Module 1: How Computers Work
Learn how computers represent information and follow instructions.
Course overview
ByteTrail
A structured path from computer fundamentals through systems, theory, AI, and engineering mastery.
What you will learn
- Explain how computers, programs, networks, and data systems work together.
- Build software using sound programming and software-engineering foundations.
- Evaluate system designs, trade-offs, reliability, security, and performance.
Prerequisites
- Curiosity and a willingness to practise; no prior programming experience is required.
Your path
Levels
Level 0Computer Fundamentals3 modules
Level 0 of CoreCS: Computer Fundamentals.
Module 2: Operating System Basics
Learn how an operating system manages processes, memory, files, identities, and commands.
Module 3: Developer Environment
A structured module covering the essential ideas of developer environment.
Level 1Programming Fundamentals9 modules
Level 1 of CoreCS: Programming Fundamentals.
Module 4: Introduction to Programming
Learn what programs are, how they execute, and how to write precise instructions.
- What is Programming?Planned · 10 min
- How Programs ExecutePlanned · 10 min
- Programming LanguagesPlanned · 10 min
- Writing Your First ProgramPlanned · 10 min
- Understanding Source CodePlanned · 10 min
- From Source Code to ExecutionPlanned · 10 min
- Comments and DocumentationPlanned · 10 min
- Common Beginner MistakesPlanned · 10 min
Module 5: Variables and Data
Learn how programs name, store, describe, and convert values.
Module 6: Operators and Expressions
Combine values and operators to compute new values.
Module 7: Input and Output
Learn how programs receive information and communicate results.
Module 8: Decision Making
Choose which instructions run by evaluating conditions.
Module 9: Loops
Repeat instructions safely while a problem calls for repetition.
Module 10: Functions
Package reusable behavior behind clear inputs and outputs.
Module 11: Debugging
Classify failures and use evidence to find their causes.
Module 12: Problem Solving
Turn vague goals into clear, testable steps and small algorithms.
Level 2Core Computer Science4 modules
Level 2 of CoreCS: Core Computer Science.
Module 13: Discrete Mathematics
A structured module covering the essential ideas of discrete mathematics.
Module 14: Algorithms
A structured module covering the essential ideas of algorithms.
- Linear searchPlanned · 10 min
- Binary searchPlanned · 10 min
- SortingPlanned · 10 min
- Bubble sortPlanned · 10 min
- Selection sortPlanned · 10 min
- Insertion sortPlanned · 10 min
- Merge sortPlanned · 10 min
- Quick sortPlanned · 10 min
- RecursionPlanned · 10 min
- Divide and conquerPlanned · 10 min
- Greedy algorithmsPlanned · 10 min
- BacktrackingPlanned · 10 min
- Dynamic programmingPlanned · 10 min
Module 15: Algorithm Complexity
A structured module covering the essential ideas of algorithm complexity.
Module 16: Data Structures — Advanced
A structured module covering the essential ideas of data structures — advanced.
- Linked listsPlanned · 10 min
- Doubly linked listsPlanned · 10 min
- Hash tablesPlanned · 10 min
- TreesPlanned · 10 min
- Binary treesPlanned · 10 min
- Binary search treesPlanned · 10 min
- HeapsPlanned · 10 min
- Priority queuesPlanned · 10 min
- GraphsPlanned · 10 min
- TriesPlanned · 10 min
- Union-FindPlanned · 10 min
- Balanced treesPlanned · 10 min
Level 3Programming Deeper4 modules
Level 3 of CoreCS: Programming Deeper.
Module 17: Memory Management
A structured module covering the essential ideas of memory management.
Module 18: Programming Paradigms
A structured module covering the essential ideas of programming paradigms.
Module 19: Object-Oriented Programming
A structured module covering the essential ideas of object-oriented programming.
Module 20: Functional Programming
A structured module covering the essential ideas of functional programming.
Level 4Computer Architecture2 modules
Level 4 of CoreCS: Computer Architecture.
Module 21: Computer Architecture
A structured module covering the essential ideas of computer architecture.
- CPU architecturePlanned · 10 min
- RegistersPlanned · 10 min
- Instruction setsPlanned · 10 min
- ALUPlanned · 10 min
- CachePlanned · 10 min
- RAMPlanned · 10 min
- Memory hierarchyPlanned · 10 min
- Assembly basicsPlanned · 10 min
- Machine codePlanned · 10 min
- InterruptsPlanned · 10 min
- System callsPlanned · 10 min
- I/OPlanned · 10 min
Module 22: Digital Logic
A structured module covering the essential ideas of digital logic.
