Help center
Questions readers ask
Short answers, written by the people who built the site. If yours is not here, write to hello@bytepatterns.com.
Lessons and practice
- What does BytePatterns cost?
- Nothing, for the lessons and the practice problems: every module, every lesson, every problem with its hints and solution is free. What we sell is AWS exam packs — the further timed practice exams of one certification. See the prices.
- Why does a lesson ask me to sign in?
- The first 2 lessons of every module open without an account. From the third lesson on, we ask you to sign in — a free account, never a payment — so that your progress can follow you between devices. Signing in also adds a free lesson to every module (3 instead of 2 without an account).
- What is in a lesson?
- A short animation you step through, a few paragraphs, one real-world example, one exercise and a three-question quiz. Finishing the quiz completes the lesson. Many lessons carry the code they discuss, which runs in your browser.
- How do the practice problems work?
- Each problem has a statement, worked examples, hints that open one at a time and a solution that stays shut until you ask for it. You write Python in the page and run it there; Submit runs the problem's examples as tests, and a problem whose tests all pass is marked solved.
Account and progress
- How do I sign in? I never chose a password.
- There is none. Type your email address on the account page, we send you a link, you open it, you are in. If the address is new, that link creates the account.
- Where is my progress saved?
- On the device, first: every lesson you finish and every problem you solve is recorded in your browser, account or not. Signed in, the same marks are added to your account and appear on every device you sign in on. Syncing only ever adds — nothing another device does can un-finish a lesson for you.
- How do I get a certificate?
- Finish every lesson of a module while signed in; the module then appears under Certificates on your account page with an Issue button. The certificate carries the name you type, a PNG download and a public verification link anyone can check. Free.
- Can I take my data with me, or delete it?
- Both, from the account page. Export my data gives you one JSON file with your address, your progress rows, your certificates and your certification practice. Delete my account removes the row and everything attached to it; there is no archive. Progress saved in the browser stays on that device.
AWS certifications
- What is free on the certification pages?
- Every certification has a study path of lessons, practice sets by domain with every option explained, and one free timed practice exam. You can finish up to 200 practice sets and exams per certification on an account, and the result pages keep the questions you got wrong.
- What does an exam pack cost, and what is in it?
- One price per level, for 12 months: Foundational $4.99, Associate $6.99, Professional and Specialty $11.99. A pack is the further timed practice exams of that certification, every option explained, and the next version of the exam when it changes within your 12 months. One payment; nothing renews by itself.
- Can I get a refund?
- Yes, within 14 days of the purchase, no conditions. Lemon Squeezy takes the payment and issues the refund; write to hello@bytepatterns.com with the address you bought with.
- Is BytePatterns affiliated with AWS?
- No. Amazon Web Services and the certification names are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Our questions are written by us for practice and are not questions from the real exams.
Videos, animations and cheat sheets
- I saw a short video. Where is the lesson behind it?
- On the videos page: every short we post is listed there, newest first, each one tap from its lesson; the ones on YouTube play right there.
- Can I watch the animations without the lessons?
- Yes — the animations page holds every one of them with a player that steps through at 1x, 1.5x or 2x.
- Can I print the cheat sheets?
- Each cheat sheet has a Print button; your browser's print dialog also saves it as a PDF. The roadmap prints the same way.
Something else
- I found a mistake, or something is broken.
- Write to hello@bytepatterns.com with the page's address. The lessons and problems are written by us and corrected the same week.