A Guide to Low and No-Code Development – Should You Try It in 2021?
According to Forbes, modern businesses need fewer coders but more software developers. While it seems there is no difference between these two types of specialists, the skill of just writing the code in a certain programming language isn’t enough to build software that will empower a specific business process or effectively solve the needs of private users. Modern companies need software developers with critical and analytical thinking, robust problem-solving skills and creativity, holistic vision, and a complete understanding of the business processes. The companies want them to code less but think more, and no code software platforms promise such an opportunity. Let us explain more about how low and no-code development works and how it can benefit your software development strategy.
What Is No-Code Application Development?
No and low code application development stands for the process of using dedicated tools that provide already pre-developed features the programmers can customize to create an application. As for the simple comparison, such platforms work like familiar website builders – the only difference is that they come with more sophisticated functions, sometimes they require coding skills, and also cover all the development process milestones, getting started from idea validation to market launch and maintenance.
An example of no-code development could potentially be language translation. Previously translation would involve lots of code and databases. However, with the onset of ML and AI, language translation can be done on the fly. There are several options for no-code language development, fairseq being one of them helping developers bring more variety to the table.
No-code vs Low-code Platforms Comparison
No-code apps come with an ultimate environment that allows you to create an app without writing a single line of code. This is the perfect option for startups on a budget or those companies without strong tech support in-house. With the help of such solutions, you can validate the idea in a more affordable and safer way, test the ways your software can work for your business, and cut costs by avoiding hiring a software development team.
Low-code software development platforms, in turn, are more sophisticated compared to no-code ones. To use them effectively, there is a need for code writing and tech support. Still, the amount of code the developers have to create is significantly less than the amount written during the traditional software development strategy.
So, this is an option for the companies that need more sophisticated solutions but are still willing to decrease development costs and time. For example, Appollo Systems is a low-code software development platform that covers all the milestones of the development process and allows you to instantly get started with the development process at a low cost.
How Does No-Code Development Work?
According to The Rise of No/Low Code Software Development research, “Most of today’s commercial drag-and-drop platforms create applications from predefined components. Some platforms, however, are starting to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) to better anticipate what the user wants.”
Below are the key features of a low code development environment provided by the dedicated platforms.
- Visual modeling. Instead of writing thousands of code lines, the developers can fully concentrate on visual design and system architecture, using and customizing the pieces of code already written.
- Reusability. While only some of the traditional software development tools make reusing the code possible (for example, Kotlin), the modules created according to the low code development approach, are pretty flexible and customizable without the need to change them too much.
- Monitoring and reporting. No-code app development tools come with an opportunity to track the application’s performance, identify security gaps, and gather insights with the help of visual reports.
- Robust functionality. While most of the features the developers can build with low-code are powered by the drag and drop idea, their technical capabilities are pretty robust. For example, there are low-code automation features, multiple integrations, design and validation workflows, DevOps and testing options in-built, and much more.
- Cross-platform accessibility. The developers may access low code and no-code development solutions from any platform, plus build the apps with perfect cross-browser and cross-device compatibility.
What Are No Code Development Benefits?
A lot of companies consider no and low-code development as a worthy alternative to the traditional software building process since this option turns out to be more affordable, reasonable, and simpler. You could seek assistance from the best no code app builder from firms like MVP.dev to solve your queries. Below are the main benefits of creating low-code solutions for your business.
- Fewer costs. While traditional software development requires you to either gather a large team in-house or hire it from a dedicated vendor, the use of low and no-code platforms allows for hiring a smaller team, which is less costly but is likely to be more effective.
- Fever risks. Hiring an in-house team is costly, hiring a dedicated one from a vendor is risky. The no-code approach decreases both of the risks.
- Faster time to market. On average, the developers spend half of the working day writing the code. No and low code environments can promise significant opportunities for time-saving and streamlining the product’s launch.
- Seamless integrations. The apps you can build with low to no code development can be perfectly integrated with each other, and with the custom solutions, you already have.
- Following LEAN and Agile methodologies. The fewer costs you invest in the software development and the more attention you pay to idea validation, the better you are at following LEAN development methodology. Using no-code solutions is a way to do it. What’s more, because of the flexibility of these tools and the manageability of your small team, you can be more agile and better respond to the business environment changes.
Conclusion
Low and no-code development is a trendy and cost-effective approach. With the help of such platforms, your company can easily get started with the process of digital transformation creating the use case-specific solutions without the need to hire a large and expensive software development team. What’s more, you are welcome to carefully validate and test them in advance in a low-risk environment, moving towards complete digitization step by step.
FAQ
- What is a no-code example?
According to the research, the Covid-19 tracking system built by New York officials was created in three days, without writing the line of code. This is a perfect example of how low and no-code software platforms speed up the process of solutions development as much as possible, plus help businesses and governments address the most pressing needs asap.
- Should developers learn low-code?
Already skilled developers will find low-code platforms easy and intuitive to use. The only thing they have to do is to understand the platform’s specifics and workflow and find the way to tailor its in-build features to the business use case as effectively as possible.
- Does low-code really work?
Yes, the low-code approach really works, becoming a strong competitive solution compared to the traditional software development tactic.