Level 5Operating Systems2 modules
Level 5 of CoreCS: Operating Systems.
Module 23: OS Internals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of os internals.
- ProcessesPlanned · 10 min
- ThreadsPlanned · 10 min
- Context switchingPlanned · 10 min
- SchedulingPlanned · 10 min
- SynchronizationPlanned · 10 min
- Race conditionsPlanned · 10 min
- MutexesPlanned · 10 min
- SemaphoresPlanned · 10 min
- DeadlocksPlanned · 10 min
- Virtual memoryPlanned · 10 min
- PagingPlanned · 10 min
- File systemsPlanned · 10 min
- System callsPlanned · 10 min
- Kernel architecturePlanned · 10 min
Module 24: Concurrency
A structured module covering the essential ideas of concurrency.
- ThreadsPlanned · 10 min
- ProcessesPlanned · 10 min
- ParallelismPlanned · 10 min
- ConcurrencyPlanned · 10 min
- LocksPlanned · 10 min
- MutexesPlanned · 10 min
- SemaphoresPlanned · 10 min
- Atomic operationsPlanned · 10 min
- ChannelsPlanned · 10 min
- Race conditionsPlanned · 10 min
- DeadlocksPlanned · 10 min
- Worker poolsPlanned · 10 min
Level 6Databases5 modules
Level 6 of CoreCS: Databases.
Module 25: Database Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of database fundamentals.
Module 26: SQL
A structured module covering the essential ideas of sql.
Module 27: Database Design
A structured module covering the essential ideas of database design.
Module 28: Database Internals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of database internals.
Module 29: NoSQL
A structured module covering the essential ideas of nosql.
Level 7Computer Networking3 modules
Level 7 of CoreCS: Computer Networking.
Module 30: Networking Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of networking fundamentals.
Module 31: TCP/IP
A structured module covering the essential ideas of tcp/ip.
Module 32: Web Networking
A structured module covering the essential ideas of web networking.
- HTTPPlanned · 10 min
- HTTPSPlanned · 10 min
- HTTP methodsPlanned · 10 min
- HeadersPlanned · 10 min
- CookiesPlanned · 10 min
- SessionsPlanned · 10 min
- TLSPlanned · 10 min
- SSL certificatesPlanned · 10 min
- DNS resolutionPlanned · 10 min
- WebSocketsPlanned · 10 min
- HTTP/1.1Planned · 10 min
- HTTP/2Planned · 10 min
- HTTP/3Planned · 10 min
Level 8Software Engineering4 modules
Level 8 of CoreCS: Software Engineering.
Module 33: Git & Version Control
A structured module covering the essential ideas of git & version control.
Module 34: Software Design
A structured module covering the essential ideas of software design.
Module 35: Design Patterns
A structured module covering the essential ideas of design patterns.
Module 36: Software Architecture
A structured module covering the essential ideas of software architecture.
Level 9Web Development Foundations3 modules
Level 9 of CoreCS: Web Development Foundations.
Module 37: Web Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of web fundamentals.
Module 38: Backend Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of backend fundamentals.
Module 39: API Design
A structured module covering the essential ideas of api design.
Level 10Security3 modules
Level 10 of CoreCS: Security.
Module 40: Cybersecurity Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of cybersecurity fundamentals.
Module 41: Application Security
A structured module covering the essential ideas of application security.
Module 42: Cryptography Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of cryptography fundamentals.
- Symmetric encryptionPlanned · 10 min
- Asymmetric encryptionPlanned · 10 min
- AES conceptsPlanned · 10 min
- RSA conceptsPlanned · 10 min
- Elliptic curve conceptsPlanned · 10 min
- Hash functionsPlanned · 10 min
- SHAPlanned · 10 min
- Password hashingPlanned · 10 min
- Digital signaturesPlanned · 10 min
- PKIPlanned · 10 min
Level 11Testing & Software Quality2 modules
Level 11 of CoreCS: Testing & Software Quality.
Module 43: Testing
A structured module covering the essential ideas of testing.
Module 44: Debugging
A structured module covering the essential ideas of debugging.
Level 12Linux & Systems2 modules
Level 12 of CoreCS: Linux & Systems.
Module 45: Linux
A structured module covering the essential ideas of linux.
