[Episode 6] Graduating from Magic - The Stubborn, All-Night Local Environment Setup, and 'Two Despairs'

Using the magic wand called bolt.new, I published a service to the world in just 24 hours. However, that elation quickly turned into "impatience."

Changing the color of a button, slightly fixing the layout. Just making such trivial adjustments melted away my bolt.new credits (usage fees) at a terrifying pace. Realizing, "I'll go bankrupt at this rate," I made the decision to let go of the magic wand.

"For the phase of creating 1 from 0, bolt.new is the best tool. But there's a limit to making fine 1-to-10 adjustments."

I consulted Gemini and decided to build a development environment (local environment) on my own computer. This was the beginning of an endless "battle of stubbornness and all-nighters."

While having Gemini teach me the steps one by one, I installed an editor called "VS Code," which professional engineers use. Then, I began typing commands into a black screen (terminal) exactly as Gemini told me to.

I had absolutely no idea what spells I was typing. Days of hitting the Enter key while praying, "Please, just work." As usual, the sleepless nights continued.

And what I faced were "Two Despairs".

[Despair 1: 24 Hours Lost to the Mystery of Environment Variables] The biggest wall in migrating to a local environment was "hiding the API key." To use AI features safely, you must register the API key—which is like a password—on the server as an "environment variable."

However, it just wouldn't work. No matter how many times I asked Gemini, the error wouldn't go away. After wasting a whole day and reaching my physical and mental limits, the cause was found.

Apparently, "The name of the environment variable was bad." Just by changing the name, it worked effortlessly, as if the error was a lie. I still don't know the truth as to why that name was bad. It was a moment where I tasted the unreasonableness of programming to my very bones.

[Despair 2: Deployment Poverty] Publishing (deploying) what I had somehow managed to fix in the local environment back to the world. However, errors occurred repeatedly here too, and I couldn't deploy.

I learned this later, but the act of deploying to the server itself consumed a fixed amount of credits. "So it costs money even if I publish it manually instead of automatically..." I trembled and had no choice but to drastically reduce the frequency of my deployments.

---

🍳 [Today's AI Development Recipe]

• Technical Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (A wall you can't pass just by copy-pasting)

This time, we step out of the magical tools and introduce the gritty process of conversing with AI on the same playing field as the pros.

1. What is a "Local Development Environment (VS Code)"?

It means graduating from the magical kitchen prepared by AI (browser-based tools) and creating a "personal kitchen" inside your own computer. The most important tool in that kitchen is "VS Code," which is like a highly functional set of cutting boards and knives loved even by professional chefs.

2. How did I do it?

I asked Gemini, "I want to develop on my own PC. Teach me starting from how to install VS Code," and typed commands (spells) into a black screen called a "terminal" just as instructed. When an error appeared, I copied the entire error message, pasted it to Gemini, and repeatedly asked, "It said this. What should I do?" continuing a very gritty dialogue.

3. To Our Readers

Hearing "black screen" or "VS Code" might make it seem strictly for programmers, but there's nothing to fear. If you ask the AI, "Please teach me step-by-step what button to press next for a complete beginner," it will become an excellent private tutor who holds your hand. Why not take the first step, starting with downloading VS Code?

---

Preview: The "Emptiness" That Lies Beyond the Technical Wall

In this way, I somehow managed to set up a local environment, kept deployment costs down, and became able to control the "AI Fortune-Telling Site" with my own hands.

However, the moment I overcame this technical wall, a sudden sense of "emptiness" crossed my mind.

"Who am I actually making this site for?"

The phase of being pushed around by technology ends, and we finally enter the cruel phase where the "true value of the content" is questioned. Next time, [Episode 7] The Empty Amusement Park and the Confronted Reality. Look forward to it!