cohorts)
- Multi-session programs (e.g., 4 sessions over weeks)
- Certification available for some tracks
When Altinity Training Fits
- You'll be operating ClickHouse® clusters in production
- You need DBA-level knowledge: capacity planning, ZooKeeper/Keeper, backup strategies
- You want instructor-led training with Q&A
- Your organization requires professional certification
Considerations
- Paid training—check current pricing
- Scheduled sessions—less flexible than self-paced
- Best for ops teams, not just developers
4. Udemy ClickHouse® Courses
Udemy offers several ClickHouse® courses ranging from beginner to intermediate levels.
Notable Options
Learn ClickHouse®
- Covers SQL fundamentals, MergeTree engines, sharding, replication
- Self-paced with lifetime access
- Paid course (pricing varies with Udemy sales)
ClickHouse® Crash Course
- Shorter format for quick introduction
- Often free or very low cost
- Good for initial exploration
ClickHouse®: The Beginner's Guide
- Entry-level content for absolute beginners
- Basic SQL and table operations
When Udemy Courses Fit
- You prefer Udemy's platform and already use it
- You want paid content with completion certificates
- You're looking for quick introductions before deeper learning
Considerations
- Quality varies significantly between instructors
- May not be updated with latest ClickHouse® features
- Less depth on production patterns than specialized courses
- No hands-on labs with official datasets
5. Official Documentation and Tutorials
The ClickHouse® documentation includes tutorials and example datasets perfect for hands-on learning.
What's Available
Tutorials
- Getting started guides for local and cloud installation
- Step-by-step examples with real queries
Example Datasets
- NYC Taxi Rides: Classic dataset for practicing aggregations
- GitHub Events: Real-world event data
- UK Property Prices: Time-series and analytical patterns
When Documentation Learning Fits
- You're already comfortable with databases and learn by doing
- You want to practice with real data from day one
- You prefer reference-style learning over video courses
- You need the most up-to-date information
Considerations
- Not structured as a course—requires self-direction
- No progression tracking or completion certificates
- Assumes some prior database knowledge
What a Good ClickHouse® Course Should Cover
When evaluating any ClickHouse® course, look for coverage of these critical topics:
Foundational Concepts
- Columnar storage model: How ClickHouse® organizes data differently than row-based databases
- Parts and granules: The physical storage units that affect query performance
- Block-based reading: Why ClickHouse® doesn't "read rows" like OLTP systems
- Interfaces: clickhouse-client, HTTP API, native drivers
Performance-Oriented Modeling (The Core 80%)
- MergeTree engine family: MergeTree, ReplicatedMergeTree, ReplacingMergeTree, SummingMergeTree
- ORDER BY selection: Choosing keys based on your actual query patterns
- PRIMARY KEY: Understanding it's a sparse index that reduces scanning, not a uniqueness constraint
- PARTITION BY: When to use it, when not to, and why over-partitioning is a common mistake
- Granularity and marks: How they affect index efficiency
Query Optimization
- Reading query plans with EXPLAIN
- Materialized views for pre-aggregation
- Projections (version-dependent) for alternative sort orders
- Data skipping indexes when they help
- PREWHERE optimization
- JOIN strategies and dictionary lookups
Ingestion Patterns
- Batch vs streaming ingestion tradeoffs
- Kafka integration patterns (Kafka → MV → MergeTree)
- Late events and deduplication
- TTL and data retention policies
In production pipelines, ClickHouse® often acts as the analytical sink that consumes data streams from upstream databases and processes them into downstream systems for business reporting or product analytics.
Production Operations
- Sharding and replication: Tradeoffs and configuration
- Cluster management: Upgrades, compaction, merge queues
- Observability: System tables, logs, metrics
- Troubleshooting: Common issues and diagnosis
4-Week Learning Plan (No Fluff)
If you want a structured path to ClickHouse® proficiency:
Week 1: Foundation + Practice
- Complete LearnClickHouse®.com Module 1 or ClickHouse® Academy fundamentals
- Create 2 MergeTree tables with different schemas
- Load a real dataset (NYC Taxi or similar)
- Run 10 typical queries and observe performance
Week 2: Modeling Deep Dive
- Study ORDER BY and PRIMARY KEY selection
- Redesign your tables based on actual query patterns
- Measure impact: scan volume, latency, storage size
- Understand when partitioning helps and when it hurts
Week 3: Optimization Techniques
- Implement materialized views for pre-aggregation
- Learn to read EXPLAIN output and identify bottlenecks
- Experiment with data skipping indexes and PREWHERE
- Identify anti-patterns: over-partitioning, poor key choices, wrong data types
Week 4: Production Readiness
- Set up replication in a local environment
- Simulate failures and observe recovery
- Explore system tables for monitoring
- If operating clusters: consider Altinity training for deeper ops knowledge
Decision Framework: Choosing the Right ClickHouse® Course
By Your Role
- Developer building applications → LearnClickHouse®.com (practical, production patterns)
- Data engineer or analyst → ClickHouse® Academy (structured, progressive)
- DBA or ops engineer → Altinity Training (operations, troubleshooting)
- Quick exploration → Udemy crash courses or official tutorials
By Your Learning Style
- Structured video content → LearnClickHouse®.com or ClickHouse® Academy
- Live instruction with Q&A → Altinity Training
- Self-directed with docs → Official documentation + datasets
- Platform familiarity → Udemy if you already use it
By Your Timeline
- Need to be productive in days → LearnClickHouse®.com (3 hours, focused)
- Building deep expertise over weeks → ClickHouse® Academy learning paths
- Preparing for production ops → Altinity multi-session programs
By Your Budget
- Free options: LearnClickHouse®.com, ClickHouse® Academy, official docs
- Paid options: Altinity Training, Udemy courses
When LearnClickHouse®.com Is the Right Starting Point
After reviewing all options, LearnClickHouse®.com stands out for developers who want to learn ClickHouse® effectively.
