A Low-Code Development Platform (LCDP) is a tool that allows non-programmers to develop software by simply dragging and dropping user interface components onto the canvas of a graphical editor. It was originally developed for use in the travel industry, but is now used by many different types of businesses.
A Quick Introduction to Low-Code Development
A Low-Code Development Platform (LCDP) is a tool that allows non-programmers to develop software by simply dragging and dropping user interface components onto the canvas of a graphical editor. It was originally developed for use in the travel industry, but is now used by many different types of businesses.
Benefits of low-code development.
Achieve unparalleled time-to-value
Companies using low-code can create applications in a fraction of the time and with the resources they have, but there’s more to low-code than just speed.
Low-code enables companies to create applications that are more flexible and adaptable.
Businesses of all types can use low-code to develop their own custom apps, or they can take advantage of the vast array of pre-built, ready-to-go solutions already out there.
Low-code platforms are a new approach for business development sometimes known as low-code apps. In contrast to traditional, higher-code plans, they result in quicker project timelines and reduced costs. Low-code app development, also called citizen-developer adoption, empowers a wide variety of business users with the authority to develop and deploy business apps.
Build more at scale
Low-code allows you to build more at scale.
Low-code development platforms allow business leaders to create applications at scale without the difficulty associated with high-end software. Sometimes called “Code as a Service,” many of these platforms allow businesses to produce and deploy scalable applications for a minimal price. Low-code developers are able to plug and play in order to benefit from services provided by these platforms more rapidly than ever.
You can easily build more applications, more features, and more integrations because you can quickly create a solution that meets a business need.
Who can build on low code?
Anyone with an idea can use low-code to build applications. With dedicated development environments for business users and professional developers, low-code is designed to extend and synchronize the work of multiple developers.
Starting with the development requirements and stakes in mind, low-code can be integrated with application programming interfaces (API), security credentials, and use cases, all of which have to be prepared before the project is initiated. Low-code more resembles traditional system development approaches and applications, which means it is faster to build.
What to Look For in a Low-Code Development Platform
- Visual Development Tools
- It is a set of tools which help you develop visually by providing features like grids, guides, Adobe Acrobat Reader lets you visually organize a document, add colorful built-in watermarks and lines, and more.
- Easy Deployment
- Scalability and Security
- Visual Modeling Tools
- Out-of-the-box functionality
- Drag-and-Drop Interfaces
- Reusability
- Cross-Platform Accessibility
- Security
- Scalability
- Reporting and monitoring
- Application lifecycle management
Popular Low-Code Development Platforms
OutSystems
OutSystems is a modern application development platform designed to dramatically accelerate the development of your most critical applications while also delivering unprecedented levels of flexibility and efficiency. Address your top digital transformation priorities with applications that make a difference across all areas of the business—from customer experience transformation and workplace innovation to process automation and application modernization.
Kissflow
Kissflow is a workflow automation and process improvement low-code application development platform designed at helping businesses maximize their productivity and efficiency. Many companies are turning to Kissflow primarily because of its no-code platform. It opens new options to business users to create their own apps without needing any help from IT or consultants. It’s got a plethora of features, including a WYSIWYG editor, a form builder, third-party integration for all your favorite tools, and an extensive documentation for training to help you get started.
Appian
Appian low code develoment platform is designed for businesses of all sizes. It enables users to build business process management (BPM) applications. The Appian Low Code Development Platform combines automation and low-code development to provide intelligent automation and development.
Zoho Creator
Zoho Creator is another leading low code app development platform. Zoho Creator provides you with the usual features, like form builders and object mapping. But one thing about Zoho Creator is how easy it is to build your own modules for custom implementations, compared to other low-code app development platforms.
Google App Maker
Included in the G Suite product suite, Google App Maker was a low-code application development tool. This allowed developers or users to create and deploy custom business applications on the Internet.
The G Suite for Education edition was launched in 2016 and was available to G Suite Business and Enterprise subscribers. A visual editor with templates was included in the Google App Maker so that users could drag and drop widgets. It was possible to design the application using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JQuery, as well as material design from Google.
Low-code app development
Instead of writing code by hand, a low-code development framework allows you to use pre-coded building blocks to create an application. This frees you up to focus on the important things: Your marketing campaigns, your products, and growing your business.
The term low-code refers to the limitations of these programming frameworks: they are easy to learn and use, but do not provide full programming capabilities. Instead, you use the visual interface to drag and drop pre-coded building blocks that work together to create something more complex.
Low code development platforms provide many benefits and people can collaberately contribute to the application development process
Low-code & no-code
Low-code platforms are aimed at developers. Technical skills are needed for these systems, but skilled coders can work faster when using these. The faster technological progress can be made, the better it is for coders.
Alternatively, no-code targets enterprise users because of its lack of manual editing functionality while providing safe, easy-to-use interfaces that abstract technical information. Enterprise users benefit from an intuitive user interface.
The first wave of low-code platforms was created by companies with a technological background, such as Salesforce.com and SAP. Additionally, these systems are more expensive than less technical alternatives.
The ability to customize tools in low-code and no-code environments is limited compared to the capabilities of traditional coding platforms. Low-code and no code application development systems are unable to provide for customization in the way that programming platforms offer.
In 2016, low-code and no-code environments began to gain traction with non-technical users. Low-code platforms are less expensive than traditional coding platforms, and they are easier to use.
Low-code or no-code platforms have been adopted by industries for the application development process that have historically been difficult for a company to penetrate.]: Low-code platforms are easier for non-technical users to pick up and use than traditional coding platforms.
Low-code and no-code platforms provide business users with increased IT agility, efficiency, and collaboration opportunities while proving cost-effective alternatives to
Tips to choose the first low-code project
Choosing your first low-code project can be easy if you follow these guidelines:
- Analyze all the Low-Code use cases and map out the problems and requirements of the project according to the use case.
- Choose a platform that meets your business requirements in terms of cost, features, and performance.
- Once you have decided to start a low-code project, it is important that the following steps are taken:
- Select the least time-consuming solution and begin your project
Disadvantages of using the low-code platforms
- Traditional codes allow developers to tailor the software to their needs, while no-code and low-code platforms rely on the functionality built into the platforms and the plugins. Developers might have difficulty implementing certain requirements if a certain functionality is not included.
- Because they lack control over the source code, low-code and no-code projects heavily rely on their platforms for security. Businesses will not be able to resolve issues themselves if these platform providers liquidate. Furthermore, low-code/no-code platform providers could expose clients’ data and make their systems vulnerable to security threats.
- It is more difficult for a business to switch to another platform once it has invested heavily in the use of a specific low-code/no-code platform. This increases the business’s dependence on an individual vendor. In the future, low-code/no-code platforms should be more transparent in their use of data and should have a greater level of control over how that data is shared.
How to choose the best low-code development platform?
- While choosing the low-code platform , you have to ensure that it will help you address all the requirement for you development. Some important features to look for are :
- Check if the platform is available on cloud. It is important as you will be able to access the platform from anywhere.
- Try for free before making the purchase decision to ensure that the platform has all required features. Ensure that Free Trial is available.
- Scalability of the platform is important. You may start with fewer users and should be able to scale later.
- Collaboration is very important. Check if the platform allows collaborating with your team.
Conclusion on using low-code development
Low-code development is the process of building software applications using simple text-based commands and without the use of programming languages. It may be used to replace programming in many software development tasks, while offering a greater speed than traditional approaches.