My partner didn’t want to become a software developer. But they did want to stop feeling lost every time I talked about work. So I built Learn Code Basics — a small, interactive site that explains what developers actually do, no coding required.
The Problem
Explaining software development to someone outside the industry is hard. You either oversimplify to the point of uselessness, or you drown people in jargon. I wanted something in the middle — accurate enough to be meaningful, approachable enough that anyone could follow along.
What’s on the Site
The site covers a lot of ground across a few different sections:
- 7 topic slide decks covering the basics of code, how the web works, developer tools, system architecture, AI and data, and more. Each deck uses analogies, interactive demos, and plain-language explanations instead of code dumps.
- Terminology glossary with 80+ searchable terms across 6 categories, browsable as cards or a list.
- Knowledge quiz with 20 shuffled questions and instant feedback to test what stuck.
- Coding humor page with 30 developer jokes, each with tooltip explainers for anyone who doesn’t get the reference.
The interactive demos are the part I’m most pleased with. There’s a simulated DNS lookup, a login flow walkthrough, a type sorter, a list builder, and several others. They take abstract concepts and make them tangible.
Technical Stack
Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Vite, Tailwind CSS Navigation: Swipe gesture and arrow key support for slide decks Deployment: Fully client-side, responsive down to mobile