Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development is a free, open-source learning project for developers who want to learn Cairo, the programming language used to write StarkNet smart contracts. It suits complete beginners as well as experienced programmers who want a structured path into StarkNet. Before you install it, note that the project is no longer maintained. Its last code update was on August 21, 2023, and the repository notice says it has moved, so treat it as a study resource rather than a current toolkit.
Each lesson introduces one concept in Cairo, and the course climbs from basic syntax to advanced topics. The project is written in Python and is listed as likely to work on Windows, since it builds for Windows according to its releases. The sections below cover installation, safety, practical use and how it compares with other Web3 development tools.
What Is Cairo and Why Learn It for StarkNet?
StarkNet is a network that runs smart contracts, and Cairo is the language developers use to write them. Cairo programs are designed to produce proofs of computation, which is one reason the language feels different from Solidity, the language most Ethereum developers learn first.
Learning Cairo means getting comfortable with its own types, its memory model and its way of structuring programs. Concepts that look familiar on the surface can behave differently, so practicing with exercises is more effective than skimming documentation. A structured course gives you a predictable order for picking up these differences.
Who Should Use These Tutorials
Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development fits several kinds of readers. A student who has learned basic programming can use it as a first contact with smart contracts on StarkNet. A developer who already writes Solidity can use it to map familiar ideas onto Cairo, checking their understanding one exercise at a time.
Teachers and study groups can also use the project as a shared reference. Because the lessons are open source and free, a group can work through them together, compare solutions and discuss why one approach is clearer than another. This works especially well when participants agree to treat the course as a learning exercise rather than a source of production code.
How to Get the Most Out of a Learning Project
Learning from exercises rewards a steady rhythm. Set aside short sessions, finish one lesson before starting the next and write down any syntax you keep forgetting. Rewriting an exercise from memory a day later is one of the fastest ways to test whether a concept has really landed.
Keep your own solutions in a separate folder so you can compare later attempts with earlier ones. When you finish the basics, try writing a small Cairo program that goes beyond the lesson, even if it is only a counter or a simple storage example. Building something original reveals gaps that exercises alone can hide.
Key features
Cairo Concepts in One Place
Beginner-to-Advanced Progression
Interactive Exercise Format
Readable Python Codebase
Supported coins
The tutorials center on Cairo, the language used to write StarkNet smart contracts. They are a language course rather than a tool that manages coins, so the relevant networks are the ones that run Cairo code. Readers interested in other chains will find the related tools in the comparison section useful.
How to install Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development on Windows
- 1
Get the official copy
Start at the GitHub repository linked from the project page. Download only from the official website or GitHub, and avoid mirrors and file-sharing sites that repackage the software.
- 2
Choose the latest release
Open the Releases page and look for version v1.4.0. Because the project is no longer maintained, this is the most recent release you can expect, so check its notes before you rely on it.
- 3
Verify the file
Compare the SHA-256 checksum of the downloaded file with the value published alongside the release. If the release includes a signature, check that as well. Do not run a file whose hash does not match.
- 4
Install or extract
If a Windows package is provided, run the installer or extract the archive to a folder you control, such as Documents. If only source code is available, follow the build steps in the README, which describe any tools needed to compile it.
-
Open the lessons
Open the project folder in a terminal and follow the instructions in the README to start the first lesson. Keep the folder in a location you can easily find, since you will return to it for every exercise.
How to use Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development
Work through the lessons in order, and keep a text editor open beside the terminal so you can treat each exercise as a small experiment.
- Clone the repository from GitHub or open the Releases page and download the latest package, v1.4.0.
- Read the README for the expected folder layout and any setup notes.
- Open a terminal in the project folder and start the first lesson.
- Edit the file the lesson points to, then run the check command the instructions describe.
- Read any error messages carefully. They usually point to the exact line that needs changing.
- Move to the next lesson only after the current one passes.
- Keep your solutions in a separate folder so you can compare them with later attempts.
- After the basics, write a small Cairo program of your own and compare its style with the lessons.
Pros & cons
- Free and open source, with the code available on GitHub
- Covers Cairo from beginner to advanced topics
- Interactive format encourages hands-on practice
- Written in Python, so the code is easy to read and modify
- No longer maintained, with the last code update in August 2023
- Windows support is listed as likely rather than confirmed
- Lessons may lag behind current Cairo and StarkNet changes
- The repository notice points to a move, so the current location should be confirmed
Is Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development safe?
Treat this project as a study resource and handle it with the same care as any downloaded program. Download only from the official website or GitHub, and check the SHA-256 checksum or signature against the published value before running anything. The repository says it has moved and has not been updated since August 2023, so if you land on a different copy, confirm it is the same project before downloading. Keep the tutorials in their own folder rather than mixing them with sensitive files. This is not a wallet, so you should never need a seed phrase here. Never enter a seed phrase on any third-party website, and never share recovery details with anyone who asks for them. Check the latest version on the official website before you start.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/onlydustxyz/starklings. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development is a learning course, while most tools on this list are working development environments. Remix Desktop is an IDE for Solidity, Visual Studio Code with Solidity extensions gives you a customizable general editor, and Foundry provides a command-line toolkit with forge, cast and anvil for building, testing and interacting with contracts. Those tools target Ethereum-style smart contracts, while this project focuses on Cairo and StarkNet. Anchor is built for Solana programs, so it serves a different ecosystem. Choose this course to learn the language, and choose the other tools for day-to-day development.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- v1.4.0
- Last update
- 21 Aug 2023
- Windows support
- Likely (builds for Windows; check releases)
- Source code
- github.com/onlydustxyz/starklings
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The program is free to download and use, and its source code is public on GitHub. That means you can read the lessons and the surrounding code before you run anything on your machine.
It is listed as likely to work, because the project builds for Windows, but that is not a guarantee. Check the Releases page for a Windows package or build notes before you start. If you run into trouble, a Linux environment such as WSL is a common workaround for Python-based projects.
No. The repository states that it is no longer maintained and has moved, and its last code update was on August 21, 2023. Expect the lessons to lag behind current Cairo and StarkNet changes, and use official documentation for up-to-date syntax.
It is safe when you get it from the official website or GitHub and verify the SHA-256 checksum or signature before running it. Never enter a seed phrase on a third-party website, and avoid mirrors that repackage the files. Because the project is archived, confirm the repository you are using is the original one.
It teaches the concepts of Cairo, the language used to write StarkNet smart contracts, from beginner to advanced topics. Lessons are interactive, so you practice by editing exercises rather than only reading explanations of syntax and language features.
Not necessarily to work through the Cairo lessons. The project itself is written in Python, so basic familiarity helps if you want to read or change the code. Beginners can focus on the exercises first and look at the source later.
Foundry, Remix Desktop and Visual Studio Code with Solidity extensions are common choices, but they focus on Solidity and Ethereum-style development rather than Cairo. Pick based on your goal: a course for learning, or a daily toolkit for building and testing contracts.
The tutorials teach concepts, not full deployment workflows. For anything you plan to deploy, use current official StarkNet and Cairo documentation and tools. Test thoroughly before any production use, because lessons from an archived project may not match current behavior.
Verdict
Interactive Tutorials for StarkNet Development is worth a look for developers who want a free, structured route into Cairo and can accept an archived project. Beginners who want to understand Cairo syntax step by step will get the most from it, and it works well alongside a more current toolkit. Anyone who needs to ship contracts or rely on up-to-date tooling should look elsewhere for daily work.