Getting Started
Welcome to freeCodeCampOS — a platform for creating and hosting interactive coding curricula.
This guide is for course creators: people who want to build a course using freeCodeCampOS.
If you want to contribute to freeCodeCampOS itself, see the Contributing guide instead.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+ — Install Node.js
That's it. The freecodecamp-server binary is downloaded automatically when you run the server.
Create a New Course
Use the CLI to scaffold a new course:
npx create-freecodecamp-os-app create
Follow the interactive prompts. This creates a directory with:
my-course/
├── freecodecamp.conf.json # Course configuration
├── config/
│ ├── projects.json # Project metadata
│ └── state.json # Learner state (auto-managed)
└── curriculum/
└── locales/
└── english/
└── my-course.md # Curriculum content
Run the Server
From your course root directory:
npx freecodecamp-server
Open your browser to http://localhost:8080.
Next Steps
- Configuration — configure your course, projects, and client branding
- Project Syntax — write lessons, tests, and seeds in the curriculum markdown format
- CLI — add projects, rename projects, and validate your course configuration
- Testing Guide — understand the test lifecycle