Start from the official 2026 template
Clone the Flask, Peewee, and PostgreSQL starter, then turn it into the version your team wants to operate.
Production Engineering challengeLoading current edition
Build a better URL shortener. Learn how production systems behave.
Start from the official MLH template, work as a team, and use the challenge to practice the habits that make software hold up under real use.
Challenge snapshot
What you should know first
Focus
PE / SRE
Current edition
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Team format
Build together, divide the work, and submit one shared repo.
Template stack
Flask, Peewee, PostgreSQL
Submission flow
Start from the template, improve the service, then submit when your team is ready.
Why this challenge works
One project, one codebase, and enough operational surface area to make the lessons stick.
The platform is simple enough to start quickly, but real enough to expose performance, reliability, and debugging problems that teams can learn from together.
Use the project to learn PE by doing
Reliability, performance, rollback thinking, and debugging land much faster when the service is yours.
Build a stronger Fellowship signal
The challenge is a practical taste of the Production Engineering work style that MLH Fellows experience.
What's live right now
Check the active edition, read organizer notes, then start building with context.
Your team should be able to scan this page and understand the event, the timing, and the latest organizer updates in one pass.
Edition
Awaiting active edition
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MLH angle
The challenge gives participants a practical look at the instincts behind MLH Production Engineering work: reliability thinking, debugging discipline, and operating software with intention.
Organizer updates
Loading published announcements.
How review works
Submission, evaluation, and judging each have one clear job.
The pipeline matters because it gives teams feedback and supports the event, but it never needs to overpower the work of building the project itself.
01
Submit your repository
Share the repo your team built from the official template when you are ready for review.
02
Checks run in the sandbox
The platform provisions your app, runs the test suite, and records the evaluation outcome.
03
Judging turns results into rankings
Automated checks and manual scoring support the leaderboard without replacing the learning value.
Ready to build
Start from the MLH template, build your version, and see how far your team can push it.
You leave with a stronger project, clearer operational instincts, and a much better feel for whether Production Engineering is work you want to keep chasing.
Join now
Ready to start building?
Log in with your MLH account, grab the template, and get your team moving.
MLH account required. Start with the template, then submit your repo.
Fellowship
Want to know more about the Fellowship?
If this challenge makes the PE track feel interesting, take a look at the broader Fellowship experience and where it can lead.
Explore the Fellowship