Introduction to Alexa
Learn how to build and host your own Alexa Skill.
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Why Learn Alexa?
With a comprehensive understanding of the process for developing a custom Alexa skill, you’ll be prepared to publish your own program and work with other Voice User Interface (VUI) applications.
Take-Away Skills:
In this series, you will learn how to create a simple “Hello Codecademy” Alexa skill. You will build the interaction model and Amazon Lambda function that responds to a user’s voice with a personal welcome message.
Though it is not a prerequisite for most of the content in this series, a basic understanding of JavaScript will help you understand the programming logic in this course series.
Amazon Alexa recently released a new version of the Amazon Alexa SDK. The Alexa courses in this series teach the old version of the Alexa SDK. We are working to update these courses over the coming months. While the changes between versions are small, we recommend you take these courses, then read about the latest version of the Alexa SDK on GitHub.
In the introduction to Alexa series, you will build Alexa skills that respond to a user’s voice with custom messages, like this:
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What you'll learn
- 1Learn to build skills for Alexa using the Alexa Skills Kit and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- 2In this course, you will learn how to create your own Lambda function using the AWS console.
- 3Make Alexa skills interactive using behaviors from the Alexa sdk.
- 4Learn how to persist values during and between Alexa skills.
What you'll create
Portfolio projects that showcase your new skills
Create a New Intent
It's time to build fluency in Alexa intents. In this next Pro Project, we're going to practice with the skill kit in Alexa Skill so you can hone your skills and feel confident taking them to the real world. Why? Intents are the questions you want to ask Alexa. Let's edit some previous work to solidify your skills. What's next? Skill kit, Intents, more Alexa. You got this!
My Favorite Language: Handler
It's time to build fluency in AWS Lambda. In this next Pro Project, we're going to practice using Lambda in Alexa Skills so you can hone your skills and feel confident taking them to the real world. Why? Lambda is a new and powerful service on AWS that lets you run code without provisioning or managing servers. Harness the power of Lambda to power your Alexa Skills. What's next? Going serverless, Lambda, more Alexa. You got this!
Most Popular Sport
It's time to build fluency in Alexa slots. In this next Pro Project, we're going to practice slots in Alexa Skills so you can hone your skills and feel confident taking them to the real world. Why? Slots allow us to build more sophisticated Alexa Skills. What's next? Sports, slots, more Alexa. You got this!
How you'll master it
Stress-test your knowledge with quizzes that help commit syntax to memory
— Madelyn, Pinterest“I know from first-hand experience that you can go in knowing zero, nothing, and just get a grasp on everything as you go and start building right away.”