Most coding platforms train engineers to solve isolated algorithm problems.

But in real engineering, you rarely reverse linked lists.

You debug production systems.

You trace issues across files.

You deal with incomplete logs, unexpected states, and systems you didn’t write.

so I built something around that.

Introducing Recticode

Recticode is a platform focused on real-world debugging challenges.

Instead of algorithm puzzles, engineers work with realistic multi-file codebases that contain subtle production-style bugs.

The 4-week system

Instead of a single hackathon, I split it into two connected phases:

Phase 1: Challenge Sprint (May 4 – May 31)

Engineers submit real debugging challenges.

Each submission is:

multi-file (real code structure)

contains a subtle production-style bug

includes expected behaviour + context

written like a real engineering system

The goal is to build a library of realistic debugging problems.

Phase 2: Debugging Championship (June 1 – June 14)

Engineers then compete…