First, what is low-code development?
Low code is a visual software development approach that delivers applications faster with minimal coding. Graphical user interfaces and drag-and-drop capabilities automate all aspects of the development process, eliminating reliance on traditional computer programming methods. Low-code platforms make application development more autonomous, especially for business users with no coding experience, such as business analysts or project managers. These tools enable less skilled employees to have a greater business impact in a number of ways, such as mitigating IT backlogs and reducing business process management. Still, low-code development platforms can help experienced programmers. Since they require little coding experience, they provide greater flexibility for the developer's coding background. For example, some business applications require knowledge of a specific programming language, further narrowing the developer's options. By eliminating this bottleneck, low-code platforms shorten the development lifecycle of applications, enabling them to do more in less time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for business process automation and prioritizing digital transformation initiatives. Low-code platforms provide proven solutions for this need, helping to streamline workflows and accelerate automation projects. According to Gartner, the global market for low-code development technologies is expected to grow by 22.6% (IBM data) to $13.8 billion by 2021. Then, by 2023, they expect more than 50% of medium-sized to large companies to adopt low-code application platforms based on their latest Magic Quadrant report.
The low-code model facilitates rapid application development by making the user experience more accessible. Salespeople and professional developers alike benefit from visual integrated development environments (IDEs), built-in data connectors, APIs, and code templates. These features of low-code tools improve the DevOps process and allow more time for innovation.
Second, the benefits of low-code development
It is expected that by 2023, more than half of large and medium-sized enterprises will use low-code application development platforms as one of their strategic application platforms. This is because low-code development has many advantages:
1. R&D efficiency
The accelerated development and delivery of new applications is probably the most widely known advantage of low-code development. Intuitive user interfaces, drag-and-drop capabilities, simple integration of support tools, and one-click delivery options all help ensure faster development cycles for projects. In fact, low-code solutions can reduce development time by up to 90 percent.
2. Productivity
Low-code application development simplifies the development process. This means that developers can build more applications in less time – focusing on innovating and meeting needs, rather than the tiniest technical details.
3. Agile development
Reduce deployment time: Business agility. As markets change and new opportunities arise, teams can quickly create and release new business products to meet the changing needs of employees and customers.
4. Labor costs
Recruiting and training a large number of developers is an expensive labor expense, and the potential cost of developing a single mobile application ranges from 3600,000 to 18,000,000. Low-code solutions allow fewer developers to do more work and even allow non-developers to build applications. This means reducing costs and getting a greater return on investment.
5. O&M costs
Maintaining multiple applications and deployments is a huge challenge. The low-code development platform provides a monitoring management from which IT teams can monitor and control each development project.
6. Team assistance
Low-code platforms can also facilitate better collaboration among developers. Multiple individuals or groups can see exactly what task is being completed and who is responsible for that task, allowing them to collaborate on the same modules together.
7. Expansion capabilities
If you rely solely on a dedicated development team to build your application, you may overlook a lot of untapped functionality. Low-code development provides development modules for people with limited technical backgrounds. These business people can use the pre-built capabilities of low-code platforms to further innovate and grow your business.
Low-code versus no-code: what's the difference?
Definitions of low code and no code can often replace concepts, but they are not exactly the same. While both low-code and no-code solutions are designed to simplify application development, the differences between them are worth considering:
1. Low code
The low-code platform is designed for professional developers and non-technical business users. They require minimal technical training or development experience and use visual-based modeling to streamline the development process. They also allow those with coding experience to delve deeper and code themselves when needed.
2. No code
No-code platform requires no development experience and is designed for the average developer and business user. No-code solutions are basically open to application development for everyone, but can lead to *shadow functionality—unapproved application development within the team.
Fourth, the principle of low-code application development
To improve the way organizations develop applications, low-code platforms need to meet certain criteria. Here are the basic principles of low-code development:
1. Fast delivery
Modular, reusable building blocks and pre-built functional components eliminate the friction of complexity and the need to build everything from scratch.
2. Collaboration
The multi-role environment with tools adapts to the different skills and experience levels of the entire team. This allows different stakeholders to work together to quickly deliver the best applications and experiences. Less experienced builders can use features built by professional developers directly, enabling a faster and more agile development process.
3. Business expansion
As the foundation of the application development environment, low code enables users to quickly scale from simple to complex business experiences and solve cross-business silos from end to end.
4. Avoid duplicate research and development
The average developer is happy to build applications quickly and avoid project delays. Low-code enforcement policies and technical constraints limit and manage application development cycles while avoiding data duplication, inconsistencies, and insecurity.
5. Strategic objectives
Application development must be aligned with the team's strategic goals. Strategic low-code development alignment with business value is a measure of successful teams, and establishing application development standards can oversee team budgets as well as resource allocation.
6. Under the unification of technology
Low-code development plans must establish technical standards and best implementation routes, develop development processes, develop testing and deployment scenarios, and develop technical training requirements for team members.
7. The principle of operability
The operational principles of low-code development define and manage the requirements receiving process. There is also a need to establish standard requirements for technical support, program maintenance, and updates, while defining rationalization and irrational requirements management.
