Build your own X

A curated GitHub directory of step‑by‑step tutorials and resources for learning how core technologies work by rebuilding them from scratch.

Website: https://github.com/danistefanovic/build-your-own-x
Category: Themed directories
Tags: projects, tutorials, programming

Description

“Build your own X” is an open-source, awesome-style collection of links to detailed guides, blog posts, and repositories that show how to implement various technologies from the ground up. It focuses on practical, from-scratch implementations as a way to deeply understand concepts in systems programming, computer science, and software engineering.

Features

1. Curated tutorial collection

• Aggregates well‑written, step‑by‑step guides from across the web.
• Emphasis on recreating real technologies rather than toy examples.
• Acts as a meta-directory pointing to high‑quality external resources.

2. Wide range of technology categories

The repository groups tutorials under many “Build your own …” themes, including:

• 3D Renderer – Implementing basic rendering engines and pipelines.
• Augmented Reality – Building simple AR systems and demos.
• BitTorrent Client – Creating peer‑to‑peer file sharing clients.
• Blockchain / Cryptocurrency – Implementing blockchains, consensus, and coins.
• Bot – Building automation and chat bots.
• Command-Line Tool – Writing CLI utilities and toolchains.
• Database – Implementing storage engines, query processors, and DB internals.
• Docker – Recreating containerization primitives and tools.
• Emulator / Virtual Machine – Building CPU/console emulators and VMs.
• Front-end Framework / Library – Rolling your own UI or component framework.
• Game – Game engine or small game implementations.
• Git – Implementing version control system concepts.
• Network Stack – Building networking layers and protocols.
• Neural Network – Implementing neural nets and learning algorithms from scratch.
• Operating System – Simple OS kernels and system components.
• Physics Engine – Basic physics and collision systems.
• Programming Language – Writing interpreters, compilers, or DSLs.
• Regex Engine – Implementing pattern matching engines.
• Search Engine – Indexing and search from the ground up.
• Shell – Creating Unix‑like command shells.
• Template Engine – Implementing text/template rendering engines.
• Text Editor – Building editors with buffers, cursors, and commands.
• Visual Recognition System – Image recognition and CV pipelines.
• Voxel Engine – Minecraft‑style voxel renderers.
• Web Browser – Layout, rendering, and networking for browsers.
• Web Server – Implementing HTTP servers and request handling. (truncated in source, but implied by Web Serve)

Note: The actual README typically includes multiple links per category, often across different programming languages.

3. Learning-focused approach

• Inspired by the idea “What I cannot create, I do not understand” (Feynman).
• Encourages hands-on learning by rebuilding systems rather than reading theory alone.
• Useful for self‑study, portfolio projects, and deep dives into internals.

4. Open-source GitHub repository

• Public GitHub repo (forkable and clonable).
• Standard files (e.g., README.md, ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md, .gitattributes).
• Community‑driven: users can typically propose new resources via issues/PRs.

Pricing

• Free – The repository and all linked resources that are publicly available remain free to browse and use.

(No paid plans or pricing tiers are indicated in the provided content.)