Codeboard
The web-based IDE for the classroom
About Codeboard
Codeboard is a free, web-based IDE built to teach programming in the classroom. Educators can create coding exercises, share them with a simple URL, and inspect or automatically grade student submissions. Developed at ETH Zurich and released under the MIT license, it integrates with learning platforms like edX, Coursera, and Moodle.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open source under the MIT license
- No installation required for students — runs in any browser
- Automatic grading via unit tests saves educators significant time
- Built-in LTI integration with edX, Coursera, and Moodle forwards grades automatically
- Proven at scale with 100,000+ users across schools, universities, and MOOCs
Cons
- Limited to six teaching languages (C, C++, Eiffel, Haskell, Java, Python)
- Geared specifically at education, not general software development or interviews
- Development activity has slowed, so newer language and IDE features may lag
- Self-hosting requires technical setup and maintenance
Key Features
Browser-based IDE
A feature-rich coding environment that runs entirely in the browser with no local setup required for students or teachers.
Multi-language support
Teach with C, C++, Eiffel, Haskell, Java, or Python depending on your course.
Exercise creation & sharing
Build coding exercises and share them with students using a simple project URL.
Hidden files & folders
Hide any file or folder students shouldn't see, so they only work with the parts of a project you expose.
Automatic grading
Grade submissions automatically using unit tests or customized test drivers.
Submission inspection
Open and inspect any student submission directly in the Codeboard IDE with a single click.
Project statistics
Follow student progress with project-specific statistics and a per-project summary page.
LTI / platform integration
Integrate exercises with edX, Coursera, Moodle, and other LTI-compatible platforms, forwarding grades securely and automatically.
Pricing
- Full browser-based IDE
- Unlimited public projects
- C, C++, Eiffel, Haskell, Java, Python
- Automatic grading via unit tests
- Submission inspection & statistics
- LTI integration with edX, Coursera, Moodle
- Open source under MIT license
- Full source on GitHub (codeboardio)
- Host on your own infrastructure
- Customize and extend the platform
Best For
University CS courses
Distribute programming assignments and auto-grade submissions for large introductory computer science classes.
MOOC programming exercises
Embed interactive coding exercises inside edX or Coursera courses with grades forwarded automatically.
K-12 and secondary programming
Introduce students to Python or Java without the friction of installing toolchains on school computers.
Moodle-integrated coursework
Add hands-on coding activities to a Moodle course using LTI and sync results back to the gradebook.
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