Cohort
Guided path through M2 and beyond
The cohort is the structured route through the later IndexZero modules. You keep the same Python codebase, but move with reviews, deadlines, discussion, and a workshop after the ranking modules.
What the cohort is
A guided build path for developers who want more than self-paced reading. You move from the index to ranking, then into evaluation, query processing, vector retrieval, hybrid retrieval, index maintenance, and the final API layer.
Who it is for
- Developers who want structure, deadlines, and review cycles
- Engineers who use search systems at work and want to understand the mechanics
- People comfortable reading Python who do better with a guided path than a loose repo tour
What you get
Code reviews
Submit work from the cohort modules and get review on implementation choices, tests, and retrieval behavior.
Deadline structure
Move through later modules with dates that keep the codebase progressing from index to ranked system.
Workshop
After the ranking modules, join a workshop focused on inspecting results, metrics, and next-step design choices.
Discussion
Use the shared discussion channel to compare failures, query edge cases, and trade-offs in retrieval design.
Free vs paid path
| Path | Modules | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | M0 and M1 | Course overview, ranking audit, tokenizer, vocabulary, repo access to the free modules |
| Cohort | M2 and beyond | Guided path, code reviews, deadlines, workshop after ranking modules, discussion, access to cohort modules |
Interested?
The cohort is in development. Reach out if you want early access or want to use IndexZero in a classroom setting.
FAQ
Who is this for
Developers who want to understand retrieval systems by building one. It fits search-curious backend engineers, ML engineers, and product engineers who work near search or recommendation systems.
What Python background do I need
You should be comfortable reading and writing Python functions, using dictionaries and lists, and running tests from the command line.
Is it self-paced
The free path is self-paced. The cohort adds dates and review cycles for the later modules.
What is free
M0 and M1 are free. They cover the ranking problem, tokenizer design, and the first reusable text processing artifacts.