Teach Linux, servers and networks with nothing to install
Every student gets a Linux terminal, a lab where they run their own servers, databases and websites, and a desktop that ties the two together, all in a browser tab on whatever computer they have. No lab to image, no virtual machines, no cloud account, no bill, and nothing a student types can break a real machine. You see inside all of it, and a free class holds up to 50 students.
Three things behind the login
CybersecurityAges 12+Ten beginner to advanced cybersecurity challenges in a real Linux terminal, and a way for students to write their own. Free, nothing to install.
Try it free, no account
Computer science and ITAges 9+A Plasma-style desktop that shares its files with the terminal, plus retro machines from a teletype to Windows XP. Free for classes.
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Computer science and ITAges 11+More than 170 commands, bash scripts, vim, git, SSH to their own servers, CTF challenges and CCST practice. Free for classes.
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Computer science and ITAges 10+A teletype, a Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Windows 98, XP, a classic Mac and more, in the browser. Free, no account.
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Computer science and ITAges 10+A free PC troubleshooting simulator: a customer's complaint, a real 3D bench, one fault per machine. No account, no parts to buy.
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Computer science and ITAges 12+Servers, websites, databases, load balancers, DNS and a class network, in a browser tab. Free for classes.
See everything it doesCan I teach my course on this?
Here is where each topic of a typical IT, networking, cybersecurity or intro computer science course lives. Each topic also has every activity gathered on one page, grouped by unit: computer science fundamentals, programming, cybersecurity and networking, Linux and operating systems, cloud and system design, and hardware and electronics.
| Topic | Where |
|---|---|
| The Linux command lineFiles, paths, pipes, grep and sed, man pages | Linux Terminal |
| Scripting and automationBash scripts with loops and functions, cron | Linux Terminal |
| ProgrammingPython, JavaScript, C and C++, PHP, Ruby, Lua and more, from the prompt | Linux Terminal |
| Python in the browserLoops, functions, lists and turtle graphics, on Chromebooks with nothing to install | Python Lab |
| Version controlgit: commits, branches, merges and stashes | Linux Terminal |
| Users, groups and permissionschmod, chown, useradd, sudo and least privilege | System Design Lab |
| Servers and servicesapt and dnf, systemctl, logs, firewalls and HTTPS | System Design Lab |
| Web developmentSites at a real address, server code in JavaScript, SQL databases | System Design Lab |
| Database designTables, keys and relationships drawn as a diagram, exported as SQL | Database Designer |
| Machine learning and AITrain a neural network, watch its loss fall, and find out what layers, neurons and features change | Neural Network |
| NetworkingIP addresses, DHCP, subnets, gateways, ping and traceroute on a class network | System Design Lab |
| DNSZones, records, TTLs and a class DNS tree to trace | System Design Lab |
| Cloud and scalingLoad tests, caching, load balancers, regions, snapshots | System Design Lab |
| CybersecurityTen capture the flag challenges students can also write, an incident investigation, 410 CCST Cybersecurity questions | Capture the Flag |
| CryptographyCaesar and substitution ciphers, hashing and the avalanche effect, a dictionary attack on common passwords, XOR and public keys | CryptoLab |
| Operating systemsProcesses, window managers, files seen two ways, computing history | Linux Desktop |
| History of operating systemsBoot nine machines from a 1972 teletype to macOS: MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, 98 and XP, a classic Mac, no account needed | Operating System Simulators |
| Computer hardwareBuild and benchmark a PC part by part | PC Workshop |
| TroubleshootingFourteen broken PCs with an owner's complaint each: read the lights and beeps, find the fault, repair it | PC Troubleshooting Simulator |
Running it with a class
Practice for a certification
The terminal's quiz command asks from 410 practice questions for Cisco's CCST Cybersecurity, and the same bank runs as timed practice exams under Exam Prep. Operation Lighthouse walks a student through investigating a real-shaped breach, and the capture-the-flag challenges turn log reading and file forensics into a competition. Students can write challenges for each other, reviewed before they go live. Every cybersecurity and networking activity, grouped by unit.
More for tech classes, no account needed
These run in a browser tab with nothing to sign up for, so they work for a first lesson before accounts exist.
Want the lessons written for you?
The platform's year-long courses are taught on these same tools: Information Technology 1 and 2, Computer Science 1 and Advanced Computer Science. Everything on this page works without them.
Common questions
Do I need to install anything, or set up a lab?
No. Everything runs in a browser tab on any computer or Chromebook. There are no virtual machines, no images to maintain and no cloud bills. Each student has their own terminal, files and servers in their account.
Is it free for a class?
Yes. A free teacher account holds a class of up to 50 students, and the terminal, System Design Lab and desktop all come with it. You add students yourself with a username and password, or give them a join code, and they need no email address.
Is it real Linux?
It is a simulation built to behave like Linux: the same commands, options and error messages, and servers that respond to load the way real ones do. Because nothing is a real machine, nothing a student does can break one, and nothing costs money.
Can I see what my students are doing?
Yes. You can inspect any student's servers, sites, databases and files read-only, students send questions to your help queue from the terminal, and files you put in the shared folder reach the whole class at once.
Does it line up with a certification?
The terminal has 410 practice questions for Cisco's CCST Cybersecurity, with a guided investigation and capture-the-flag challenges. The rest covers what introductory Linux, networking and cloud courses expect, though none of it is an official preparation product for an exam.
Are there lessons I can use?
System Design Lab has a step-by-step guide and eleven challenges it checks automatically, and every feature has a page like this one with an activity and questions to ask. If you want a full course taught on the platform, the year-long Information Technology and Computer Science courses are built on these tools.
Still have a question? Ask us, and a person will write back.
Start with a free class
Set up a class, add your students, and open the terminal together on day one.