Forgen — Backend Engineering Practice Platform

Forgen is a VS Code extension that turns your editor into a hands-on backend engineering practice environment. Solve real-world API tasks, get automatically scored by a live test harness, track your progress, and climb the leaderboard — all without leaving VS Code.

What is Forgen?

Forgen gives backend developers a structured way to practice by building real API servers. Each task gives you an API specification and a set of automated tests that run against your actual running server on localhost. There are no toy examples — you build a real HTTP server, run it, and Forgen's test harness hits your endpoints and scores your implementation.

Features

Task Browser

Browse a curated library of backend tasks organised by domain (Auth, REST APIs, Databases, Queues, and more). Each task is tiered by difficulty:

Tier	Label	Description
TIER1	S	Starter — core HTTP and CRUD patterns
TIER2	A	Intermediate — auth, pagination, filtering
TIER3	E	Expert — queues, caching, distributed patterns

Tasks show your best score and completion status at a glance. Click any task to open the full spec.

Task Spec Panel

Each task opens a dedicated panel with:

Full API contract (method, path, request/response shapes)
Functional requirements and acceptance criteria
Estimated completion time
A one-click Start button that begins your timed session

Live Analysis

The Analysis panel inspects your open workspace and detects which API endpoints from the spec are present in your code — giving you a coverage grid before you submit.

Automated Test Harness & Submission

When you're ready to submit (Ctrl+Shift+S):

Forgen detects the port your server is running on
Spins up the encrypted test harness
Sends real HTTP requests to your running server
HMAC-signs the results and submits them securely
Results appear in the Results panel within seconds

Results Panel

After submission you get:

Overall score (0–100%)
Per-category breakdown
Individual test case pass/fail
Performance signals (where applicable)

Progress & Levelling

Track your growth in the Progress panel:

XP and current level with progress bar to the next level
Domain radar chart showing your strength across all practice areas
Recent submission history
Badge collection (earned and locked with unlock hints)
Streak counter

Leaderboard

Compare with peers in the global leaderboard — top 20 users ranked by XP, with level titles and streak counts.

Cohort Assignments

If you're enrolled in a cohort through your organisation, the Task Browser shows a My Assignments section at the top with:

Tasks assigned by your instructor, grouped by cohort
Due dates with colour indicators:
- 🔴 Overdue — past due date
- 🟡 Due soon — due within 3 days
- ⚪ Upcoming — due later
- ✅ Completed — scored ≥ 80%

Hints

Stuck? Request structured hints for the current task without spoiling the solution.

Getting Started

Open the Forgen panel in the Activity Bar (left sidebar). Sign in with GitHub or your Forgen email/password.

2. Pick a task

Browse the Task Browser tree, expand a domain, and click a task to read the spec. Hit Start Task when you're ready.

3. Build your server

Implement the API in any backend language or framework — Node.js, Python, Go, Java, whatever you prefer. Run it locally on any port.

4. Submit

Press Ctrl+Shift+S (or Cmd+Shift+S on Mac) to open the Submit panel. Forgen auto-detects your server's port, runs the tests, and scores your solution.

5. Review and improve

Check the Results panel for detailed feedback, revisit the task spec, fix your implementation, and resubmit. Each attempt is tracked — only your best score counts.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+S` / `Cmd+Shift+S`	Open Submit panel
`Ctrl+Shift+H` / `Cmd+Shift+H`	Request hint

Panels at a Glance

Panel	Purpose
Task	Full task spec, requirements, API contract
Analysis	Live endpoint coverage check against your code
Submit	Run tests and submit your solution
Results	Scored breakdown, test cases, signals
Progress	XP, badges, domain radar, submission history
Hints	Structured hints for the active task

Requirements

VS Code 1.85 or later
A Forgen account (sign up at forgen.in)
A locally running HTTP server when submitting (any language/framework)

For Organisations & Instructors

Forgen supports cohort-based learning for universities, bootcamps, and training institutes. Instructors manage cohorts and assign tasks with due dates through the Forgen web dashboard. Students enrolled in a cohort see their assignments directly in the extension's Task Browser.

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings (configured by your administrator or set in VS Code settings):

Setting	Description	Default
`forgen.apiUrl`	Forgen API base URL	`https://api.forgen.in`
`forgen.supabaseUrl`	Supabase project URL	(set by publisher)
`forgen.supabaseAnonKey`	Supabase anon key	(set by publisher)

Privacy & Security

Forgen never reads your source files — analysis is based only on your editor's open documents
Test results are HMAC-signed to prevent tampering
Submission sessions are encrypted end-to-end
No code is uploaded to Forgen servers

Support

Issues / Bug reports: GitHub Issues
Website: forgen.in

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

Forgen