Specialist track

Java Backend Engineering

Java runs the backends of banks, telcos and enterprises worldwide, and demand for engineers who build them well is steady. This track takes you deep into modern Java and Spring Boot — designing APIs, working with databases, testing, and shipping services to the cloud. Project-driven and taught by practitioners.

Duration: 12 weeks
Commitment: ~12 hrs/week · part-time, evenings
Format: Live online — with optional in-person lab days in Nairobi
Level: Intermediate · for people who already write code

Specialist track

$1,300

Indicative · your local currency · pre-VAT-determination

Deposit $350, then monthly installments

Cohort 1 · Online

Starts 19 October 2026

Enrolling

Apply now

A short application — no payment on this site.

Refund & deferral policy

What you'll learn

Modern Java: the language, the JVM, and clean, testable code
Building REST APIs with Spring Boot and Spring Data
Relational databases, transactions and schema migrations
Testing with JUnit, plus authentication and API security
Containerising and deploying Java services to the cloud
Working AI-natively: spec-driven development with AI coding agents in a Java codebase

AI-native by default

The AI classes in this program

Every Lightspace program teaches the AI-native method — not a bolt-on module, but a working style woven through the projects.

Spec-driven development with AI coding agents across every Java project
Context engineering for Java codebases — conventions and project memory files agents follow
The agent loop: review and verify AI-written Java before it merges
AI-assisted testing, refactoring and debugging on real Spring Boot services

The curriculum

1
Modern Java
Weeks 1–3
The language and the JVM, collections, error handling, and writing clean, testable code.
2
APIs with Spring Boot
Weeks 4–6
REST APIs, dependency injection, Spring Data, and connecting to PostgreSQL.
3
Test, secure, harden
Weeks 7–9
JUnit testing, authentication and security, transactions and migrations.
4
Ship it
Weeks 10–12
Containerising with Docker, deploying to the cloud, and a capstone API you present and defend.

What you leave with

A deployed, tested Java + Spring Boot API backed by PostgreSQL
A portfolio project that stands up in an enterprise interview
The fundamentals to grow into senior backend and platform roles

How you're taught

Live cohorts led by working practitioners — not pre-recorded videos.

Live, not recorded

Real classes on a schedule, with a group that keeps you moving.

Practitioner instructors

Taught by people who build and ship software for a living.

Feedback on your work

Code review and honest feedback on real projects, every week.

Questions

Where does it take place?

Live online — you can join from anywhere in the world. In-person lab days at our Nairobi base are optional, not required.

How much time does it take?

12 weeks, at roughly ~12 hrs/week · part-time, evenings.

What do I need to start?

Intermediate · for people who already write code.

How do payments work?

There's no payment on this website. You submit a short application; if you're accepted, our team emails you to confirm your place and arrange payment — a deposit, then monthly installments.

What language is it taught in?

All live classes and materials are in English.

Do I need Java experience?

No Java specifically, but you should already be comfortable programming in some language. We build Java from the fundamentals up to production Spring Boot services.

Full details in our Refund, withdrawal & deferral policy.