The Basics

Everything people assume you already know

Before you write a single line of code: understand your machine, your files, the terminal and the web. This track fills the gaps other courses assume are already filled - the very gaps that make so many beginners give up.

Foundations

Beginner - the basics, step by step

• Computer, program, operating system: who does whatUnderstand what a machine really is, what a program is, and what the operating system is actually for.
• Files and folders: the tree and pathsLearn to read how your disk is organized and to write a path, absolute or relative.
• Why code is nothing but textDiscover that every program is just a text file, and why that changes the way you work.
• Accented characters, UTF-8 and line endingsUnderstand why accents sometimes come out garbled and what those invisible line endings are hiding.
• Installing and setting up a code editorPick an editor that suits you, install it, and apply the handful of settings that change everything.

Progression

Intermediate - build real things

• Opening a terminal on Windows, macOS and LinuxFind out what a terminal is, open one on your machine and type your first commands.
• Moving around: pwd, cd and lsFind your bearings in the file tree and travel from folder to folder with pwd, ls and cd.
• Creating, copying, moving, deletingCreate folders and files, then copy, rename and delete them from the command line.
• Reading a file and redirecting outputShow the contents of a file with cat, head and tail, then capture output into a file.
• Relative paths, absolute paths and wildcardsPoint to any file with an absolute or a relative path, and act on several files at once.

Advanced

Proficient - advanced patterns and performance

• How the internet works: client, server, requestUnderstand who asks what from whom when a web page appears on your screen.
• URLs, domain names and DNSTake a web address apart and meet the giant directory that turns names into IP addresses.
• HTTP in plain sight: methods and status codesRead a real request and a real response, and learn what 200, 404 and 500 actually mean.
• The browser developer toolsOpen the tools built into your browser to inspect, test and diagnose a page.
• localhost, ports, and "it works on my machine"Run a server on your own computer and understand why nobody else can see it.

Mastery

Expert - architecture, internals and edge cases

• Reading and understanding an error messageLearn to decode an error message instead of closing it: type, file, line and stack trace.
• Searching effectively: docs, search engines, AIWrite better search queries, judge how reliable a source is, and use AI without falling for its traps.
• Backing up your work and keeping versionsSet up a real safety net: backups, history and your first steps with Git.
• Basic security for developersProtect your accounts, your secret keys and your machine with a few simple habits that stick.
• Asking a question that gets answeredStructure your requests for help to get fast answers, and discover the minimal reproducible example.