Part 1 - A Journey Through the Living Parts of Real Professional Software
The Kingdom Beneath the Code
If you've ever built software using AI, no-code platforms, or tools like Supabase, Vercel, or Lovable, you might feel like your app appeared almost magically. A few prompts, a few clicks, and suddenly, something real was on the screen.
But behind that screen, beyond the prompt, lies a living world. A system of parts that breathe, pulse, and work together to keep your software alive. Today, I want to take you on a journey through that world. No code. Just a guided walk through the invisible kingdom that powers a real SaaS.
If you missed the introductory post, check it out:
Act I: The Heart
The Database
At the center of it all lives the database — the heart of your app.
It holds your entire business memory. It knows the past, keeps track of the present, and helps shape the future. It stores the things your app cannot afford to forget: names, messages, purchases, dreams. It is the pulse, the foundation, the vault of everything that matters.
If you lose your database, you lose your business. Seriously.
This is your treasury vault. It is what must be protected above all else.
And so, we build around it.
What is a database, really?
At its core, a database is a mix of two parts:
The hardware — the machines that store and process your data
The engine — specialized software built and perfected over decades to manage that data
It’s like a supercharged version of a spreadsheet, but powerful enough to handle thousands of users, transactions, and operations — all at once, with structure and safety.
So powerful, in fact, that we invented a dedicated language just to talk to it: SQL (Structured Query Language). We wil talk about it soon.
Where does the database live?
You can run a database on your own computer to experiment — and I’ll show you how in a future post.
But in the real world, professional apps rely on cloud-hosted databases: services run by companies like AWS, Supabase, Google Cloud, and Render. These providers rent you fast, secure infrastructure by the hour or month.
You don’t own the machine — you rent space in the sky.
And in the next post, we’ll explore how to choose the right one — and why your database deserves royal treatment.
Act II: The Creator and The Creation
The code
Wrapped around the heart is the mind — the logic, the rules, the will. This is the code. The Creator.
It listens. It thinks. It responds.
It decides what to do when a button is clicked, when a payment is made, when a password is entered. It enforces your rules, your flows, your business.
Make this calculation.
Like that post.
Allow this user.
Transfer this money.
This is the backend — your app’s consciousness.
It doesn’t have a face. It doesn’t greet the user.
But it is the one making the decisions.
Like any mind, it must stay close to the heart it serves — reading, writing, and reshaping data constantly. The code lives to transform information into intention, turning stored facts into meaningful actions.
What is the backend, really?
In technical terms, the backend is the part of your system where your business logic lives. It’s made of a few core pieces working together:
Code files — written in languages like JavaScript, Python, Go, or others. This is where your logic resides: what to do, when, and how.
Runtime infrastructure — the actual computer machinery that runs your backend. In the cloud, this is handled by services like Google Cloud Run, AWS ECS, or Render.
Source control repository — this is where your code lives and evolves. Services like GitHub or GitLab track every change, showing who changed what and when. It’s your project's memory — not of data, but of decisions.
How does it connect to the database?
In production-grade software, the backend is the only part of your system that talks directly to the database.
The database lives in a protected environment — often isolated from the public internet. It doesn't accept messages from just anyone. It listens only to those who hold the right keys.
And the backend holds those keys — safely and silently.
This architecture protects your data from exposure, enforces business rules, and gives you full control over what gets stored, read, or rejected.
Can AI write this for me?
Yes. And it already is.
This is one of the areas where AI tools shine. Platforms like Cursor, Lovable, or ChatGPT can help you write, refactor, or improve code at incredible speed.
But like any apprentice, AI needs a mentor.
It can write logic — but it doesn’t know your business.
It can guess the shape of a function — but not the why behind it.
So here is where you still matter the most.
The backend is not just code. It is your business, translated into logic.
Act III: The Face, The User
The Frontend
Of course, we must speak to the world.
Your app might have a strong heart. It might think clearly and make good decisions. But none of it matters if people can't see it, feel it, use it.
That’s the job of the frontend — the face of your creation.
It smiles at the user.
It opens the door.
It listens, responds, guides.
The frontend is where your product becomes an experience. It's how people log in, click a button, fill a form, or scroll through a feed. It's the colors, the animations, the voice and tone.
When it’s well done, no one notices it.
When it’s bad, no one stays.
What is the frontend, really?
Technically speaking, the frontend is the part of your software that runs on the user's device — typically a web application or a mobile app.
It’s built with code too — usually in JavaScript, TypeScript, or Dart (for mobile apps made with Flutter). But its focus isn’t on business rules. It’s on interfaces and interactions.
It does not talk to the database.
It talks to the backend — asking questions, sending input, waiting for answers.
In a way, it's like a diplomat: trained to speak clearly with the outside world, but never allowed near the vault.
How do you build one?
Frontend projects live in code repositories just like the backend. But instead of running in a cloud server, they’re usually deployed to platforms like Vercel, Netlify, or the App Stores (for mobile apps). These services serve your app to the world — often instantly, and globally.
And with tools like FlutterFlow, Next.js, or React, building beautiful, fast frontends has never been easier — especially with help from AI and no-code platforms.
But always remember: the frontend is only the face.
The real magic still happens inside.
Act IV: The Sky
The Cloud
But where do these things live?
Your app now has a heart (the database), a mind (the backend), and a face (the frontend). It remembers, it thinks, it speaks.
But where do all these parts live?
They can’t float in the air.
They need a place to call home — one that’s fast, safe, and always awake.
In the next post, we rise above the ground and look toward the Sky — the cloud — where your app finds a home, and begins to protect itself from the unseen dangers drifting in that same digital air.
Besides explaining, I will share pictures and screenshots of real providers running real software.
Stay tuned.
