In the fast-paced world, the need for cost-effective yet tailored software solutions is increasing among businesses. Several enterprises are looking for innovative ways to boost their both web and mobile application development process with minimal coding experience. This is where the low-code development approach comes in! This approach streamlines the app development process by enabling users to execute block-based programming and off-load traditional, hand-coding processes. Simply put, organizations can build rapid and minimal hand-coded solutions.
Introduction to Low-Code Development Platform
In short, low-code app development platforms (LCDP) act as a development space for constructing application software via a digital user interface. With these platforms, users can create fully-functional solutions. Another key advantage is that both professional developers and non-technical business users can effectively build apps using these platforms. Businesses using low-code tools in their infrastructure can substantially reduce the upfront cost of setup, updating, and maintenance of apps. Moreover, low-code platforms can lessen the time spent on app development, facilitating faster delivery of business applications.
What Does Low-Code Platforms Offer
Each low-code platform boasts different features to make the entire development journey worthwhile for users. Let’s look at some of the essential features offered by platforms:
- Application Manager – Low-code platforms offer a comprehensive suite for users to develop, test, debug, deploy, and organize applications and keep them up-to-date
- Visual Modeling Interface – LCDPs offer an open modeling interface with an interactive drag-and-drop designer. This designer makes it easy for developers to leverage integrated modules and generate complex UIs. The platforms also support the development of extensions and widget libraries using Node.js, HTML, and JS.
- Pre-Built Libraries – With a horde of pre-built app themes and templates in low-code platforms, users can kick-start an app development with better confidence. The availability of smart libraries helps business users execute smooth integration with legacy applications.
- Mobile Readiness – Mobile apps do not require developers to write and maintain separate code scripts for various devices. Apps developed using low-code platforms have better cross-platform compatibility and can run on any device and operating system.
Key Differences Between Traditional & Low-Code Development
Often businesses consider traditional and low code as mere development approaches, but in fact, they are more different. Low code and traditional approaches often have various differentiators. Let’s look at some of key differences below:
- Technical Expertise – The skillset required for traditional software development includes programming for iOS (Swift), Android (C++, Java), and web (CSS, PHP, JavaScript, Python). Hardly minimal coding is required from users for low-code software development as its insightful drag-and-drop designer interface makes it easy to build and launch applications.
- Flexibility – With the conventional methodology, scaling application post-deployment is a tedious task for businesses that requires the involvement of many groups such as development, production, and testing. But, low code platforms help developers to scale up applications by gathering end-user feedback, making modifications, and upgrading applications in real-time.
- Cross-Platform Support – In the traditional approach, applications must be built independently for every OS, and the code base can’t be shared among iOS and Android platforms. Whereas, with low-code platforms, developers can create the app once, and run it on all desktop, mobile, in the cloud, or on-premise environments.
- App Integration Support – Traditional programming approach needs intricate writing and testing of code to integrate with other external apps. On the other hand, low code platforms out-of-the-box APIS and smart integration tools allow smart integration of software with multiple external applications.
Business Benefits Of Low-Code Platforms
Improved User Experience
Today’s modern users expect a superior app experience. Low-code platforms provide the versatility to adapt to market changes and customer requirements through fast delivery of applications. Therefore, businesses can build and roll out applications that fulfill customer trends.
Fast Digital Transformation
Organizations must streamline processes to balance contemporary demands and the shifting market requirements. Low-code platforms offer the essential technology for firms to embrace digital transformation and accelerate their transformation cycle faster. Besides low-code platforms with built-in code snippets, forms, visual/report builders, templates, and connectors helps business users to be more creative and deliver the apps at tremendous speed, achieving fast transformation.
Process-Based Solutions
Various enterprises deal with expensive Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software suites usually intended for a mass market. These mass-focused solutions offer loads of features but cannot manage the specific needs of a business process or department. With low-code platforms, workforce or project managers can build custom apps that fit their exclusive workflows.
Modernize Data Management
Low-code platforms allow organizations to integrate their overall business data in an online database that acts as the foundation for the apps that modernize and restructure data management. For example, instead of analyzing various Excel Spreadsheets to assess team performance every month, supervisors can just create web dashboards that display visually dazzling performance charts of workforce/teams based on real-time data.
Wrapping Up
At present, low-code is increasingly becoming an ideal practice for rapid application development. The prominence of low-code platforms is likely to develop among both professional as well as citizen developers in multiple sectors. Experts believe that ultimately low code will help businesses to attain fast modernization and digital transformation.