Code challenges that you just need to know about

You’re a newcomer to the field of programming, there’s not much you know but you feel that world is there for you to conquer. You’ve got the right mindset, but experience is yet to be gained. Worry not, everybody needs to start somewhere. Why not try some code challenges to kickstart your learning experience? You might have seen your friends post about those on Twitter, but never actually tried those yourself. Now it's time tho change that.

We have a great list of resources for you to get started, so why don’t you take a look?

1. Stackoverflow

Source: Stackoverflow

Stackoverflow is an extremely useful resource for programmers at any level. An open community is there for you to help with any queries you might have. Its sheer size means most probably somebody already encountered the problem you face, which makes searching for solutions extremely easy. Everything is community driven, and in a wikipedia-like fashion, entries can be edited by any member.

2. Programming Puzzles & Code Golf

Source: Code Golf

Stack Exchange, the same organization that’s standing behind Stackoverflow also hosts a place for programming enthusiasts to share riddles, puzzles and golfs (a challenge to give the shortest meaningful answer possible). The creative community will make sure everybody finds a code challenge for themselves.

3. HackerRank

Source: HackerRank

This one is a tool like no other, as it lets you to write code, and run it, directly in your browser, providing all the necessary introduction beforehand. This is as approachable as learning experience can get. First you read all the tips you might need for a given lesson, and then you put that newly gained knowledge into practice. In case of any mistakes the website will point exactly where you went wrong so that you know what to look out for in the future!

4. CodinGame

Source: CodinGame

Have you ever thought about developing your own game? Something epic, that’s never been done before? You can start today, one step at a time, by writing pseudocode for mini games on the website. Similarly to HackerRank, you also only need a browser to write and run your code, but here the difference is that instead of getting a green light saying your code is correct you actually see it in action, as the game events relying on your code unfold before your eyes. It’s a great visual representation of what is right and wrong with your code. This challenge is very approachable for beginners simply because how easily the instructions are laid out.

5. Code Combat

In a similar vein to CodinGame, Code Combat also offers a learning experience through games, and while this project is more targeted at younger audiences there’s nothing stopping you from taking advantage of this resource. After all, knowledge is what matters.

6.CodeFights

CodeFights is a community-driven collection of code competitions that lets you compare your skills to those of other members, giving you a real world estimate of how you stack up against your competition. Don’t get discouraged when your scores are low, it’s to be expected when you’re early in the game.

7. exercism

Targeted at “code newbies” exercism offers code challenges in 30 different languages for you to dive into. Doesn't matter if you prefer working with Javascript or Python, there's always something for you. Served in bite-sized portions the tasks are suited for people only just starting their adventure with programming, and that seems to include you!

8. Quizful

Once again, if you’re more of a visual learner this website is perfectly suited for you. You’ll be able to solve interactive puzzles in many programming languages. The creators’ approach is to first throw you into the deep end and see how you perform, then to present you with theory so that you can process it and try to tackle the code challenge again with newly gained knowledge.

9. Rosetta Code

If you’re only just starting and can’t decide which programming language to learn first this website can help you. The resource gathers solutions to the same sets of puzzles in as many different languages as possible. You will be able to see similarities and differences between all of them so that you’ll be able to make up your mind.

10. Project Euler

This project takes a bit different approach to programming puzzles. If you have a passion for mathematics while also being interested in starting to program then Project Euler will provide you with just the right kind of code challenges. The challenges have different levels of difficulty so that everyone can find something suitable for themselves. Because of varying difficulty you will also be able to make progress using the same platform, not be forced to search for different source of knowledge and puzzles once you make a step forward.

11. Algorithmist

Once again there’s a proposition for you to approach programming from the ground up, that is, by starting with algorithms. Tackling both theory and practice this is a great introduction to all your future code challenges. The project is community driven, which shouldn’t come as a surprise due to its wikipedia-like style.

12. Programming Praxis

Kept in a blog sort of fashion this platform is aimed at more experienced programmers, so we suggest that you come back to this one after you’ve spent some time with all the other entries from this list. All the challenges are designed to take an hour on average, but that is not to say your extremely creative approach can’t help you solve the puzzle in a matter of minutes.

13. careercup

You might be aiming to learn programming out of pure boredom or curiosity, but whatever the reason, you will probably want to end up working as a programmer to have the time spent on gaining this knowledge pay off in one way or another. This means you will have to complete a task during a job interview, and careercup collects such challenges for you to prepare properly for your next interview.

14. Hacker.org

As the name suggest, you are going to properly hack something. How exciting is that? Going against the current, finding cracks that you can sneak through to achieve the goal, this is where you show your creative and unconventional approach to code.

15. Python Tutorial by Jobtensor

A tool for learning Python for those who want to improve their programming skills. Get started learning Python with the Python Tutorial. This tool is intended for everyone who wants to learn Python programming language, whether your are a beginner or already a pro.

16. r/dailyprogrammer

Are you heavy into Reddit? Well then look no further my friend, a perfect resource for you is just a click away. The r/dailyprogrammer subreddit is your place to find code challenges, with new one coming a couple times a week. Every such challenge is tagged with level of difficulty in the title so you can find something for yourself no matter how experienced you are. Time to close stop looking at cats and memes, and start learning some code!

17. r/learnprogramming

Source: Reddit



In a similar vein to the previous point, this one is also a subreddit that you can visit for heaps of informative posts, discussion, and advice from programming community. This subreddit, however, is more open for questions rather than be purely an archive of resources and puzzles. That, by extension, means the two communities are perfectly complementing each other and, in conjunction, make for a great source of knowledge, irrespective of how experienced you are with programming.

We hope that with this list of coding challenges you are going to embark on your journey towards the goal of being a skilled, professional programmer. When the time comes to test your newly gained skills in a real-world code challenge we invite you to visit our list of hackathons to find an event that suits your capabilities and interests. Until then, good luck!

This list was compiled using Google search results for “programming challenges”, “coding” challenges” and “code challenges”, Stackoverflow, and Reddit.