- FilesystemPlanned · 10 min
- PermissionsPlanned · 10 min
- UsersPlanned · 10 min
- ProcessesPlanned · 10 min
- SignalsPlanned · 10 min
- ServicesPlanned · 10 min
- systemdPlanned · 10 min
- SSHPlanned · 10 min
- PipesPlanned · 10 min
- RedirectionPlanned · 10 min
- grepPlanned · 10 min
- sedPlanned · 10 min
- awkPlanned · 10 min
- curlPlanned · 10 min
- networking commandsPlanned · 10 min
Module 46: Shell Scripting
A structured module covering the essential ideas of shell scripting.
Level 13DevOps & Infrastructure4 modules
Level 13 of CoreCS: DevOps & Infrastructure.
Module 47: Docker
A structured module covering the essential ideas of docker.
Module 48: CI/CD
A structured module covering the essential ideas of ci/cd.
Module 49: Cloud Computing
A structured module covering the essential ideas of cloud computing.
Module 50: Kubernetes
A structured module covering the essential ideas of kubernetes.
Level 14Distributed Systems4 modules
Level 14 of CoreCS: Distributed Systems.
Module 51: Distributed Systems Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of distributed systems fundamentals.
Module 52: Distributed Data
A structured module covering the essential ideas of distributed data.
Module 53: Messaging Systems
A structured module covering the essential ideas of messaging systems.
Module 54: Reliability Engineering
A structured module covering the essential ideas of reliability engineering.
Level 15System Design2 modules
Level 15 of CoreCS: System Design.
Module 55: System Design Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of system design fundamentals.
- URL shortenerPlanned · 10 min
- Chat applicationPlanned · 10 min
- Notification servicePlanned · 10 min
- File storage servicePlanned · 10 min
- E-commerce platformPlanned · 10 min
- Social networkPlanned · 10 min
- Video streaming platformPlanned · 10 min
- RequirementsPlanned · 10 min
- API designPlanned · 10 min
- Database designPlanned · 10 min
- CachingPlanned · 10 min
- QueuesPlanned · 10 min
- Load balancingPlanned · 10 min
- ReplicationPlanned · 10 min
- ShardingPlanned · 10 min
- CDNPlanned · 10 min
- Fault tolerancePlanned · 10 min
Module 56: Scalability
A structured module covering the essential ideas of scalability.
Level 16Theory of Computer Science2 modules
Level 16 of CoreCS: Theory of Computer Science.
Module 57: Theory of Computation
A structured module covering the essential ideas of theory of computation.
Module 58: Compiler Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of compiler fundamentals.
Level 17Mathematics for Advanced CS3 modules
Level 17 of CoreCS: Mathematics for Advanced CS.
Module 59: Linear Algebra
A structured module covering the essential ideas of linear algebra.
Module 60: Probability & Statistics
A structured module covering the essential ideas of probability & statistics.
Module 61: Calculus
A structured module covering the essential ideas of calculus.
Level 18Artificial Intelligence4 modules
Level 18 of CoreCS: Artificial Intelligence.
Module 62: AI Fundamentals
A structured module covering the essential ideas of ai fundamentals.
Module 63: Machine Learning
A structured module covering the essential ideas of machine learning.
Module 64: Deep Learning
A structured module covering the essential ideas of deep learning.
Module 65: Modern AI Engineering
A structured module covering the essential ideas of modern ai engineering.
- LLMsPlanned · 10 min
- TokensPlanned · 10 min
- EmbeddingsPlanned · 10 min
- Vector databasesPlanned · 10 min
- Semantic searchPlanned · 10 min
- RAGPlanned · 10 min
- Prompt engineeringPlanned · 10 min
- Function/tool callingPlanned · 10 min
- AI agentsPlanned · 10 min
- MCPPlanned · 10 min
- EvaluationPlanned · 10 min
- GuardrailsPlanned · 10 min
- AI application architecturePlanned · 10 min
Level 19Advanced Software Engineering3 modules
Level 19 of CoreCS: Advanced Software Engineering.
Module 66: Performance Engineering
A structured module covering the essential ideas of performance engineering.
Module 67: Observability
A structured module covering the essential ideas of observability.
Module 68: Production Engineering
A structured module covering the essential ideas of production engineering.
- Configuration managementPlanned · 10 min
- Secrets managementPlanned · 10 min
- Deployment strategiesPlanned · 10 min
- Rolling deploymentPlanned · 10 min
- Blue-green deploymentPlanned · 10 min
- Canary deploymentPlanned · 10 min
- Disaster recoveryPlanned · 10 min
- BackupsPlanned · 10 min
- Incident responsePlanned · 10 min
Level 20Engineering Mastery0 modules
Level 20 of CoreCS: Engineering Mastery.
Published modules for this level are planned.