Know the language - Now how do I build something?

Hey everyone! I already know html, css, and some basic javascript. I’ve
built a bunch of static websites and a wordpress site. I’m learning
Ruby, and after finishing the course on codecademy I have a pretty good
grasp on all the fundamentals. How do I actually build something? I want
to build some kind of web application. Partly to make something cool,
but mostly to learn how to use Ruby to make real products. I’ve posted
this on other forums, and everyone tells me to take the codecademy
course on Rails. But I want to build it without a framework! I want to
get a really good grasp on Ruby, then simply use a framework to make
things faster, easier, and such. I’m really lost here and have no idea
how to get started.
TLDR: I know basic ruby, don’t know how to use it, help!

For any website, you have to learn how to use ruby to talk to a server.
Typically, you will use prebuilt sever software, e.g. WEBrick (comes
with ruby), Thin, etc. If you really want to get down to the metal, you
can learn about Sockets, and write your own server with a few lines of
code, but for now I suggest you stick with prebuilt sever software.

To learn about how to use the WEBrick sever, see here:

To learn about how to use the Thin server, see here:

The original protocol for talking to a server is CGI. To learn some
basic ruby CGI, see here:

  1. Rack is a more recent ruby protocol, and it is what Rails is built
    around–as
    well as Sinatra. To learn about Rack, see here: