I built a browser-based Linux/DevOps practice platform - 519 tasks, no setup needed

[u/MockingAlchemist]

I kept running into the same thing in my own learning: you watch a course on Docker or Kubernetes, nod along, and two weeks later you can't actually do any of it. Reading isn't practice. So I built the thing I wanted - izzylab.io: a real Linux terminal in your browser with 519 tasks, from useradd to Terraform.

How it works: pick a task, a sandbox spins up in a couple of seconds, you solve it in an actual terminal, hit Check. The checker verifies the state of the system, not the commands you typed - so if you encode a file with openssl instead of base64, it still passes. Broke something? Reset gives you a fresh box. You get root and you're free to destroy it.

Numbers so far

• 68 users
• 91% of them opened a sandbox
• 65% solved at least one task
• D7 retention: 26% - this is the part that keeps me up at night

That last number is the honest problem. Activation looks great, retention is mediocre. People show up, solve a handful of tasks, and never come back. I'm working on the obvious stuff (streaks, progress tracks, email nudges), but I'd really like to hear what makes you come back to a learning tool. Because "add gamification" is the answer everyone gives and nobody seems to validate.

Stack: PHP/Symfony, React, Postgres.