What the heck is an LLM · What the heck is LLM

A beginner-friendly walkthrough of how large language models work, from tokens and embeddings to transformers and training.

A no-jargon, beginner-friendly tour of how large language models actually work. Each chapter is broken into short sections so the core ideas — what an LLM is, how transformers think, and how these models get trained — are easy to follow without losing any of the important pieces.

Chapter 1 — Understanding LLMs

What an LLM actually is, how transformers work, and the three stages of building one.

Chapter 2 — Working with Text Data

From raw text to tokens, token IDs, and embedding vectors — the entire input pipeline.