EasyCodeLab

An interactive, browser-based learning tool that helps complete beginners build mental models around HTML and CSS through visual, hands-on exercises.

Built for students fresh out of high school who have never written a line of code. No prior knowledge required.

Modules

Tag Builder

Learn HTML and CSS syntax by building tags piece by piece. Fill in the blanks, see your tags visualized as colorful nested boxes, and watch a live preview update as you type.

• 9 progressive lessons covering HTML tags, nesting, attributes, links, images, lists, and CSS basics
• Gap-fill exercises for guided learning
• Free-edit coding with live preview
• Real-time tag tree visualization

Box Model Explorer

Understand the CSS box model through interactive 3D visualization. Adjust padding, margin, and border with sliders and see changes in real time.

• 6 lessons from content box to combined layouts
• Interactive 3D view powered by Three.js
• 2D Chrome DevTools-style overlay
• "Match the target" challenges

Tech Stack

• Next.js 16 — App Router, static generation
• React 19 — useDeferredValue, startTransition for responsive typing
• Three.js — 3D box model visualization via @react-three/fiber + @react-three/drei
• CodeMirror 6 — Code editor with syntax highlighting
• Motion — UI animations and transitions
• IndexedDB — Persistent progress storage (no backend required)
• Tailwind CSS v4 — Custom color theme with playful design tokens

Getting Started

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the dev server
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to start learning.

Project Structure

src/
├── app/                    # Next.js App Router pages
│   └── (modules)/          # Tag Builder & Box Model routes
├── components/
│   ├── editor/             # CodeEditor, GapFillEditor, HtmlPreview
│   ├── tag-builder/        # TagVisualizer, TagBuilderLesson
│   ├── box-model/          # 3D canvas, 2D overlay, controls
│   ├── layout/             # Header, LessonStepper, InstructionPanel
│   └── ui/                 # Button, Slider, Card, etc.
├── content/                # Lesson definitions (typed TypeScript)
├── hooks/                  # useLessonProgress, useCodeValidation, useIndexedDB
├── lib/                    # HTML parser, tag validator, lesson engine
├── stores/                 # Zustand stores
└── types/                  # TypeScript type definitions

AGENTS.md

see 👉build

Project Admin ⚡

mwakidenis

Contributors

I extend my heartfelt gratitude for any invaluable contribution to this project! Your efforts play a pivotal role in elevating the repo to greater heights.