Tools and technologies

GitHub

GitHub is the primary tool for collaborative development. It allows for version control, change tracking, and combining code written by different members of a team. We strongly recommend you use GitHub unless you are already famililar with an alternative: https://docs.github.com/es/get-started/start-your-journey/hello-world 

Python

Python is the world's most popular programming language, it is often used for scripting, web development, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. It is especially good for beginners, with a very basic syntax and plenty of online resources: https://www.learnbyexample.org/python/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-osiE80TeTskrapNbzXhwoFUiLCjGgY7

Web Development

Basic Frontend HTML+JS+CSS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GTMOmRrqkU

React is a frontend javascript framework that makes building websites easier by using re-usable components: https://react.dev/learn

Want to build a more advanced backend for your website? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBu54nfzxAQhttps://expressjs.com/en/starter/installing.htmlhttps://fastapi.tiangolo.com/tutorial/https://www.codecademy.com/learn/connecting-javascript-and-sql/modules/learn-node-sqlite-module/cheatsheet

Go

Go is commonly used for building simple and efficient software, like web servers, cloud services, and networking tools. It has an easy-to-learn syntax and built-in support for concurrency, making it a great choice for beginners who want to write fast and reliable programs: https://gobyexample.com/

Rust

Rust is commonly used for building fast and safe software, like web browsers, game engines, and operating systems. It helps prevent common bugs, like crashes and memory errors, making it a great choice for beginners who want to learn a powerful and especially safe programming language: https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/

Public APIs

This is a list of of popular APIs that you can pull information from! Why not build a project using free data on books, movies, or weather data! https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis

Hosting your project on the web

One of our sponsors, Hetzner, has generously provided each participant with a 10$ credit to rent a server to host any projects you wish. If you have never played around with a remote server - we highly recommend giving this a go! Why not actually deploy your website to the web?

Basic setup: https://community.hetzner.com/tutorials/deploy-your-flask-application-using-uwsgi
More advanced configuration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-9KWQByeU0&t=1043s

Game Development

While there are dozens of game engines out there, we encourage the use of Godot, an open source game engine great for creating quick 2D games. For something more advanced or something 3D, we recommend Unity.

Getting started with Godot: https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/getting_started/first_2d_game/index.html
Unity: https://unity.com/learn/get-started

Inspiration

If you're stuck for ideas, think about projects your team would find fun or useful - for example, games or websites related to your hobbies or interests, or tools that solve problems you encounter in university life. Then think about how those could be adapted and related to challenges! Here are a few websites with some general ideas:
https://www.inspiritai.com/blogs/ai-blog/hackathon-project-ideas
https://dev.to/lokesh_singh/10-projects-to-win-hackathons-in-2024-5596
https://www.boardinfinity.com/blog/top-10-prize-winning-hackathon-project-ideas-3/

Contact us & support channels

Look for volunteers in green t-shirts or reach out to us on the Discord server if you have any questions or want any support. For wellbeing support, Miranda or Evan will be your primary contact. For support on challenges, we have some dedicated challenge mentors who are experienced in hackathons and will be available to answer questions and give advice.