Overview
Tutor IDE is a coding-education platform built for schools. Students write HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python inside a real VS Code engine (Monaco), preview their work instantly, and publish any project in one click. Teachers get a dashboard showing every student's progress, time-on-task, and where they got stuck.
Challenge
Teaching real coding in schools is blocked by logistics: IT tickets for installing editors, shared passwords, different laptops at home and in class, and no way for the teacher to see what's going on across 20 browsers at once. Scratch-style block editors solve the install problem but the kids know they're not writing 'real' code.
Solution
Tutor IDE runs entirely in the browser — Monaco editor, Dockerised sandboxes for each project, instant preview, 1-click publish to a live URL. Teachers assign classes, see who published what, and review code against AI-analysed checkpoints. The AI tutor is explicitly guardrailed: it explains, suggests next steps, and refuses to just write the code for them.
Key features
Real IDE, zero install
Monaco (the engine behind VS Code) in the browser. Works on any Chromebook, tablet, or school laptop without an IT ticket.
Sandboxed previews
Every project runs in its own Docker sandbox; a rogue script can't break the classroom.
One-click hosting
Students publish their project under a student-scoped URL they can share with parents — public enough to feel real, locked down enough to stay safe.
Guardrailed AI tutor
Asks questions back. Explains concepts. Will not just write the answer. Logs every interaction for the teacher.
Teacher dashboard
See every student's progress, stuck points, and time-on-task. Assign projects to an entire class in seconds.
HTML / CSS / JS / Python
Not just a JavaScript playground — Python via a sandboxed kernel for older cohorts.
Tech & stack
Next.js 15 frontend, Django REST backend, PostgreSQL, Redis for background work (Celery + Beat), Docker-in-Docker for project sandboxes. Monaco editor bound into React with a custom multi-file model. AI tutor is a thin wrapper around Anthropic's API with role-play + tool-use restrictions enforced server-side.
