Zerethon Skills
How software gets from an idea to running in production, as one map. Choose a stage to see why it matters, what to learn first and where the official documentation is. Mark topics as learned to see what you already know and what is left.
The software delivery lifecycle
Each change goes around the loop; the capabilities in the middle apply at every stage.
Point at a stage, or move to it with Tab, to see what it covers. Select it to open its topics.
Foundations
Plan & Design
Decide what to build and why, and sketch how the pieces fit before writing code.
Also here: Documentation
Develop › Frontend
Frontend
The part that runs in the browser: pages, styles and interaction.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Documentation
Develop › Backend
Backend
Servers and HTTP APIs that hold the business rules.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Documentation
Develop › Data
Data
Databases and the queries that store and read the application's data.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Documentation
Git & Collaboration
Version control
Record every change with Git, work on branches and review changes before they are merged.
Quality
Verify
Run tests, linters and security checks so problems are found before release.
Also here: Security
CI/CD & Delivery
Build & Package
Turn source code into something that can be deployed: a bundle, a binary or a container image.
CI/CD & Delivery
CI/CD
Run the checks and the build automatically on every change, and deliver what passes.
Also here: Configuration
Deploy › Deployment
Web server & release
Environments, a reverse proxy such as Nginx in front of the app, and releasing safely.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Observability
Deploy › Infrastructure
Servers & containers
The machines and containers the application runs on.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Observability
Operations
Operate
Keep it running: watch logs and metrics, get alerted, back up data and recover from failures.
Also here: Security, Observability, Documentation
Across every stage › Security & Reliability
Security
Protect code, secrets, data and users — from the first commit to production.
Applies to: Develop, Verify, Deploy, Operate
Across every stage › Security & Reliability
Configuration
Keep settings and secrets out of the code, so one build runs in every environment.
Applies to: Develop, CI/CD, Deploy
Across every stage › Operations
Observability
Make the running system explain itself through logs, metrics and traces.
Applies to: Deploy, Operate
Across every stage › Foundations
Documentation
Write down how to run, change and operate the project, next to the code.
Applies to: Plan & Design, Develop, Operate
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Decide what to build and why, and sketch how the pieces fit before writing code.
Also here: Documentation
-
Develop
Write the code: the interface people use, the server behind it and the data it keeps.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Documentation
-
Record every change with Git, work on branches and review changes before they are merged.
-
Run tests, linters and security checks so problems are found before release.
Also here: Security
-
Turn source code into something that can be deployed: a bundle, a binary or a container image.
-
Run the checks and the build automatically on every change, and deliver what passes.
Also here: Configuration
-
Deploy
Release a new version to an environment: the server, the web server in front of it, containers.
Also here: Security, Configuration, Observability
-
Keep it running: watch logs and metrics, get alerted, back up data and recover from failures.
Also here: Security, Observability, Documentation
Across every stage
-
Protect code, secrets, data and users — from the first commit to production.
Applies to: Develop, Verify, Deploy, Operate
-
Keep settings and secrets out of the code, so one build runs in every environment.
Applies to: Develop, CI/CD, Deploy
-
Make the running system explain itself through logs, metrics and traces.
Applies to: Deploy, Operate
-
Write down how to run, change and operate the project, next to the code.
Applies to: Plan & Design, Develop, Operate
Learning paths
Suggested orders across categories, for a goal.
- Ship your first web app From a Git repository to an application running behind HTTPS, with tests, a pipeline and monitoring. 7 topics ·
- Build a first frontend Pages that work for everyone, interactivity with JavaScript, then a framework. 4 topics ·
- Keep production healthy See problems early, recover data, respond calmly and keep dependencies patched. 4 topics ·
Browse by category
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How software gets from an idea to users, and the habits that keep a project understandable.
- The software delivery lifecycle✓ Learned
- Project documentation✓ Learned
- Architecture decisions and diagrams✓ Learned
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What runs in the browser: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the frameworks built on them.
- HTML and CSS✓ Learned
- JavaScript in the browser✓ Learned
- Web accessibility✓ Learned
- Frontend frameworks✓ Learned
-
Servers, HTTP APIs and the code that holds the business rules.
- HTTP and APIs✓ Learned
- Authentication and passwords✓ Learned
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Storing and querying data with SQL databases.
- SQL databases✓ Learned
- Schema migrations✓ Learned
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Version control, branches and reviewing each other's changes.
- Git basics✓ Learned
- Branches and pull requests✓ Learned
-
Automated tests and checks that catch problems before users do.
- Automated tests✓ Learned
- Linters and static analysis✓ Learned
-
Building, packaging and running every check automatically on each change.
- Package managers and dependencies✓ Learned
- Build artifacts and versioning✓ Learned
- CI/CD pipelines✓ Learned
-
Servers, containers and the network pieces an application runs on.
- Linux servers and SSH✓ Learned
- Containers with Docker✓ Learned
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Putting a new version in front of users safely: environments, web servers, releases.
- Nginx as a reverse proxy✓ Learned
- HTTPS and certificates✓ Learned
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Keeping software healthy in production: logs, metrics, alerts, backups and recovery.
- Logs, metrics and alerts✓ Learned
- Backups and recovery✓ Learned
- Incident response✓ Learned
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Protecting secrets, data and users at every stage.
- Configuration and secrets✓ Learned
- Dependency and security scanning✓ Learned
Skills is a self-guided map, not a test or a certificate: "learned" means only that you marked it. Each topic is a short introduction that links to the official documentation for the details.