I built a sorting playground to visualize real, weird, and absurd algorithms

I’ve been experimenting with sorting algorithms recently, and I realized something:

Most explanations are static.

You read code, you see diagrams, but you don’t actually see what’s happening step by step.

So I built a small project to explore that.

https://sorting.1234567890.dev

What it does

The idea is simple:

• pick a sorting algorithm
• watch every step
• compare it with others
• export the result

It includes both:

• classic algorithms (Merge Sort, Quick Sort)
• and weird / meme ones (like Miracle Sort or random-based sorts)

Why the weird ones?

Some sorting algorithms don’t really make sense in practice.

• one does nothing and just keeps checking
• one randomly swaps elements until it works
• one removes anything that doesn’t fit

They’re not useful, but they’re interesting to observe.

And once you visualize them, they become surprisingly fun.

Features

• step-by-step visualization
• side-by-side comparison
• export as image/GIF/embed
• support for multiple implementations

A small experiment

This project wasn’t meant to be a product.

It started as something I built for fun, just to see how different algorithms behave visually.

But it turned into something I kept using myself.

What’s next

I’ve started building a system around it:

• community ranking
• benchmark comparisons
• experimental features

Still keeping it lightweight.

If you have ideas, algorithms, or improvements, feel free to share.

This project is open source (MIT), and contributions are welcome.