DEV Community: Raaga Priya Madhan

What is an Algorithm? Explained with Everyday Examples

Raaga Priya Madhan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:58:22 +0000

The word "algorithm" sounds intimidating. It's not. You follow algorithms every day without realizing it.

An algorithm is just a set of steps

When you make tea, you follow an algorithm:

Boil water
Add tea bag to cup
Pour hot water into cup
Wait 3 minutes
Remove tea bag
Add milk and sugar if needed
Drink

That's it. A fixed set of steps that produces a result. Algorithms in programming work exactly the same way.

A real programming example

Say you want to find the largest number in a list. Here's the algorithm:

numbers = [4, 7, 2, 9, 1]

largest = numbers[0]

for number in numbers:
    if number > largest:
        largest = number

print(largest)

Step by step:

Assume the first number is the largest
Go through every number in the list
If a number is bigger than your current largest, update largest
Print the result

Output: 9

Why algorithms matter

Every app you use runs on algorithms. Google's search results, Instagram's feed, Spotify's recommendations — all algorithms deciding what to show you.

The two things every algorithm needs

Correctness — it must produce the right answer
Efficiency — it must do it without wasting time or memory

The one-line summary

An algorithm is a step-by-step recipe for solving a problem. Every program you've ever used runs on them.

Written by Raaga Priya Madhan — CSE student, Bangalore. I write about CS concepts simply. Connect with me on LinkedIn

Python vs Java — Which Should Beginners Learn First?

Raaga Priya Madhan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:56:12 +0000

This is one of the most common questions beginners ask. Here's an honest answer with no fluff.

Python — the case for starting here

Python reads almost like English. Compare these two ways of printing "Hello World":

Python:

print("Hello World")

Java:

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello World");
    }
}

Same result. Python does it in 1 line. Java needs 5.

When you're learning, that simplicity matters enormously. Python lets you focus on learning programming concepts instead of fighting with syntax.

What Python is great for

Data analysis and automation
Web scraping
Machine learning and AI
Quick scripts that solve real problems
Backend web development

What Java is great for

Android app development
Large enterprise software
Banking and financial systems
Performance-critical applications

The honest answer

Start with Python if: you want to get results quickly, you're interested in data/AI/automation, or you just want to learn programming as a skill.

Start with Java if: you specifically want to build Android apps or you're going into a field that requires Java.

What most CSE students do

Learn Python first for speed and simplicity. Add Java later when your university requires it or a job demands it. Knowing one well makes learning the other much faster.

The one-line summary

Python for beginners. Java when you have a specific reason to use it.

Written by Raaga Priya Madhan — CSE student, Bangalore. I write about CS concepts simply. Connect with me on LinkedIn

How Does the Internet Actually Work? A Simple Explanation

Raaga Priya Madhan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:51:17 +0000

You use the internet every second of your life. But what actually happens when you type google.com and hit Enter?

Step 1 — Your browser asks for directions

Your computer doesn't know where google.com lives. So it asks a DNS server — think of it as the internet's phone book — "where is google.com?"

The DNS server replies with an IP address like 142.250.194.46. That's Google's actual address on the internet.

Step 2 — Your browser knocks on Google's door

Your browser sends an HTTP request to that IP address. It's basically saying: "Hello Google, please send me your homepage."

Step 3 — Google's server responds

Google's server receives your request and sends back the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that make up the page.

Step 4 — Your browser builds the page

Your browser reads those files and renders them into the visual page you see — with colors, images, buttons, and text.

The whole thing happens in under 1 second

DNS lookup → HTTP request → Server response → Browser renders. Every time you visit a website.

Key terms to know

IP Address — A unique number identifying every device on the internet
DNS — The phone book that converts website names to IP addresses
HTTP/HTTPS — The language browsers and servers use to talk to each other
Server — A computer that stores website files and sends them on request

The one-line summary

You type a URL → DNS finds its address → your browser requests the page → the server sends it back → your browser shows it to you.

Written by Raaga Priya Madhan — CSE student, Bangalore. I write about CS concepts simply. Connect with me on LinkedIn

What is Git? A Beginner's Guide with Real Examples

Raaga Priya Madhan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:44:02 +0000

Every developer talks about Git. But if you're just starting out, it can feel overwhelming. Let me break it down simply.

What is Git?

Git is a tool that tracks changes to your code over time.

Think of it like a save system in a video game. Every time you hit save, Git remembers exactly what your code looked like at that moment. If you break something later, you can go back to any previous save.

Why do developers use it?

Without Git, if you accidentally delete important code — it's gone forever. With Git, you just roll back to the last working version.

It also lets multiple developers work on the same project without overwriting each other's work.

The 5 commands you actually need

1. git init

Starts tracking a folder with Git.

git init

2. git add

Tells Git which files to save.

git add filename.py

3. git commit

Actually saves the snapshot with a message.

git commit -m "Added data cleaning function"

4. git push

Uploads your code to GitHub so others can see it.

git push

5. git clone

Downloads someone else's project to your computer.

git clone https://github.com/username/repo

GitHub vs Git

Git is the tool. GitHub is the website where you store your Git projects online — like Google Drive but for code.

The one-line summary

Git saves snapshots of your code so you never lose work and can always go back in time.

Start using it on your next project and it'll become second nature within a week.

Written by Raaga Priya Madhan — CSE student, Bangalore. I write about CS concepts simply. Connect with me on LinkedIn

What is an API? A Simple Explanation with Real Examples

Raaga Priya Madhan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:42:01 +0000

You've heard the word API everywhere. In job descriptions, in tutorials, in tech Twitter. But what actually is it?

The waiter analogy

Think of an API like a waiter at a restaurant.

You (the app) don't walk into the kitchen (the server) yourself. You tell the waiter what you want. The waiter goes to the kitchen, gets your food, and brings it back.

That waiter is the API.

A real example you use every day

When you open Zomato and it shows a map of nearby restaurants — that map comes from Google Maps. Zomato didn't build its own maps. It asked Google's Maps API: "Give me a map for this location." Google sent it back. Zomato displayed it.

You use APIs dozens of times a day without knowing it.

Another example — weather apps

Your phone's weather app doesn't have its own satellites. It calls a weather API, asks "what's the weather in Bangalore right now?", and displays whatever comes back.

What does an API actually look like?

Here's a real API call in Python — just 3 lines:

import requests
response = requests.get("https://api.open-meteo.com/v1/forecast?latitude=12.97&longitude=77.59&current_weather=true")
print(response.json())

Run this and you get live weather data for Bangalore returned as text your program can read. That's an API call.

Why developers love APIs

You don't rebuild what already exists
Google Maps, payments, weather, SMS — all available as APIs
You focus on your app, APIs handle the hard parts

The one-line summary

An API is a messenger that lets two apps talk to each other — you send a request, it sends back data.

That's it. Next time someone says "we integrated an API" — you know exactly what happened.

Written by Raaga Priya Madhan — CSE student, Bangalore. I write about CS concepts simply. Connect with me on LinkedIn