Low-code & No -code: The way ahead

We are in interesting times when organizations ought to innovate and look for creative ways to customize their internal applications and this is possible without having a lot of technical know-how. New development techniques offer a plethora of opportunities and the way ahead.

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Imagine, in an organization setup someone comes up with an idea, however to experiment would mean to engage the whole of the development team. In the past this could have had been a hurdle for many to get things moving. However thanks to these two phenomena a) Low Code Development & b) No Code Development, visual programming has been plunging heights. These approaches to development come handy for the ones who may not be traditionally developers.

In the words of Seth Robinson, Senior Director, Technology Analysis at CompTIA : “The growing appetite for digital transformation and the increasing complexity of IT systems means that software has become a driving force for functionality and automation.”

Organization and businesses that were reliant on ready to use software solutions now are empowered to build their own internal tools and apps. They can customize as per their relevant needs and demands. Low -code  & No -code technology advancements are enabling many organizations, no matter what be their size or number, to be self reliant and confident. As per Garter, there was 22.6 % growth of demand for low-code development in 2021. To use the tools significantly, businesses ought to understand each of the technological paradigms and how are they different from one another.

What do we mean by low-code development?

Low code development is an approach where the software can be developed with little or no coding at all to create the processes and applications.  In the place of employing a complex programming language, we’ll be able to use simple visual logic with features like drag and drop. Users who may not have advanced knowledge of software development or coding can use this intuitive method of developing software and custom apps.

Low code interfaces have long been in existence. Microsoft FrontPage & Adobe Flash are some of the examples of applications developed on low-code platforms. Both of these applications are built using graphical user interfaces. However, they also let end-user customization flexibility.

The contemporary low code reinvention is partly credited to the evolving capabilities of  Application Programming Interface (API)

What do we mean by no -code development ?

The low code platform may require minimum programming for customization, the no-code paradigm to development can manage development within GUI  itself. This means that there is really no tweaking or maybe a little tweak to arrive at the final desired results. No code platform employs a visual development interface enabling non-technical users to build applications. By drag and drop feature configuration the users are able to create the entire solution.

The no-code solutions also find their mention in the ‘history of technological evolution.’One of the mainstream examples of no-code development is probably Apple’s formative Hyper Card technology. Apple’s subsidiary, Claris produces the FileMaker which are build using no code development tools.

In a contemporary context, tech tools like the ones employed in WordPress and spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel can be considered no-code development modules With cloud-based technologies and APIs we can get a lot more further without hand writing a single sentence of code!

Source: surveysparrow.com

What are the basic feature differences between low-code & no-code platforms?

Let's glance through some of the basic differences between the low code & the no-code platform to gain more clarity

The target audience
The no-code platform is ideal for users who’d want to bring about an improvement and innovation in the application or processes. While the low-code platforms are more agile and are employed to develop custom enterprise-grade applications. When COVID 19 was rampant the low code platforms were employed to create covid-19 testing sites, pharmacy locating applications etc. Low code platforms can be excellent tools for developers to quickly build and deploy custom solution based software at flexible budgets.

Training Requirements
To deploy no-code development platform , there is no need to come with sound technical know-how. Anyone interested may be able to efficiently work with no-code technology. However the low-code platforms come with more complex tools and enable customisation, they may be more suitable for users who have some background of programming knowledge. Hence when it comes to low code we can train the end-users.

Integration
This may largely depend on the kind of application that we’d want to integrate. There can be an option to integrate data from many platforms.  Low-code technology comes in handy with excellent integration facilitation, the no-code platforms may fall short in this regard. No code platforms might lead to shadow IT when users create programs without required scrutiny or oversight. No-code may increase the technological debt, utilize more resources than required, pose integration and security issues etc.

Results & Apps
The low code & no-code technology may both come in handy to create internal business tools. Low-code platforms are able to create more agile and high in demand apps than no-code platforms. Low code applications may solve the major business issues while the no-code platform may be more suitable for minor business issues.

