FAQ

Do I need Azure experience?

No. This hackathon assumes curiosity, basic Python comfort, and a willingness to learn by doing. Microsoft Foundry experience is not required.

What does a “devcontainer” mean?

A devcontainer is a prebuilt development environment that opens your project with the right tools, versions, and settings already configured. It helps everyone work in the same setup instead of spending the event debugging laptop differences.

My Azure subscription is expired / I don’t have one: what do I do?

Talk to your event organizer or coach first. Most events use Azure Pass, Azure for Students, or a pre-approved subscription path. You need working Azure access before Challenge 00 can succeed.

Can I work in my own language (not Python)?

Usually yes for experimentation and integration, but the guided materials are optimized for Python-first teams. If you switch languages, expect to translate some examples on your own.

What if I fall behind? Can I skip challenges?

Yes. The challenges are designed as a progression, but event-day reality matters. Coaches can help you decide which challenges to compress or skip while still keeping the overall learning arc intact.

Is there a time limit?

Yes. Most events run in one day, with about 6–8 hours of challenge time. Each challenge includes an expected duration so teams can self-manage pace.

Where do I save my work?

Save changes in your Codespace or your local clone of the repository. Commit early if your event encourages it, and keep notes on prompt decisions, evaluation results, and deployment settings.

What happens after the hackathon?

You leave with a working project foundation, a clearer understanding of Microsoft Foundry, and a repo you can keep extending. Many teams continue by improving the app UX, expanding data sources, or productionizing deployment.

Coach: How do I get the solution guides?

Clone the repo and open challenges/*/solution.md. Solution guides are intentionally kept out of the published Pages site so coaches can use them selectively.