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forthespada/cs-books

26,773Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5QuietSetup · easy

TLDR

A curated collection of 1,000+ free computer science and programming books organized by topic, with download links for learners preparing for tech interviews or studying fundamentals.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((cs-books))
    What it covers
      Programming languages
      Data structures
      Algorithms
      Operating systems
      Databases
    Learning paths
      Interview prep
      Fundamentals
      Job readiness
    Book categories
      Web development
      Machine learning
      Design patterns
      Networking
    Access
      PDF downloads
      Baidu Cloud links
      Chinese resources

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a personal study plan by browsing curated programming books organized by language and topic.

USE CASE 2

Prepare for technical interviews by accessing classic algorithm and data structure books recommended by the community.

USE CASE 3

Learn fundamentals in operating systems, networking, and databases from well-known textbooks without paying for them.

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
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In plain English

CS-Books is a massive free collection of over 1,000 computer science and programming books, maintained by a single developer as a community resource. The entire collection is hosted as downloadable PDF links, primarily aimed at Chinese-speaking learners preparing for tech job interviews or studying computer science fundamentals. The library covers virtually every major area of software development: C, C++, Java, Python, Go programming languages; data structures and algorithms (the classic interview prep topics); operating systems; computer networking; databases; front-end web development; machine learning and AI; design patterns; and even assembly language. There's also a dedicated section of interview question compilations from major Chinese tech companies. For someone learning to code or building technical skills, this acts as a free digital bookshelf, the kind of curated reading list a senior developer might hand to a junior, organized neatly by category. The books include well-known titles from the global programming canon as well as Chinese-language resources. Practical note: the download links point to Baidu Cloud (a Chinese cloud storage service), so access requires a Baidu account and may be slow or blocked outside China. The repository is a personal curation project, not an official publisher's archive. If you're outside China looking for free programming books, this repo is a useful discovery tool even if you ultimately source the same titles elsewhere.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to learn data structures and algorithms for coding interviews. Which books from this collection should I start with?
Prompt 2
Show me how to organize a reading list from cs-books for learning Python and web development from scratch.
Prompt 3
Help me find and download the best books on system design and operating systems from this repository.
Prompt 4
I'm preparing for a tech job interview in China. What interview question books does this collection have?
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