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Compression Playground: Huffman Coding

Interactive Huffman compression lab with mirrored browser and Python implementations.

Product EngineerEducator

Visualized live

Tree build steps

12

Sample datasets

50+

Learner sessions

I wanted a visual way to teach entropy coding, so I built an interactive playground that walks through each step of Huffman compression.

The browser experience lets learners tweak inputs, inspect trees, and compare encoded sizes. A matching Python version mirrors the logic for scripting and automated tests.

Challenge

Most explanations of Huffman coding are static and skip the tangible decision points inside the algorithm.

Approach

Built a dynamic visualization that constructs the tree step-by-step, surfaces frequency tables, and shows how bits are reassigned in real-time.

Outcome

Used in study groups and workshops to demystify entropy coding and speed up onboarding for junior engineers.

Highlights
  • Side-by-side JavaScript and Python reference implementations
  • Interactive frequency analysis and symbol tables
  • Real-time encoding comparisons for different strings

Core Capabilities

Step-by-step Huffman tree construction
Encode and decode samples while tracking bit lengths
Frequency analysis with adjustable datasets
Synchronized JavaScript and Python code paths