In 2016, we embarked on an ambitious expansion of the freeCodeCamp learning platform. It includes:
- An expanded curriculum that now teaches concepts like accessibility, security, and testing, and new tools like React, Redux, Sass, and D3 — all interactively in a browser-based code editor
- A lightning-fast single-page web app
- Significantly expanded camper profiles where you can showcase your code and your past accomplishments
- A massive new Interview Prep section with hundreds of new algorithm, data structure, and systems design challenges
Well, it took a year. But we’re almost ready to ship this newly expanded platform.
Even though we see the light at the end of the tunnel, there’s still a lot of coding to be done. And that’s where we could use your help.
Three ways you can help
Option #1: Help us finish the critical path platform features
The expanded platform is in open beta. We won’t enable account creation for another week or two, but you can access all of the coding challenges. It’s still rough, but most of the hard work is done — we just need to fix some bugs, import some coding challenges, and polish the UI.
We have a clear roadmap of issues we need to resolve before launching here.
Option #2: Help us port the React and Redux challenges to the expanded platform
The freeCodeCamp Alpha React and Redux challenges were designed primarily by Sean Smith and peterWeinberg in late 2016. Thousands of campers have worked through these 78 interactive coding challenges.
It took a long time, but we can now run these challenges on the freeCodeCamp platform. We just need to port all of these challenges over and QA them.
We’ve written scripts to handle some of this process, but some of it is will require a manual effort. We could use your help porting these, and then finding ways to break them during the QA process.
Option #3: Help us improve the challenges in our new Interview Prep section
Our new Interview Prep section includes:
- Dozens of new coding interview algorithm challenges
- Dozens of new data structure challenges
- System design quizzes
- Coding interview take-home projects
- Hundreds of Rosetta Code and Project Euler problems, adapted for the browser and with added test suites
We need your help improving and expanding upon these challenges. This is by far the biggest task that needs to be done.
Note that we will still ship the expanded platform first, regardless of how many of these Interview Prep challenges are ready. But the more of these challenges we have ready, the better!
Why you should contribute code to the freeCodeCamp platform
Every year, thousands of campers get their first jobs as developers. Most of them lack a degree in computer science, and some of them don’t have a degree at all.
The most common reason to which they attribute their job search success is open source contributions.
Not only will contributing to open source help you build your career — you’ll learn a ton in the process.
And if you contribute to freeCodeCamp’s platform, millions of people will use the code that you contribute.
That’s right. Millions.
How to get set up to help
Step #1: Get the freeCodeCamp platform running on your computer. Here’s how.
Step #2: Once you’ve done that, join the freeCodeCamp Contributor chatroom. Introduce yourself, and tell us which of these options you’re interested in helping with.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and consider contributing code to the freeCodeCamp platform. With your help, we can ship the expanded platform in the next few weeks!