Getting Started

What is ProdDown?

ProdDown is an incident practice platform. You get dropped into a real, pre-broken Linux server and must diagnose and fix the issue before a timer runs out. Think of it as a gym for on-call engineers — practice under pressure without the real-world consequences.

How labs work

When you start a lab, we spin up an isolated Docker container with a specific issue (broken nginx config, full disk, dead service, etc.). You connect via a real terminal in your browser. You investigate using standard Linux tools — curl, grep, vim, systemctl, journalctl — whatever you need. When you think you've fixed it, click 'Run Tests' and we validate the fix inside your container.

Your first lab

Go to the Labs page, pick any scenario marked 'Ready', and click 'Start Lab'. The container boots in 1-2 seconds. Read the briefing on the left panel, then use the terminal to investigate. A good first lab is '502 Bad Gateway' — it teaches the basic workflow.