Low-code app development or Low-code application development is a growing intervention that allows just anyone to develop applications with little or no code. Programming code, or code as you may concisely refer to it, is the DNA of all computer applications, both web-based and device-based. Code is the backbone of all software used for business, personal purposes, healthcare, and much more.
It, therefore, implies that a good knowledge of coding would be required from everyone who desires to implement or create computer applications for their business, company, or otherwise. This created a bottleneck that can only be circumvented either by recruiting and training staff to learn application development or paying huge sums to outsource for developers.
Low code is a software development approach that uses a graphical interface to build applications. You can create applications through “drag and drop” without a need to learn sophisticated code-writing. These low-code tools help enterprise developers build custom applications in hours or days, instead of weeks or months.
Several platforms have been created to enable developers to create applications without advanced coding knowledge. In this post, you will learn more about low-code application development and why it is such an interesting trend for businesses today.
Introduction to Low-code Development Platforms
“By 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.” – Gartner [1]Gartner, Inc. “Low-Code Development Technologies Evaluation Guide”, February 26, 2019, Paul Vincent, Mark Driver, Jason Wong
Low-code which allows simple customizations by users who have little or no coding knowledge has been on the increase. By 2024, low-code application development is predicted to increase to more than 65%, and this trend has already started.
To meet this growing demand, several low-code development platforms have been created. Below are some examples:
- Visual Lansa
- Retool
- m-Power Development Platform
- Quixy
- Creatio
- GeneXus
- Zoho Creator
- Web.com
- Strikingly
- Appian
- Kissflow
- OutSystems
- Mendix
- Salesforce Lightning
These low-code development platforms are paid software you can easily deploy to develop your applications. Most of them have free trials if you simply want to check them out first.
Reasons Low-code Application Development is so Important
Low-code application development is very important for the following reasons;
- It saves you time to get your new system up and running. Low-code development has been said to be ten times faster to complete than raw-code development.
- It saves money. Instead of paying a huge amount of money outsourcing developers, you could just do it yourself without any need to learn to code.
- Quality is also guaranteed. Low-code applications offer more flexibility in their applications without compromising security or functionality.
- It enhances your business’ productivity by efficiently reducing the number of developers required to complete the same work.
The benefits of low-code solutions are numerous. With low-code development, you can build an app quickly in a fraction of the time, and test it with your users as soon as possible. You don’t necessarily need to hire expensive developers and programmers to build your custom software.
Low-code applications reduce costs by eliminating the need for expensive coding developers or waiting on custom software. They also reduce time to market, making them an attractive choice for businesses looking for quick response times from their customers.
Low-code platforms allow businesses to customize existing applications more easily for various industries including, healthcare, insurance, and finance. These tools can help organizations get an edge over their competitors by creating custom mobile apps quickly and efficiently while reducing development costs by up to 90%.
Finally, most low-code applications are built via drag-and-drop rather than writing code by hand. This makes collaboration between departments much easier, giving your team a better chance at creating something extraordinary.
Shortcomings of Low-code Development
Low-code application development has many promising benefits that have set it on the stage to become bigger in a few years, but it is not free from its own shortcomings. To make it more objective, let’s explore some of the shortcomings of low-code development in this section.
1. It is difficult to migrate from legacy systems used by many organizations. To enhance functionality, versatility, and connectivity, many low-code platforms were created based on Cloud technology. Some businesses still use their old systems which do not work well with cloud technology, and this might pose a difficulty when trying to migrate from those old systems into a cloud-based low-code system.
2. It might be challenging to maintain quality control when access is given to multiple members who may not have experience working together on projects before. Simple drag-and-drop makes life easy as far as application development is concerned, but that also increases the chances of breaking things if access control is granted to more people.
3. You cannot get 100% custom functionality. While you are at liberty to use drag-and-drop and rearrange your elements in a custom manner using low-code development tools, you cannot get a fully custom feature. Other individuals and groups may be using the exact same block of functionalities you selected. This makes it easier for hackers and malware to gain access to your software if any of the others are breached.
4. To integrate a fully custom feature into your software built using low-code platforms, you might require special permission to write code in your application.
5. Many low-code development platforms are expensive for small businesses.
The Future of Low-Code Development
While low-code solutions have the power to improve customer experiences rapidly by automating redundant business processes, can they replace developers altogether? This is a question we might want to ask.
We have seen the current downsides to low-code development, however, the future of low-code development is still very promising, and the demand for low-code development will continue to grow because of its versatility and ease of use by non-technical users.
Low-code development can be used for a wide range of applications, from business solutions and infrastructure automation to IoT (Internet of Things) and mobile apps. The hallmark of low-code development in the future is enhanced collaborations between professional developers and non-developers.
However, the promises of low-code development for the future can only be made possible if minor bottlenecks/shortcomings have been removed. There is a need to hire developers to overcome low-code limitations, and advanced security measures should be put in place to make low-code programs more secure against attacks.
Conclusion
Low-code application development can be your next step in creating high-quality software without a thorough knowledge of coding. It offers businesses and developers alike the opportunity to build or rebrand their services in the shortest possible time. But while it has so many benefits, it is not without a few shortcomings that I think you should know about.
By addressing the setbacks of low-code development, it can be adopted even more than the predicted rates. Amongst other things, low-code development will foster collaborations and partnerships between developers and non-developers.
And all things being equal, low-code application development is something you should consider venturing into, especially if you need to build apps for your business but are not so equipped to do so without some assistance or huge costs.
References
| ↑1 | Gartner, Inc. “Low-Code Development Technologies Evaluation Guide”, February 26, 2019, Paul Vincent, Mark Driver, Jason Wong |
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