CheckIO
CheckIO is a web site with a mission: To teach JavaScript and Python coding skills through a game-playing interface. It is designed to teach new skills or improve existing skills through completing challenges.
- Users can earn free subscriptions through contributing content, by writing interesting code reviews or via helping other users on the forum.
- Teachers and professors can integrate CheckIO into their classroom.
- They can integrate assignments with missions or games.
- There is a forum through which users can collaborate with other users.
- Users can ask for help with coding questions or with solving challenges.
- CheckIO offers a fun and challenging way to learn or improve coding skills in Python or JavaScript.
- There are plans to add other languages to CheckIO in the future.
- The interface for the web site and the world are intuitive. It is easy to get started and to wander around the worlds.
- The language choices currently available are limited to Python and, more recently, JavaScript.
- Some knowledge of the selected language or programming in general isn't required,
- While younger or newer users may thrive in the informal, game-based environment, self-described serious developers may be put off by the frivolity of the interface.
CheckIO has a straight-forward landing page which allows you to jump into one of the CheckIO "worlds" (languages). Once you pick a language, you are presented with a "home" location, which has several lower-level challenges available, and there are several other locations to which you can travel for additional challenges. If the home location's challenges are too difficult, you can go over to the "elementary" location and try out the entry-level challenges there. Through completion of challenges at the various locations, you can unlock new areas to which you can travel and complete even more challenges. After you complete a challenge, you can compare your solution to other, existing solutions. You can review "editor's choice" solutions as well, to see optimal ways of completing the challenge. Additionally, solutions are available via GitHub. Best of all: This is all available for free. There is an option to "become awesome" by subscribing to the site on either a monthly or annual basis, but subscribing is not required to use the site. Users with subscriptions do have several advantages over free users, such as seeing solutions more quickly and having additional missions available to them. But there is plenty of free content to keep your skills growing! Overall, CheckIO is a fun way to build your programming skills in the available languages. And for those interested in a career as a developer, there are ways to connect with companies searching for developers.
Alternatives to CheckIO
CodeFights
Codewars
Exercism
Geektastic
Codechef
CodinGame
