SpecWeave Software Engineering Academy
Your Complete Journey from Beginner to Enterprise Developer
Welcome to the SpecWeave Software Engineering Academy — a comprehensive learning path that takes you from complete beginner to confident enterprise developer, teaching industry-standard practices used at Fortune 500 companies.
What You'll Learn
This academy covers the complete software engineering lifecycle:
Progressive complexity: Start with a single file, graduate to enterprise microservices.
Learning Paths
Choose your journey based on your goals and experience.
Terminology:
- Parts (Part 1-14) - Major sections of the curriculum
- Modules (01-44) - Individual topics within each part
- Lessons (01.1, 01.2, etc.) - Sub-lessons within each module
See Curriculum Overview for the complete module list.
Path 1: Quick Start (2 hours)
For: Experienced developers who want to use SpecWeave immediately
| Module | What You'll Learn |
|---|---|
| 05. SpecWeave Intro | Installation, first increment, core workflow |
| 06. Your First Feature | Complete a real feature end-to-end |
Path 2: Beginner Developer (4 weeks)
For: Those new to software engineering
| Part | Modules | Topics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Foundations | 01-03 | Environment, Git, Principles | 2 weeks |
| Part 2: First Application | 04-06 | Single-repo, SpecWeave basics | 1 week |
| Part 3: Testing | 07-11 | Unit, Integration, E2E | 1 week |
Path 3: Full-Stack Developer (10 weeks)
For: Building complete web applications
| Part | Modules | Topics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parts 1-3 | 01-11 | Foundations, First App, Testing | 4 weeks |
| Part 4: Quality | 12-14 | Code quality, Quality gates | 1 week |
| Part 5: Full-Stack | 15-17 | Frontend, Backend, Full-Stack Project | 3 weeks |
| Part 6: DevOps | 18-22 | CI/CD, Containers, Kubernetes, IaC | 2 weeks |
Path 4: DevOps Engineer (3 weeks)
For: Those focused on deployment and infrastructure
| Part | Modules | Topics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 6: DevOps | 18-22 | CI/CD, Containers, Kubernetes, IaC | 2 weeks |
| Part 7: Environments | 23-24 | Dev/Staging/Prod, Release Management | 1 week |
Path 5: Enterprise Developer (16 weeks)
For: Enterprise-ready development skills
| Part | Modules | Topics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parts 1-7 | 01-24 | Full-Stack + DevOps | 10 weeks |
| Part 8: Architecture | 25-28 | Monolith, Microservices, Multi-repo | 2 weeks |
| Part 9: Scale | 29-30 | Scaling, Performance | 1 week |
| Part 10: Security | 31-33 | Security, Auth, Compliance | 1 week |
| Part 11: Enterprise | 34-37 | GitHub/JIRA/ADO Integration | 2 weeks |
Path 6: Complete Academy (24 weeks)
For: Comprehensive mastery with capstone projects
| Part | Modules | Topics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parts 1-11 | 01-37 | Full Enterprise Developer Path | 16 weeks |
| Part 12: Fortune 500 | 38-41 | Enterprise Standards, SRE, Governance | 2 weeks |
| Part 13: AI-Native | 42-44 | AI Revolution, SpecWeave Mastery | 1 week |
| Part 14: Capstones | — | 4 Real-World Projects | 5 weeks |
Progressive Complexity Model
The academy follows a 7-level progression:
LEVEL 1: Single File
├── Write one .ts file
├── Run locally
└── Manual testing
LEVEL 2: Single Repo (Simple)
├── Multiple files organized
├── One package.json
├── Unit tests
└── Basic CI
LEVEL 3: Single Repo (Full)
├── Frontend + Backend
├── Database
├── Full test pyramid
├── CI/CD pipeline
├── Docker
LEVEL 4: Modular Monolith
├── Domain separation
├── Module boundaries
├── Contract testing
LEVEL 5: Multi-Repo
├── Multiple repositories
├── SpecWeave umbrella mode
├── Cross-repo dependencies
LEVEL 6: Microservices
├── Independent services
├── Service mesh
├── Distributed tracing
├── Event-driven architecture
LEVEL 7: Enterprise
├── Multi-team coordination
├── Compliance (HIPAA, SOC2)
├── SLA/SLO monitoring
├── Disaster recovery
└── Audit trails
Curriculum Overview
Part 1: Foundations
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 01. Welcome | What is software engineering? |
| 02. Version Control | Git basics, branching, collaboration |
| 03. Engineering Principles | Methodologies, roles, documentation |
