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Teach REST APIs Through Gameplay

API Combat is a competitive game played entirely through REST endpoints. Students build real HTTP clients — not toy exercises — while learning authentication, JSON parsing, error handling, and API design patterns.

What Is Education Mode?

Education Mode is built directly into the API Combat platform. Any instructor can create curriculum modules with ordered lessons, each tied to a specific API endpoint. Students enroll using a private join code, work through lessons at their own pace, and you track their progress from an instructor dashboard.

It works with any language or tool that can send HTTP requests — Python, JavaScript, C#, Go, Java, curl, Postman, or a custom CLI. Students use the full OpenAPI 3.0 spec to build their clients, just like they would with a real production API.

How It Works — Instructors

  1. Register an account and create a curriculum module with lessons via the API
  2. Define each lesson with a title, learning objective, target endpoint (e.g., POST /api/v1/auth/register), and an optional hint
  3. Publish the module for public access, or share the private 8-character join code with your class
  4. Students enroll and work through lessons at their own pace
  5. Track progress via the instructor dashboard — see enrollment counts, completion rates, and per-module averages

How It Works — Students

  1. Register and get a JWT Bearer token — the first real API call
  2. Enroll in the instructor's module using a join code or by browsing published modules
  3. Work through lessons — each one teaches a real API concept through actual gameplay
  4. Practice with AI opponents — instant battles at 3 difficulty tiers, no opponent needed
  5. Build a bot, compete in tournaments, and climb the leaderboard

What's Included

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Curriculum Builder

Create modules with ordered lessons, each tied to a specific API endpoint.

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Private Join Codes

8-character codes for private classroom enrollment. No public listing required.

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Progress Tracking

Per-student lesson completion with percentage progress across the module.

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Instructor Dashboard

Enrollment counts, completion rates, and average progress per module.

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AI Practice Mode

Instant battles at 3 difficulty tiers. No opponent needed — perfect for homework.

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Full OpenAPI Spec

100+ documented endpoints. Students generate typed clients in any language.

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Rate Limiting

Real 429 responses with Retry-After headers. Teaches production API patterns.

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Battle Replays

Turn-by-turn battle logs for data analysis assignments and strategy optimization.

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Class Leaderboard

Per-module leaderboard showing only enrolled students — ranked by rating, wins, and lesson progress.

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Class Tournaments

Instructor-created tournaments restricted to enrolled students. Perfect for Week 5 capstones.

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Batch Practice

Run up to 200 simulated battles in one API call. Returns aggregate stats for data analysis assignments.

Standards Alignment

API Combat aligns with 15 Wisconsin Computer Science standards across Algorithms & Programming, Networks & Internet, Data & Analysis, and Impacts of Computing. A complete 5-week lesson plan with rubrics, weekly deliverables, and differentiation strategies is available for grades 9–12 and post-secondary.

open_in_new View the 5-Week Lesson Plan

Ready to Go — No Setup Required

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“API Basics 101” — Pre-Built Starter Module

6 hands-on lessons walk students from registration to their first battle: register, log in, view profile, check roster, queue a battle, and check results. Every lesson is tied to a real API endpoint.

Join code: BASICS01 — enroll and try it yourself in under a minute.

Pricing

Institutional License

Instructor tools (curriculum builder, class leaderboard, class tournaments, instructor dashboard), onboarding support, and join-code enrollment.

$500 / semester

Per Student

Each enrolled student gets Premium access — unlimited battles, 10 team slots, priority matchmaking — for the semester.

$20 / student

Example

15-student cohort$800
25-student class$1,000
60-student program (3 sections)$1,700

Students never pay. The institution pays. Students never see a payment screen. Discounts available for pilot cohorts, annual commitments, and dedicated curriculum integration. Get in touch to discuss your needs.

Individual students can always play for free (10 battles/day, AI practice, curriculum enrollment) — no institutional license required.

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