The Short Answer
The new Web Lab is a more secure, more capable version of the same tool your students already use to build websites. It was rebuilt from the ground up to better support HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The new Web Lab includes AI Tutor which can help students debug, learn and even generate code.
Which Version Are My Students Using?
The version of Web Lab your students see depends on which course you've assigned.
Legacy Web Lab is used in versions of CS Discoveries released before 2026, including the full year course, collections and Web Development Unit.
New Web Lab will be used as the primary Web Lab in all courses being released in 2026. Including:
- CS Discoveries 2025 v2 (Full Year, Collections, and Standalone Web Development Unit)
- AI Discoveries
- AI Foundations
You can tell the difference between the two tools visually as well:
| Legacy Web Lab | New Web Lab |
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What's Different?
1. Security
The most significant change under the hood is security. The new version of Web Lab was built with stronger security protections from the start, meaning student projects meet updated safety standards for school environments.
2. JavaScript Support
Legacy Web Lab focused on supporting HTML and CSS, but was not designed for JavaScript. The new Web Lab was designed from the start to fully support HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it more reliable for students working on interactive web projects.
3. AI Tutor
Both versions include an AI Tutor, but the new Web Lab's AI Tutor is more capable. It supports students in three ways:
- Learning — Explains concepts and answers questions as students work
- Debugging — Helps students identify and fix errors in their code
- Code Generation — Generates code based on student prompts, helping them get unstuck and move forward
Legacy Web Lab's AI Tutor supported learning and debugging, but did not include code generation.
4. Inspector Tool
The new Web Lab does not include the inspector tool from Legacy Web Lab. Instead we encourage students to leverage AI Tutor to ask questions about the connection between the code and the visual.
Feature Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Legacy Web Lab | New Web Lab |
| HTML & CSS support | ✅ | ✅ |
| JavaScript support | ❌ | ✅ |
| Multi-file projects | ✅ | ✅ |
| Image uploads | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Tutor — learning & debugging | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Tutor — code generation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Stronger security protections | ❌ | ✅ |
| Inspector tool | ✅ | AI tutor support instead |
How to Switch to the New Web Lab
To move your class to the new Web Lab, assign one of the following courses which will be releasing in May 2026:
- CS Discoveries 2025 v2 — Available as a Full Year course, Collections, or Standalone Unit
- AI Discoveries
- AI Foundations
In addition if you want to use Web Lab outside of our curriculum you can have students access the standalone tool through the “New project+” menu in the header.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my students' legacy Web Lab projects carry over to the new Web Lab? No. Legacy Web Lab projects are not automatically migrated. Students will start fresh in the new tool. Students can copy the files between tools manually.
Do I need to do anything special to turn on the new Web Lab? You can use Web Lab generally without extra set up but to use AI Tutor there is some extra work.
- Teachers must have a verified teacher account in order to give their class section/s access to AI Tutor.
- Students need to be granted access to AI Tutor before they can use it. See AI Settings: Managing Student Access to AI Tools for setup instructions.
Will the experience feel very different for students? The core experience is the same. Students will notice visual improvements, but the overall interface will feel familiar.
What if I have students in both a legacy course and a new course? Each course is independent. Students in legacy courses will continue to use legacy Web Lab, and students in new courses will use the new Web Lab.
Need More Help?
- Learn more about Web Lab at code.org/tools/web-lab