Real development is not a huge construction. It is simply an expansion of the small pieces you are learning now.
Many beginner learners have this question.
"Will what I am learning now...
really help in service development?"
Drawing stars, loops, if statements, classes, and modules.
Because it is not immediately clear how these small and simple codes
are connected to the large structure of 'actual services.'
So at some point,
vague anxieties arise such as
"Is this a technology used in real-world applications?"
"Can I really create an app with this?"
But in reality, it's very simple.
Real services are
an 'extension' of the basics you are learning now.
It's not about getting more complicated or more difficult,
but rather about the same principles being repeated, combined, and expanded.
1. All large-scale services are born from simple structures
When we think of a service,
we usually think of a "huge system."
Numerous functions, logins, payments, databases...
Endless functionalities.
However, most well-known services
did not start this way.
In the early days, Facebook
only had features for 'school friend lists and photo uploads.'
Early YouTube
was all about 'uploading and sharing videos.'
Early Instagram
was even just 'applying filters + uploading a photo.'
In other words, any service
had a very simple structure in the beginning.
And that structure is not at all different from what you are learning now.
Need for data → arrays, hashes
Display differently depending on conditions → if
Repeated actions → loop
Divide functions → method
Separate concepts → class
Bundle common functions → module
What beginners are learning are not just "playful things,"
but rather the 'building blocks' of all real services.
2. The small functions you are learning now are the 'atoms' of a service
For example,
the code we use to output a star shape:
5.times do
puts "*"
end
How does this relate to real-world applications?
This is where the core technology of 'repetition processing' is born.
When displaying a list of products in an online store
When showing a list of videos on YouTube
When listing blog posts
When displaying comments
When sorting chat records by time
Every screen is made with a loop.
So what about conditional statements?
Conditional statements (if) lead the 'decisions' of a service
if user.admin?
show_admin_panel
else
show_user_panel
end
In real services, this translates to:
Show buttons only when logged in
Allow downloads only for purchased users
Display specific menus only to regular members
Disable purchase button when out of stock
Every 'decision' made in a service is composed of if statements.
The small condition learned from drawing stars
actually becomes a condition that provides 'experience' to millions of users.
At this point, learners realize.
The if statement I am learning
forms the basis of user experience.
3. Methods are units of functionality, and classes represent forms of existence
Real services always ask these questions.
Where should this function be placed?
Whose responsibility is this behavior?
Who should manage this data?
These questions ultimately lead to the world of methods and classes.
Methods — The smallest unit of functionality
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Every function we use in a service
is actually a single method.
A small method you create
becomes a function that hundreds of thousands of users click on daily in practice.
Classes — Technology that creates models of the world
In a service, there is always something that "exists."
User
Post
Comment
Order
Product
These simplify the complex information of the real world
into a single framework (class).
A class is not just simple syntax,
but a technology that reconstructs the world into code.
The moment a developer understands "classes" for the first time,
they no longer become someone who displays things on the screen,
but rather someone who designs the structure of the world.
4. Modules create the 'common abilities' of real services
Among the functions you create,
there are those that are used repeatedly in multiple places.
Logging
Authentication (checking login status)
Time calculations
Tag processing
Price conversion
These functions
should not be confined to one place.
They should be shared throughout the service.
This is where modules come in.
Modules are used in practice like this.
Common functions used in multiple models
Authentication logic used in multiple controllers
Calculation logic shared among multiple service objects
The modules you have learned now
are the 'core technologies' that determine code quality in practice.
5. Small pieces come together to form a flow — this is a service
Every program is ultimately a "flow."
User sends a request
Server reads data
Makes decisions based on conditions
Processes the results
Lists various data through repetition
Displays on the screen
Interestingly,
these six steps
exactly correspond to
everything you have learned so far.
Request/response → symmetry
Data processing → methods
Decision-making → conditional statements
Displaying multiple data → loops
Structural design → classes
Common functions → modules
At this moment,
you are already learning
every step of service development
without realizing it.
6. Whatever you create, what you have learned now will be used directly
Whether creating an online store
Building a blog
Developing a game
Creating an API server
Building an AI-based service
Developing a social network
Real development ultimately repeats the same principles.
Handling data
Running loops
Making decisions
Dividing structures
Grouping common functions
Connecting flows.
These principles
regardless of the language used
the service being created
the scale of expansion
never change.
The moment you realize this,
learners begin to say.
"Ah... The basics I have learned
can be applied
no matter what I create
anywhere
anytime."
And from there,
developers truly begin to grow.
7. Conclusion: You are already learning the essence of service development
The small code snippets you have written so far
are actually the fundamental technologies
that support all service development.
Small repetitions create lists
Small conditions create experiences
Small methods create functions
Small classes create the world
Small modules create quality
Small flows create the entire service
And all these pieces
are connected inside your brain right now.
Learning to code
is not just about "becoming able to create services,"
but rather a process of understanding
how the world is structured.
At this moment,
you are ready to create a service.
Creating a service
is simply about
expanding what you have learned
a little bit more.