Rabbit Holes
The YouTube channels, courses, and websites worth falling into. Curated for engineers who want to go beyond textbook prep and actually understand the material.
Junior — New to DSA and patterns · Senior — Some coding experience · Staff — Experienced programmer
| Platform | Level | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master the Coding Interview | Junior | Paid | Structured learning path |
| NeetCode | Junior Staff | Free | Best curated free list + videos |
| Educative.io | Junior Senior | Paid | Interactive text-based learning |
| DesignGurus | Senior Staff | Paid | Pattern-based coding courses |
| LeetCode Premium | Staff | Paid | Company tags + frequency data |
| Tech Interview Handbook | Senior Staff | Free | All-in-one guide, free |
| Platform | Level | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| System Design Interview Prep | Junior | Paid | Affordable + practical |
| ByteByteGo | Junior | Free | Visual clarity, great intuition |
| DesignGurus | Senior Staff | Paid | Pattern-based frameworks |
| Educative.io | Junior Senior | Paid | Structured + interactive |
| System Design Primer | Staff | Free | Very deep, free reference |
| HelloInterview | Staff | Paid | Real engineers, structured SD feedback |
| Platform | Level | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pramp | Senior | Free | Free peer-to-peer mocks |
| Educative.io | Junior Senior | Paid | Structured mock interview prep with instant feedback |
| HelloInterview | Staff | Paid | Real engineers, structured feedback |
| interviewing.io | Staff | Paid | Anonymous FAANG engineers — most realistic signal |
Comprehensive data structures and algorithms course by Andrei Neagoie covering core patterns and interview questions.
Good structured path if you want video-led learning from scratch. Pair with NeetCode for practice.
Open CourseThe most popular coding course on Udemy by Colt Steele. Covers core DSA concepts — sorting, searching, trees, graphs, and dynamic programming — all in JavaScript.
Best pick if you code in JavaScript. Very beginner-friendly with clear explanations. JS-only — if you use Python or Java, stick with NeetCode or the Neagoie course.
Open CourseHands-on system design course by Frank Kane covering real interview questions, scalability concepts, and architecture patterns.
Good practical complement to theory. Budget-friendly — wait for a Udemy sale, they happen constantly.
Open CourseCrystal-clear video solutions for LeetCode problems. The NeetCode 150 problem list is free and constantly updated. NeetCode Pro (paid) adds an interactive coding environment, structured courses, and hints.
Start with the free tier — the problem list and YouTube videos alone are better than most paid resources. Upgrade to Pro only if you want the built-in coding environment.
Visit SiteClean, visual explanations of system design concepts and real-world architectures.
Use this to quickly build intuition before going deeper. Best free system design starting point alongside the guides on this site.
Watch FreeText-based interactive courses for coding and system design interview prep. Popular for Grokking-style pattern courses.
Good if you prefer structured, no-video learning. Try NeetCode and the free resources first — only pay if you want the interactive Grokking format.
Visit SitePattern-based courses for both coding and system design. Best known for Grokking the System Design Interview — also has Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns and Grokking Dynamic Programming.
Worth it for senior+ prep. The pattern framework transfers well to real interviews. Look for discount codes — they run them often.
Open CourseFree all-in-one interview guide by a Meta engineer. Covers resume, coding patterns, behavioural questions, system design, negotiation, and offer evaluation.
The most complete free resource for the full interview process — not just coding. Read this alongside your practice.
Visit SiteFree peer-to-peer mock interviews. You interview someone else and they interview you — both sides gain experience with problems and evaluation.
Use this before paying for HelloInterview or interviewing.io. Gets you comfortable with the live interview format without spending anything.
Visit SiteAdvanced follow-up to the Master the Coding Interview course by Andrei Neagoie. Focuses specifically on FAANG-level interview questions, harder patterns, and company-specific prep.
Do the foundations course first. This one is for when you're ready to target Google, Meta, Amazon level — harder problems, tighter time constraints.
Open CourseMock interviews with engineers from top companies covering both coding and system design — with structured written feedback.
Use this when you're close to interviews. Real interviews expose gaps in ways that practice alone can't. Book one session before your actual rounds.
Visit SiteAnonymous mock interviews with real engineers from Google, Meta, Amazon, and other top companies. The most realistic signal for how you'd actually perform.
More prestigious than HelloInterview for gauging your real level. Slots are limited and pricey — use it strategically before final rounds.
Visit SiteMassive open-source collection of system design concepts, patterns, and real-world architecture examples. One of the most-starred repos on GitHub.
Best free deep-dive into system design theory. No guided path — use it as a reference once you know what to look for.
View on GitHubLeetCode questions grouped by company and recency — Last 30 Days, 3 Months, 6 Months, 1 Year, and All Time. Each question includes difficulty, acceptance %, and frequency % so you can sort and filter by what matters.
Pull this up when you know which company you're targeting. Clone it and open in Excel or Google Sheets to filter by frequency — that tells you exactly what to prioritise.
View on GitHub