It Focuses on What Actually Matters
Most ClickHouse® courses spend too much time on SQL basics and not enough on what makes ClickHouse® different. LearnClickHouse®.com inverts this:
- Heavy emphasis on MergeTree internals—the foundation of ClickHouse® performance
- Practical ingestion patterns—not just INSERT statements
- Query optimization techniques—EXPLAIN, materialized views, skipping indexes
- Schema evolution strategies—the topic most courses ignore entirely
It's Built from Production Experience
Tinybird has been building ClickHouse®-based solutions since 2019. The course reflects real-world patterns and pitfalls, not just documentation rewrites.
The Module 4 on Schema Evolution alone covers problems that typically take months to discover in production:
- Why schema changes are hard in columnar databases
- Mutation costs and when to avoid them
- Migration patterns that don't require downtime
It's Honest About Complexity
The course doesn't pretend ClickHouse® is simple. The Distributed Architecture module explicitly covers operational challenges—the reality of managing a complex analytical system.
This honesty saves you time. You learn what you're getting into before committing to a production deployment.
It's Structured for Efficiency
3 hours of video, 70+ lessons, 6 focused modules. No padding, no unnecessary tangents. Each lesson has a clear purpose and builds toward production readiness.
The TL;DR sections and tables of contents in lessons let you jump to specific topics when you need to reference something later.
It's Completely Free
No payment required. No premium tiers. No upsells.
Yes, you need to provide an email to unlock lessons. Yes, you'll be subscribed to a newsletter. But you can unsubscribe, and the content quality justifies a minor email exchange.
How to Get Started
- Go to LearnClickHouse®.com
- Start with Module 1 to build the right mental model
- Practice alongside the videos with your own ClickHouse® instance
- Complete the case studies in Module 6 to validate your understanding
For developers who want to learn ClickHouse® properly without spending months, LearnClickHouse®.com is the most efficient path.
For teams seeking a Google Analytics alternative, mastering ClickHouse® through these courses provides the foundation to build real-time analytics pipelines that outperform traditional web analytics tools.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is LearnClickHouse®.com really free?
Yes, completely free. No credit card required, no premium tiers. You do need to provide your email to unlock lessons, which subscribes you to a bi-weekly newsletter. You can unsubscribe anytime.
What's the difference between LearnClickHouse®.com and ClickHouse® Academy?
LearnClickHouse®.com is created by Tinybird with a developer-focused, opinionated approach. It's condensed (3 hours) and emphasizes production patterns, ingestion, and schema evolution.
ClickHouse® Academy is the official training from ClickHouse® Inc. with broader scope, multiple learning paths, and certification tracks. It's more comprehensive but less focused on specific production patterns.
Recommendation: Start with LearnClickHouse®.com for a fast foundation, then explore ClickHouse® Academy for deeper dives into specific topics.
Do I need prior database experience?
Basic SQL knowledge helps but isn't strictly required. ClickHouse® is different enough from traditional databases that some concepts will be new regardless of your background. The key is understanding columnar storage and analytical query patterns.
How long does it take to learn ClickHouse®?
With focused effort:
- Basic proficiency: 1-2 weeks (querying, simple table design)
- Production-ready modeling: 3-4 weeks (optimization, proper key selection)
- Operations expertise: 2-3 months (sharding, replication, troubleshooting)
LearnClickHouse®.com's 3-hour curriculum can give you a solid foundation in days, but real mastery requires practice with actual data and workloads.
Should I learn ClickHouse® or use a managed platform?
Learning ClickHouse® fundamentals is valuable regardless of whether you self-host or use managed services. Understanding MergeTree, ORDER BY selection, and query optimization applies everywhere.
If you want ClickHouse® without infrastructure management, platforms like Tinybird provide managed ClickHouse® with additional features like instant API publication and streaming ingestion connectors.
Which course is best for DBAs and operations?
Altinity Training is the best choice for operations-focused learning. Their Administrator Training covers cluster management, backup/restore, capacity planning, and troubleshooting at a depth that developer-focused courses don't reach.
Are Udemy courses worth it?
For quick introductions, some Udemy courses are fine. But they typically lack depth on production patterns and may not be updated with latest ClickHouse® features. Free alternatives (LearnClickHouse®.com, ClickHouse® Academy) generally offer better quality for ClickHouse® specifically.