From Confusion to Clarity: My First Steps into MERN + AWS When I first decided to learn web development, everything looked simple… until I actually started building something I began with the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js), thinking I’d quickly create a few projects. But reality hit when I tried to connect frontend with backend for the first time. What actually challenged me: Understanding how APIs really work (not just calling them) Managing state in React beyond basic tutorials Debugging backend errors that made no sense at first Then I explored AWS and DevOps basics… and realized: Building an app is one thing Deploying it is a completely different game What I’ve learned so far: Writing code is easy, structuring it is hard Real learning starts when things break Deployment teaches you how systems actually work What I’ve built: A full-stack MERN app with authentication Basic REST APIs using Node.js & Express Tried deploying on AWS (still improving ) Current focus: Improving backend logic…