Part 2: Your First Application
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 04. Simple Project | Project structure, writing code |
| 05. SpecWeave Intro | Installation, first increment, three files |
| 06. Your First Feature | Planning, implementing, completing |
Part 3: Testing Mastery
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 07. Testing Fundamentals | Why testing, testing pyramid |
| 08. Unit Testing | Writing tests, mocking, coverage |
| 09. Integration Testing | API testing, database testing |
| 10. E2E Testing | Playwright, test strategies |
| 11. TDD Workflow | Red-Green-Refactor with SpecWeave |
Part 4: Quality & Best Practices
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 12. Code Quality | Linting, formatting, code review |
| 13. Quality Gates | /specweave:validate, /specweave:qa |
| 14. Documentation | Living docs, ADRs |
Part 5: Full-Stack Development
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 15. Frontend | HTML/CSS/JS, React/Vue/Angular |
| 16. Backend | API design, databases, auth |
| 17. Full-Stack Project | Capstone: Todo App |
Part 6: DevOps & Infrastructure
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 18. DevOps Intro | Culture, practices |
| 19. CI/CD | GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines |
| 20. Containers | Docker basics, Dockerfile |
| 21. Kubernetes | Concepts, deployments, services |
| 22. Infrastructure | Terraform, cloud providers |
Part 7: Environments & Deployment
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 23. Environments | Dev, Staging, Production |
| 24. Release Management | Versioning, feature flags, rollbacks |
Part 8: Architecture Patterns
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 25. Monolith | When monolith, modular monolith |
| 26. Microservices | Service design, communication |
| 27. Multi-Repo | SpecWeave umbrella, shared libs |
| 28. Choosing Architecture | Decision framework |
Part 9: Scaling & Performance
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 29. Scaling | Horizontal/vertical, load balancing |
| 30. Performance | Caching, profiling, monitoring |
Part 10: Security
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 31. Security Fundamentals | Threat modeling, OWASP |
| 32. Authentication | JWT, OAuth, MFA |
| 33. Compliance | HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS |
Part 11: Enterprise Integration
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 34. GitHub Integration | Issues, PRs, Enterprise |
| 35. JIRA Integration | Epics, Stories |
| 36. ADO Integration | Work items |
| 37. Team Workflows | Multi-team collaboration |
Part 12: Fortune 500 Practices
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 38. Enterprise Standards | Coding standards, reviews |
| 39. Governance | Audit trails, change management |
| 40. Reliability | SRE, SLAs, disaster recovery |
| 41. Team Topologies | Organization patterns |
Part 13: AI-Native Development
| Module | Topics |
|---|---|
| 42. AI Revolution | Evolution 2020-2025 |
| 43. AI Best Practices | Model selection, prompting |
| 44. SpecWeave Mastery | Advanced patterns |
Part 14: Capstone Projects
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Capstone 1 | Todo App (Single Repo, Full Stack) |
| Capstone 2 | E-Commerce (Modular Monolith) |
| Capstone 3 | Multi-Service Platform (Microservices) |
| Capstone 4 | Enterprise System (Full DevOps + Compliance) |
How to Use This Academy
- Choose your learning path based on your goals
- Work through modules sequentially — each builds on the previous
- Practice with hands-on exercises in each module
- Complete capstone projects to cement your learning
- Use SpecWeave throughout — it integrates naturally into the workflow
Getting Started
Ready to begin?
→ Start with Part 1: Foundations
Already know the basics?
→ Jump to Part 2: Your First Application
Just want SpecWeave?
→ Quick Start: SpecWeave Intro
Support & Community
- Discord: Join our community
- YouTube: Video tutorials
- GitHub: Report issues
Philosophy:
"The best way to learn software engineering is to build software. This academy gives you the structure, and SpecWeave gives you the AI-powered assistance to build faster and better."