8. User experience
Low-code development must consistently create a positive user experience. This guarantees user acceptance. New apps don't disrupt user behavior or reduce new user acceptance.
9. Function integration
Low-code integration is critical to ensure rapid integration between processes and resources. Platforms must be able to quickly integrate the data or dependent systems that the business needs, without the need for specialized integration tools. Pre-built, end-to-end integration solutions reduce integration time to business value.
10. Security
Security is the basic principle of a successful low-code platform. Reduce risks related to data, operational impact, business continuity, operational performance, etc.
Who can use low-code/no-code builds?
Yesterday we also mentioned the uncoded user population, but not comprehensively, today we re-refine these people.
Between the no-code and low-code options, almost anyone on the team can participate in the development process. That said, not every app your team builds is great for code-free development.
Low-code solutions can effectively build a full range of applications, including those that run complex, important processes that are at the heart of the business. Code-free solutions lack some oversight, which can lead to issues such as security, integration, and compliance. Cautious teams limit no-code development to front-end, low-risk applications.
With that in mind, it's worth noting that different users may benefit from different encodings.
1. Developers
Between developers and IT professionals, there is a greater preference for low-code platforms. Effective low-code platform tools are designed to assist in the coding process without limiting the functionality of the generated application. Professional developers will find code-free too limited to meet their needs.
2. Ordinary business personnel
Low code can also be used by ordinary businesses. However, they need the assistance of more experienced developers. No-code solutions are better suited for developers who have no coding experience and no resources to ensure an effective low-code development process.
How to get started with low-code/no-code
Perhaps the biggest advantage of low-code and no-code development is its accessibility. Low code requires limited coding experience, and codeless is designed for those who have no coding experience at all. Getting started with low and no code is as easy as finding the right platform with the right tools. With an effective platform, built-in tutorials, intuitive controls, and occasional customer support are enough to start creating the business features you need.
How does a low-code development platform work?
The tools listed above provide a premise where developers can bypass most of the application and software development processes. These platforms provide visual programming and code generation capabilities, reducing the need for manual coding. At the same time, low-code platforms automatically connect to the backend, manage data storage and usage, and eliminate the need for developer involvement.
After the application is completed, the relevant team is responsible for bringing it to market.
Eighth, what are the basic advantages of an excellent low-code platform
A good low-code platform supports developers and ordinary business people. Therefore, good low code is concentrated in the following areas:
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Intelligent orchestration
Built-in intelligent orchestration capabilities that provide orchestration suggestions when you're confused, facilitating better business decisions.
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Development tools
A complete set of application development tools helps developers at all levels create powerful applications quickly and at scale.
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Integration services
Includes pre-built integrations for popular business applications, as well as the ability to create custom integrations, making it easy to efficiently connect your platform to any system and link data your business needs.
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Cross-platform user experience
It aims to provide a user-friendly user experience both on the PC side and on mobile devices.
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Notification service
Alerting users when important events occur, top-of-the-line low-code platforms use a variety of built-in notification services to ensure that those involved are notified in a timely manner.
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Reliable security mechanisms
Commercial applications may contain potentially sensitive data. A good low-code platform needs to provide reliable data security and system security.
9. Low/no code value
It's not hard to see the benefits of low-code development from the above; extending development capabilities beyond experienced development teams, providing time-saving tools and automation tools means faster development cycles, greater productivity, greater agility, and so on. But what about value? Using the example of app engine in the iResearch report, let's look at the data:
- End users are 50 to 75 percent more efficient when performing workflow tasks because of applications built with App Engine.
- App Engine developers are four times more efficient than full-stack developers.
- By retiring legacy software and applications, the legacy platform saved a total of $2.1 million over three years (and potentially more).
- New developers only need a quarter of the time to integrate into development.
- Junior developers can then perform core development of core business functions.
As a result, businesses see the following average cost benefits:
- Average ROI 230%
- Net present value of $7.06 million
- The present value of benefits is $10.13 million
- Full investment recovered within nine months
How do low-code and agile development work together?
Low-code solutions are designed to provide a faster and more efficient path to software development. As a result, low-code and agile methods blend in with each other.
Agile methods are a way of thinking that brings together multiple software development methodologies. Most basically, Agile focuses on rapidly delivering customer requirements through collaboration between developers and decision makers, while adapting to changing needs throughout the development cycle. This enables organizations to better manage constant change and continually improve.
An effective low-code platform provides a single management solution for software development, facilitating collaboration, executing best practices, and automating testing and feedback processes. Make low code naturally match agile development.
11. What is visual development? Is it the same as low code?
Visual development is a graphical interface with simple logic and drag-and-drop tools for a more natural development process. Although these definitions are not exactly the same, visual development is basically an important feature of all low-code and no-code platforms.
Is RPA a low code?
Robotic process automation (RPA) is used to automate basic business requirements across applications. In other words, RPA is a program that is capable of running and operating software. Although RPA is not just low-code, it can be incorporated into an effective low-code solution.
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