Concept graph
All 67 concepts, grouped by domain (tier 0 = foundations). Pick a capstone to highlight its full prerequisite closure — the load-bearing path you'd walk to build it.
Load-bearing path for “A tool for a competitive team” 17 concepts, prerequisites first
- Binary and hex
- Files and paths
- The shell
- Python basics
- Functions
- Data structures
- Files and errors
- Debugging
- Network layers
- TCP and UDP
- HTTP and APIs
- Data formats
- Databases
- Git
- Collaborating in git
- The delivery lifecycle
- Testing
Tier 0 Computer Architecture
What the machine is physically doing when your code runs.
- Binary and hex
- The instruction cycle ← binary_repr
- Memory hierarchy ← cpu_pipeline
- Finding the bottleneck ← memory_hierarchy
- Parallel processing ← cpu_pipeline
- Instruction sets ← cpu_pipeline
Tier 0 Operating Systems & Linux
The layer between your program and the hardware.
- Files and paths
- The shell ← files_and_paths
- Processes ← shell_basics
- Users and permissions ← shell_basics
- Package management ← shell_basics
- Reading a live system ← processes, memory_hierarchy
- Remote access ← shell_basics, permissions
Tier 1 Programming (Python)
Writing instructions a machine will follow literally, whether you meant them or not.
- Python basics ← shell_basics
- Functions ← python_basics
- Data structures ← python_basics
- Files and errors ← python_basics
- Objects ← functions, data_structures
- pip and virtualenvs ← python_basics, package_mgmt
- Debugging ← files_errors
- Scripting the system ← files_errors, processes
Tier 1 Networking
How machines find and talk to each other.
- Network layers
- IP addressing ← osi_layers
- DNS ← ip_addressing
- TCP and UDP ← osi_layers
- Latency and bandwidth ← tcp_udp
- Routing and NAT ← ip_addressing
- Firewalls ← ip_addressing, permissions
- TLS and certificates ← tcp_udp
- HTTP and APIs ← tcp_udp
Tier 1 Storage & Data
Where state lives, and what happens when it doesn't.
- Filesystems ← binary_repr, files_and_paths
- Block versus object storage ← filesystems
- Redundancy ← filesystems
- Backup strategy ← raid_redundancy
- Data formats ← binary_repr
- Databases ← data_formats
- Ephemeral state ← filesystems, processes, containers
- Vector stores ← databases, embeddings
Tier 2 Software Delivery
How code gets from your machine to somewhere real, repeatably.
- Git ← shell_basics
- Collaborating in git ← git_basics
- The delivery lifecycle ← git_basics
- Testing ← sdlc_phases, functions
- CI/CD ← git_collaboration, testing
- Containers ← processes, package_mgmt
- Infrastructure as code ← containers, git_basics
- Observability ← processes, http_apis
- Secrets management ← permissions, git_collaboration
Tier 2 Machine Learning
Systems that learn their behavior from data instead of being told it.
- Learning from data ← data_formats, functions
- Training versus inference ← learning_from_data
- Loss and optimization ← learning_from_data
- Generalization ← loss_optimization
- Kinds of prediction ← learning_from_data
- Embeddings ← learning_from_data
- Transformers, from a distance ← embeddings, task_types
- Fine-tuning versus prompting ← training_vs_inference
Tier 3 AI Orchestration
Multiple models and tools coordinated into a system that does real work.
- How a model works ← data_formats, transformers, training_vs_inference
- Context windows ← llm_mental_model
- Prompt structure ← llm_mental_model
- Structured output ← prompt_structure, data_formats
- Tool use ← structured_output, http_apis, functions
- The agent loop ← tool_use
- Multi-agent systems ← agent_loop, ephemeral_state
- Retrieval-augmented generation ← vector_stores, context_windows
- Evaluation ← testing, structured_output, scripting, generalization
- Failure modes ← agent_loop, observability
- Cost and latency ← agent_loop, latency_bandwidth
- Orchestration infrastructure ← containers, ci_cd, multi_agent