Static · learning-first · calibrated to you
Learn top-tier tech by building real things.
Pick a skill level and a stack. Every step is one plain instruction on the surface — and expands, on demand, into the concept, the exact commands, and — if you want it — a ready-to-paste AI prompt with tests.
A real step — open only the depth you want
Create the Go module for your API
BeginnerWhy a module, and why this name
Initialise the module
mkdir aurora-api && cd aurora-api
go mod init github.com/you/aurora-api
go versionAgent prompt — paste into an agent with repo access
Before you run it — what should `curl localhost:8080/healthz` return once the agent is done?
Role: Senior Go engineer working in this repo.
Context: Empty directory; Go 1.22+. We are starting an HTTP API for an e-commerce app.
Task: Scaffold a minimal, idiomatic Go HTTP server.
Requirements:
- module path github.com/you/aurora-api
- net/http only (no framework yet); a /healthz route returning 200 "ok"
- graceful shutdown on SIGINT/SIGTERM
- main in ./cmd/api, no global state
Tests / acceptance:
- `go vet ./...` and `go build ./...` pass
- `curl localhost:8080/healthz` returns 200 "ok"
Output: a unified diff plus a one-paragraph summary.What success looks like
Every track teaches four things
Not just how — when and why
The logic
The mental model first — what the tool is for and why it beats the alternative. You learn judgement, not just syntax.
The implementation
Exact, runnable commands and code. The happy path works; the edge cases are called out where they bite.
Optional AI prompts
Prefer to pair with an AI? Every code step also ships a precise prompt — role, context, requirements, runnable tests — ready to hand to an agent. Or just build it yourself.
How to think
When to reach for each tool, and why. The rating system shows which tech genuinely wins each kind of build.
Start opinionated, then personalise
The default stack
A curated, top-tier default so you don't stall on tool choice. Swap any lane on the Start page.
Alternatives are first-class: Rust · TypeScript · Python · Kotlin · MongoDB · Redis · SwiftUI · Flutter · Cloudflare · AWS.
The building blocks
15 tech tracks to go deep
Single-path deep dives into every language, database, and tool the projects lean on — study one on its own, or follow where a project sends you.
Curated courses
Build something real
Each project spotlights a technology used for what it's genuinely best at — proven by the per-project rating.
Aurora Commerce
An e-commerce backend where checkout is one ACID transaction — overselling becomes impossible.
Helix Assistant
A document Q&A assistant that answers from your own files — streamed, grounded, with citations.
Ticker
One price tick reaches every open dashboard in order; offline clients replay what they missed.
Catalens
Snap a product; Gemini reads the photo and Atlas Vector Search matches it to your catalog.
Vitals
An offline-first fitness tracker whose hard parts live once in Kotlin and power two native UIs.
Concord
A real-time collaborative editor where concurrent edits always merge — CRDTs retire "last write wins".