Student FAQ
Short answers, each with the page that explains it in full.
Contents
Getting started
Does Exponential cost anything? No. It is free software under the GNU GPL version 2 or later, and the help is free documentation under the GNU FDL 1.3 (Student and education partners, Free documentation).
What do I need on my computer? PHP 8.0 to 8.5 (PHP 7.4 usable without support) and Composer. No database server: SQLite is the default (Your first site: three ways).
What is the fastest way to a study site?
exp:install on SQLite and the php engine; about fifteen minutes
(Installing a study site in one command).
Can I try it without installing? Yes, on the public demo, which is reset every day; the sign-in details are on the website's community page (Trying the public demo).
Where is the demo's administrator password? On the website's community page. A public demo publishes it on purpose and runs in demo mode (Demo mode FAQ).
I broke my study site. What now?
Restore a backup or reinstall with --force (Resetting and rebuilding your study site).
Learning
Where do I start? With the editor path, whatever your goal (Choosing a learning path).
I know PHP. Can I skip the editor path? Do it quickly. You need to know what editors do with the content your code serves (Learning path: developer).
Are there exercises? Yes: ten graded study projects, and every trainer lesson has an exercise and a quiz (Study projects: overview, Course catalogue).
Old forum posts mention eZ Publish. Do they apply? Often, because Exponential continues that code base; check against the current release (Names and history for learners).
Certification and the Student level
Can I get certified? Not yet. Official Exponential certifications are planned, part of the project's future plans for the community, partners, Exponential developers and students, but they are not available yet. Until then, trainers issue certificates in their own name (Certifications and certificates).
What is the Student partner level? The first level of the Exponential Partner Program, $25 a month, "For students, universities, or learning institutions" (The Student partner level).
Do I need it to learn? No. Everything needed to learn is free; the level adds tickets, meetings, discounts and a listing (Student level or free community: what to choose).
What does "sandbox access" include? It is not described; ask the partner team (The Student partner level).
Contributing
Can a student contribute? Yes: bug reports, documentation fixes, translations, code (Contributing as a student).
Do I need to sign the CLA? For code contributions to the core kernel, yes, before the merge; not for your own extensions (The CLA for students).
Why so many review rounds?
CONTRIBUTING.md says 7x reviews in many more rounds than usual, and that "it is not a judgment of you"
(Your first contribution, step by step).
Do I need Git? For code and for keeping your work, yes (Using Git as a student). A documentation fix can be made in the browser with Edit on GitHub.
Help and problems
Where do I ask? The forums, Telegram, Discord or Slack, after looking it up (Asking for help and study groups).
My change does not show. Probably a cache, or the wrong siteaccess (Understanding caches, Understanding siteaccesses and settings).
I get a white page.
Read var/log/error.log (Reading logs and errors).
I found a bug. File it in the right tracker; security problems privately (Bugs you find while learning).
Related pages
- Students and learners: start here
- Student checklists
- Newcomer FAQ
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.