What are some of the examples of low code platforms?

Visual Lansa

This platform offers team development efforts while creating useful applications. Some of its famed features are:

·      Enabling code generation on IDE

·      Relatively low-cost app development

·      App testing, integration & deployment.

Ideal for all business sizes; small, medium or large. Comes with free trials and subscription-supported models.

Quixey

This platform enables team empowerment for fast, collaborative and relevant app creation. Quixey has the ability to make it really effortless to build powerful applications real quick. Available for both large and small businesses. Available for free trials and subscription-based models also.

What are some examples of no-code platforms?

Airtable:

This one is an interesting project management software. While most project management software may need their users to invest their time and efforts on the platform, this is not the case with Airtable. It takes the support of labels and UI blocks to make any project interesting. Airtable finds a place with big names in the market and has a flexible pricing plan.

Code2.io:

This one is an example of an application and website builder functioning on the no-code paradigm. Code@.io lets the users create and visualize responsive applications without having to know to code. It comes with interesting app building features for ease of the users. Along with, it can also take care of the web app’s setup, launching, hosting and scaling processes. It comes with flexible pricing plans.

Why is there a buzz about low code & no-code technologies?

The need to have the latest and fast responsive software has been ongoing. However, the demand is more than ever today. It is an estimate by IDC, International Data Corporation: about 500 million digital applications and services may be implemented by the year 2023. This is the same quantity of applications developed in the last 40 years!

Sadly the number of programmers that we’d need to assist in the development have not increased significantly. To iterate, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics made a prediction that 1.4 million programming jobs might be available by 2020 however there’ll be about 400,000 computer programming grads only available to cater to the vacancy. Hence enterprises may find it more and more difficult to hire amidst this challenge IT teams are looking for efficient methods to develop more apps quickly and efficiently.  Low code and No code methods of development can support this initiative in a huge way. With these platforms instead of writing lengthy codes to build internal apps, we may be able to create apps by only sketching a basic flow chart.

Other than this there are other popular reasons why the low code & no-code technologies are making a breakthrough

1.     Collaborative application development experience
The low code and no code technologies come with collaborative solutions to application development  It is possible to make reputable and stable apps using this technology. The differentiating factor is that there will be no requirement of coding while creating apps where all the stakeholders involved can collaborate.

2.     There is no need for a traditional app development experience
Low code technology can significantly minimize the manual coding approach required for application development. There is almost no dependency on hand-coding. To be an expert on this technology one may not need to be from a solid coding background.

3.     Graphical user interface makes things exciting
The low code & no-code technologies rely upon GUI to build strong and relevant apps. One is not bound to be using a technical oriented code editor or non-user-friendly UI to build useful apps. These technological platforms can support us to visualize our app’s performance & output.

4.     Quicker app development and better performance
The low code & no-code technology is able to minimize the app development time by months! The time that we invest over developing an application’s outlook, a testing schema is possibly achieved in that duration with low code and no code technological platforms.

Why use ToolJet for low-code & no-code application development?

While one looks for a platform offering the technologies; low code & no code, it may also be significant to look for cloud-native architecture, integrated collaborations and purpose-built tools. The platforms that have model-driven approaches and visual-based components support quick and responsive app development.

The ToolJet low-code application development platform makes it supportive for business users to build relevant software solutions. ToolJet's low code platform helps you & your team to build custom apps with the support of automated workflows. This can highly optimize the business process to generate optimum productivity and efficiency.

ToolJet also empowers the business users to build their own apps without having to rely upon their backlogged IT team or IT consultants. We have elaborate training resources and third party interfaces etc to facilitate seamless app development.

Ending Note

Source : tenor.com

The low code and no code technologies come with uplifted opportunities for businesses and enterprises to upscale their processes and workflows. These technologies also have the ability to create frontends for various app platforms. Low-code and no-code tools employ a level playing field by giving opportunities to every organization no matter how big or how small to do more with their existing resources. The power is now in the hands of the organizations and developers.