About CryptoBlocks

The origin story

CryptoBlocks started as an attack framework for a security competition.

We built reusable “lego” pieces in Python — small functions that each do one thing well. Snap them together in different orders, get different results. One night, staring at the terminal, it hit:

“This is just Scratch for hackers. Why doesn’t this exist for everyone?”

The hacking part stays behind. What comes forward is the idea: small, composable, shareable blocks of real code that kids can see, use, modify, and eventually write themselves.

The gap we’re filling

Scratch proved that kids can code when you remove the syntax barrier. But Scratch is a dead end — the skills don’t transfer. When kids “graduate” from Scratch, they start from scratch (literally) in a text editor.

CryptoBlocks is the bridge:

1. Start with blocks. Drag, snap, run. See what happens.
2. Peek inside. Every block is real code. Toggle it, read the JavaScript or Python underneath.
3. Write your own. When you’re ready, write a function. If it works, it becomes a block. Your block. With your name on it.
4. Share it. Publish to the marketplace. Other kids snap your block into their projects.

What we believe

• The platform is free for kids. Always. Non-negotiable.
• Testing is not optional. Your code has to prove it works before it becomes a block.
• Real languages, not toy languages. JavaScript and Python from day one.
• The tool should grow with you. Blocks today, code tomorrow, both forever.

What’s built

Core Platform

• 320+ blocks across 24 categories — from basics to AI, games, hardware, and beyond
• Dual-language code generation — every block outputs real JavaScript AND Python
• Sandboxed execution with live output streaming
• Create-your-own-block editor — write a function, test it, it becomes a block
• Sprite Editor — pixel art canvas for drawing game characters and assets
• Level Editor — visual drag-and-drop platformer level designer
• Save/Load .blocks project files + Share Links for instant sharing

Learning

• 141 coding challenges across 27 themed packs (Minecraft, Space, Crypto, Secret Agent, and more)
• Code Golf — efficiency puzzles where fewer blocks wins
• Blocksets — 30 step-by-step guided tutorials
• Code Labs — 11 JavaScript packs with a real code editor
• Learn — 10-chapter JavaScript fundamentals course with 41 interactive exercises
• Daily Challenge — one puzzle per day with streak tracking and a global leaderboard

Game Engine

• 2D physics — gravity, platforms, collision detection, camera follow
• Sprite images — use your own pixel art from the Sprite Editor
• Procedural generation — random mazes, pipe spawning, infinite runners
• Gamepad support — any Bluetooth/USB controller (PS4, Xbox, Switch Pro)
• Playable examples — Side Scroller, Flappy Bird, Tetris (with music!), Maze Runner, Coin Collector

AI & Speech (All Client-Side, No APIs)

• Speech — text-to-speech, speech recognition, microphone volume
• Image classification — MobileNet identifies 1000 objects from webcam
• Hand tracking — MediaPipe finger position, pinch detection, finger count
• Sentiment analysis, text classification, Markov chains, regression — educational ML from blocks

Hardware

• micro:bit WebBluetooth — 15 blocks for LED, speaker, sensors, servos, cyber:bot drive
• Gamepad API — 13 blocks for any Bluetooth/USB controller
• Sensor streaming — temperature, light, accelerometer, compass at 10fps

Collaboration & Social

• Coding with Friends — real-time collaborative editing via Yjs + PartyKit
• Shareplace — database-backed marketplace to browse, upload, download, like, and remix projects
• Remix trees — visual lineage showing who forked whose project
• Share links — one-click shareable URLs with read-only viewer
• Global leaderboard — top builders, most loved projects, most remixed
• Notifications — real-time alerts when your project gets liked or remixed
• Share cards — auto-generated branded PNGs for social media

Teacher Dashboard

• Classrooms with 6-character join codes and invite links
• Assignments — create, submit, review with inline feedback
• Discussion forums with threaded replies (markdown support)
• Classroom chat — real-time messaging
• Student progress — per-student project tracking, block counts, likes
• Data export — download all classroom data as JSON for school records

Business

• Clerk auth — Google + GitHub sign-in
• Stripe billing — $10/month Pro subscription for build tools, exports, and classrooms
• Admin controls — content moderation, project deletion, admin override
• 36 achievements across every feature, from “First Blood” to “Unstoppable” (30-day streak)
• Light theme — because some people like white backgrounds

Under the Hood

• 4,600+ automated tests (unit + e2e)
• Turso (edge SQLite) for the database
• Netlify Functions for the API
• PartyKit for real-time collaboration
• Time Travel — scrubbable timeline over workspace history

What we believe

• The platform is free for kids. Always. Non-negotiable. All blocks, the editor, challenges, collab, daily challenges, Shareplace, AI, games, hardware — free forever.
• Pro tools for serious builders. Sprite Editor, Level Editor, exports, classrooms — that’s the upgrade path.
• Testing is not optional. Your code has to prove it works before it becomes a block.
• Real languages, not toy languages. JavaScript and Python from day one.
• The tool should grow with you. Blocks today, code tomorrow, both forever.
• Every feature came from use, not from a roadmap. We hit a ceiling, we built the next thing. That’s why it all composes.

And we’re just getting started.