I founded JDoodle with the mission to turbocharge the software development industry and make it 100 times more efficient than it is today
Gokul Chandrasekaran, founder of JDoodle
In the ever-evolving landscape of programming, one platform is causing a stir among developers, students, and educators worldwide.
Meet JDoodle, the brainchild of Gokul Chandrasekaran, which began as a humble $20 side project and has now achieved soaring success, boasting an impressive user base of 800,000 from all corners of the globe.
With a recent injection of $3.2 million (approximately $2.2 million USD) from CSIRO’s Main Sequence and setting its sights on a monumental goal—to attract 8 million users over the 12 months.
For those taking their first steps into coding, JDoodle offers a breath of fresh air. Often, beginners are burdened with the tedious task of installing libraries, compilers, and editors and then meticulously configuring them just to run a single line of code. But the platform comes to the rescue by providing a zero-setup code environment. Aspiring coders can now dive straight into the realm of programming within their web browser, free from the need to install any software or libraries locally. This streamlined approach liberates beginners to focus on what matters most—coding itself—without the distraction of complex setups.
Gokul Chandrasekaran, a former software developer, poured seven years of dedication into JDoodle, creating an intuitive platform that supports over six dozen programming languages. As word-of-mouth referrals spread among the global programming community, JDoodle’s popularity surged, leading Gokul to embrace it as a full-time venture after reaching 500,000 users.
Central to its triumph is its revolutionary technology, enabling users to seamlessly write and execute code in their web browsers and devices. By eliminating the complexities of software installations and libraries, JDoodle addresses the challenges faced by developers, educators, and businesses dealing with traditional, costly programming tools.
Beyond its Java CloudIDE roots, the business has ventured into diverse programming languages, gaining the trust of over 3,000 educational institutions relying on its capabilities each month.
The beginning
I started my career as a software developer and experienced first-hand the inefficiencies when it came to programming.
Gokul kick-started his professional journey as a software developer, immersing himself in the coding world and gaining a profound understanding of developers’ challenges. He observed the complexities and expenses tied to programming tools, which often hindered progress and wasted valuable time.
Reflecting on the obstacles both novices and seasoned professionals encounter, Gokul saw an opportunity to create a transformative solution. He envisioned a platform that would eliminate these barriers, making learning and practising code effortless while streamlining the software environment for experienced developers.
“Even running one line of programme is a headache — you need sophisticated hardware and hours to set up a development environment with libraries, compilers, editors, and more,” Gokul remarks.
“Once you have spent many hours setting up the system, the next day, the operating system may upgrade, and everything can break. This can be extremely time-consuming, so, I wanted to build something where everyone can easily code without having to jump through so many obstacles.”
With an unwavering commitment to revolutionising the coding experience, Gokul embarked on an ambitious journey to create JDoodle—a platform designed to empower individuals to code effortlessly, regardless of their expertise or resources.
“I founded JDoodle with the mission to turbocharge the software development industry and make it 100 times more efficient than it is today,” Gokul expressed. “Now, we’ve got nearly a million people around the world using the platform, and with our recent seed funding, we aim to hit eight million within two years.”
Making coding accessible
The saim is to drive faster development and greater productivity for SMEs and makes it easier than ever to learn and develop software, while saving valuable time and resources
Gokul highlights the vast number of businesses worldwide, especially SMEs, noting that many lack dedicated development teams.
“There are around 330 million companies around the world and more than 300 million are SMEs — and most don’t have their own development teams. With many SMEs operating on a lean team structure, employees cannot afford to spend time and money on over-complicated software environments.”
He expresses concern about the challenges these lean SME structures face, where employees need to dedicate more time and resources to complex software environments.
“As a conservative estimate, software developers spend at least one month of their working time managing the software development environment. It’s alarming to realise that many organisations are losing a significant chunk, about 20%, of their software development budget due to inefficiencies. The most skilled minds in the industry end up wasting their cognitive energy on mundane tasks instead of focusing on what they do best—writing great algorithms.”
Drawing from his deep understanding of the industry and passion for transforming the programming experience, Gokul explains how JDoodle comes to the rescue. He says, “By having a comprehensive online ecosystem of programming tools on a single platform, JDoodle helps drive faster development and greater productivity for SMEs and makes it easier than ever to learn and develop software, while saving valuable time and resources.”
“Developers can start coding right away without spending much time setting up the development environment for almost any programming language. The platform brings together different programming tools into one place and currently supports more than 75 programming languages and two databases, with plans to add more in the future.
“We also offer APIs and plugins that can be integrated with other educational software. This allows us to create fun programming courses and assessment services. For educational institutions and businesses hiring software engineers, we have a special assessment system designed for programming evaluations.”
Zero-setup code environment
For beginners, the journey of picking up coding often involves the cumbersome process of installing libraries, compilers, and editors, and then configuring them just to run a single line of code.
The platform eliminates this hassle by providing a zero-setup code environment for learning how to code.
“Aspiring coders can now dive straight into the realm of programming within their web browser, free from the need to install any software or libraries locally. This streamlined approach liberates beginners to focus on what matters most—coding itself—without the distraction of complex setups,” Gokul Chandrasekaran, the mastermind behind JDoodle, explains.
Moreover, JDoodle serves as a vibrant community for developers, offering an interactive space where they can engage with one another, collaborate, and learn from each other’s answers and solutions. This collaborative environment fosters knowledge sharing and provides an enriching space for developers to enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of various programming languages and techniques.
Commitment to user safety
In addition to its user-focused approach, JDoodle places a high emphasis on security and data protection. Gokul elaborates, “We have built a standards-based Zero Trust internal environment to ensure our networks are safe. All communications between our users and the system are fully encrypted, and we also don’t collect any PII (Personally Identifiable Information) except for the user’s email.”
The platform’s vigilant security measures and constant monitoring enable them to provide the best industry security standards and data protection possible.
Starting as a simple $20-weekend project, the platform has now become a worldwide sensation, attracting an impressive 800,000 active users from all corners of the globe, including 3,000 educational institutions.
The platform’s main goal is to address a major challenge in the software development community—the high costs and complexities of existing programming tools. By creating an inclusive ecosystem, it aims to make traditionally expensive programming resources accessible to all, nurturing the next generation of STEM workers—an industry predicted to double in size by 2030.
With an ambitious vision, the platform is determined to achieve a remarkable milestone—reaching 8 million users within the next 12 months.
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