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DIY / BYTESTACKFree engineering guides

Don't just
use it.
Build it.

Understand the software you use every day by rebuilding the important parts yourself.

Build simplified versions of real technologies, follow the implementation step by step, and understand what is actually happening underneath.

Explore builds →What is DIY?
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Hands-onBuild from scratch

01 / What is DIY?

What is DIY?

DIY ByteStack is a collection of practical engineering guides designed around one idea:

You understand technology differently once you build it yourself.

Instead of only explaining how HTTP, Git, databases, shells or containers work, we guide you through implementing small versions of them.

Learn by building.

02 / The catalog

Start building

Pick a technology. Choose an implementation. Build the important parts yourself.

Topic
08 builds
01Available now

Build your own

HTTP Server

Understand sockets, TCP and HTTP by implementing a small HTTP server yourself.

Topic
Networking
Level
Foundation
Time
3–4 hours
Start build →
02Coming soon

Build your own

Shell

Understand processes, commands, pipes and streams by building a tiny Unix-like shell.

Topic
Operating Systems
Level
Foundation
Time
4–6 hours
In the workshop
03Coming soon

Build your own

Database

Explore persistence, indexing and storage engines by creating a tiny database.

Topic
Databases
Level
Intermediate
Time
6–8 hours
In the workshop
04Coming soon

Build your own

DNS Resolver

Understand how domain names become IP addresses by implementing DNS resolution yourself.

Topic
Networking
Level
Intermediate
Time
4–5 hours
In the workshop
05Coming soon

Build your own

Git

Understand objects, commits, trees and version history by recreating the core ideas behind Git.

Topic
Developer Tools
Level
Intermediate
Time
6–8 hours
In the workshop
06Coming soon

Build your own

Container

Explore namespaces, isolation and processes by building a tiny container runtime.

Topic
Linux
Level
Advanced
Time
8–10 hours
In the workshop
07Coming soon

Build your own

Torrent Client

Learn peer-to-peer networking by implementing the essential parts of a BitTorrent client.

Topic
Networking
Level
Advanced
Time
8–10 hours
In the workshop
08Coming soon

Build your own

Media Player

Explore media decoding, playback and buffering by creating a simplified media player.

Topic
Multimedia
Level
Intermediate
Time
6–8 hours
In the workshop
Browse the complete catalog →

Featured build / 01

Python

Build your own

HTTP Server

From opening a TCP socket to serving your first HTTP response.

TCPSocketsHTTPHeadersRoutingMIME Types
Start building →

03 / The method

How it works

  1. 01

    Choose

    Pick something you've always wanted to understand.

  2. 02

    Pick a language

    Choose from the implementations available for that build.

  3. 03

    Build

    Follow the guide and implement each important piece yourself.

  4. 04

    Understand

    Finish with a working miniature and understand why the real technology works.

04 / The philosophy

No 12-hour video.
No 80-slide deck.
Just build it.

01

Read

Understand one small concept.

02

Code

Implement that concept yourself.

03

Break

Experiment, modify it and see what happens.

Repeat until you've built the thing.

05 / Open source

Built in the open.

Every DIY ByteStack guide lives in GitHub.

  • Found a mistake? Improve the guide.
  • Want another language? Build the implementation.
  • Want to teach something? Contribute a build.
View on GitHub ↗Contributing guide ↗

Your turn

What do you
want to build?

Pick something interesting and start taking it apart.

Explore builds →