Your editor is also directly connected to your running application and can compile individual functions or pieces of code to update the application without a full edit/compile/run/test loop. It happens way faster and more interactively while you code. You can directly inspect the running program and its data within that same framework and with the exact same tools and functions you use to code.
To answer another way, you don’t code your application in a REPL, like by line , but with all the tools you’d expect (editor or ide, git, etc) PLUS that live connection to your software.
You kinda have to keep track of the state, but the latter can be easily inspected so there's no need to keep it your head.
Then you see the result in another pane of your editor.
It's pretty revelatory. You're molding your program while it's running.