Teach networking on real, live labs — not slides
Your students join with a code, watch your network build itself as you teach, then configure their own. Assignments grade themselves against each student's actual topology. Everything runs in the browser — nothing to install on school machines.
Free plan seats up to 5 students per session · Pro removes the cap
One session, three moves: present, practice, grade
Open a class, share a code
Start a classroom session from the lab and you get a short join code (and a direct link). Students sign in free, enter the code, and they're in — no installs, no VMs, no lab hardware, on any laptop the school already has.
Present your lab live
Flip on Present and every student watches your canvas in real time — each device you drag in, each cable you connect, every CLI command you type appears in their view as you teach. No screen-share blur, no projector squinting.
Students practice in their own lab
Each student has their own canvas and their own consoles. They rebuild what you demonstrated, break it, fix it, and ping their way to understanding — the packet animations show them exactly why something works or doesn't.
Assign work that grades itself
Attach assignments with concrete checks: “PC1 can reach the web server”, “VLAN 20 exists on SW1”, “OSPF is running on R2”, “the guest subnet is blocked”. The grader inspects each student's actual topology and configs — no multiple choice, no manual marking.
Watch progress on a live dashboard
See who has joined, who submitted, and each student's score per assignment as it happens — so you know who's stuck while the class is still running, not after grading night.
Keep questions in the room
A built-in class chat keeps questions next to the lab instead of a separate app, and you can moderate the session (including removing a participant) at any time.
Built for the realities of a networking classroom
- No lab hardware to rack, patch, or reset between classes
- No simulator installs or licensing rounds on student machines
- Chromebook-friendly — it's all in the browser
- Packet animations show WHY a config works, not just that it does
- Auto-grading checks live reachability, VLANs, routing, ACL behavior
- A live dashboard surfaces struggling students mid-class
- Ready-made 8-module curriculum if you want it, yours if you don't
- Students keep their own labs to practice after class
Instructor FAQ
How much does NetForge Classroom cost?
Hosting a class is included with every account. On the Free plan you can seat up to 5 students per session — enough to trial it with a study group. Pro removes the seat cap for full-size classes and unlocks the complete 8-module course and unlimited lab for your own prep.
What do my students need?
A browser and a free NetForge-AI account. The simulator runs entirely in the browser — Chromebooks and older lab machines are fine. A student who joins with your code lands directly in your session.
What can the auto-grader actually check?
Reachability between devices (and its inverse, for ACL exercises), interface IP addresses and prefixes, default gateways, static routes, OSPF/RIP/EIGRP processes, DHCP pools, VLANs, and device counts. Checks run against the student's real simulated network, so a passing grade means the configuration genuinely works.
Does it replace my curriculum?
It doesn't have to. Many instructors present their own material and use NetForge for the hands-on portion. If you want ready-made content, the built-in course has 8 modules and 47 chapters from cabling to OSPF, plus per-chapter quizzes and a 60-question final assessment.
Is student work private?
Yes. Each student's lab is their own; the instructor sees join status and assignment scores. Submissions are graded server-side and only the results are shown on your dashboard.
Your next class could be hands-on
Create a free account, open the lab, and start a classroom session. You'll have a join code to hand out in under a minute.
Create your free instructor account