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    What is Low-Code Development and How it Differs from Traditional Coding

    What is Low-Code Development and How it Differs from Traditional Coding

    Tracy Watson

    23/10/2019

    7 min read

    What is Low-Code Development

    Whenever you begin the app development process, one of the primary things that has to be decided is the intended platform. But first, you need to decide whether or not it should necessarily be the traditional programming companies offer. Because there is an alternative called low-code development. Low-coding can be used to design both mobile and web applications. However, when considering developing your product with low-code, there are many factors you must take into account. In this article, we have gathered all of the information you will need in order to make a decision about whether low-code is the right choice for you.

    So, let’s take a look at exactly what is low code development and how is it different from the traditional coding process.

    Low Code Definition

    With Low-code development, also known as No-code, the biggest difference with the traditional process is the architecture itself. Metadata ultimately drives low-code architecture. In other words, all the actions a user can perform inside the app will be maintained as metadata. It will be interpreted by the app when it is running to provide the user interface. One of the most exciting aspects of the low-code platform is the designer interface. It allows you to create the app functionality with a drag and drop feature. This usually involves creating a library of integrated forms that will interact with all of the target data API.

    When a low-code designer creates a metadata file that will be maintained on the app’s servers, this metadata will be interpreted to render the user interface in HTML5 inside the web browser, if a user interacts with the app.

    Now that we have a basic definition of low-code development let’s pass through some advantages it offers. 

    low-code development pros

    Advantages of Low-Code Development

    One of the most significant benefits low-code development offers is that when all the components involved in development are upgraded, all of the functionalities that you created will continue to work. Think of it as Microsoft Excel. If you create a spreadsheet in the newest version of Excel, and sometime later, Microsoft releases a new version of it, you will still be able to access all your files, and you will retain all functionality. An additional advantage of low-code development includes:

    • Less skill required – The skills that are necessary to create a low-code product are much less than with traditional development because such a coding method provides configuration-based design experiences.
    • Increased time to market – All of the configuration processes are much faster when compared with traditional development methods. Code writing, debugging, and compiling are much faster.
    • Better security – Whenever a new patch or security upgrade is released, it will be automatically installed. In the traditional method, the developer has to go back into the code to implement the security fix.
    • Flexibility – When you choose no-code development for your product, you really take advantage of the flexibility that the Agile method provides. All of the metadata-driven platforms support versioning for any edits that were made to the application. That means that it can merely undo any action or change you made without a lot of effort.

    Drawbacks of Low-Code

    Now that we looked at the advantages, we need to consider the disadvantages as well. The most significant minuses of low-code development are:

    • Lack of customization – The low-code development platforms offer a very slim choice for companies to develop bespoke software.
    • Vendor lock-in – Once you choose a platform for low-code development, you are at the mercy of the rules and the regulations that specific vendor offers.
    • Shadow IT concerns – Employees are downloading and installing software that has not been verified by the IT department.
    • Developer shortage – Since this is an obscure area of expertise, you will have a hard time finding developers who are skilled at low-code development.
    • Security risks – If you choose to use low-code development, you are losing all of your security oversight to the platform vendor.
    low-code development cons

    If You Want a Great Product, You Have Custom Develop It

    Low-code is gaining popularity among developers because it allows them to get more creating new features, instead of having to do redundant work. While it would be great to learn the JavaScript framework, which is getting rave reviews in the development community, your competitor can create a minimum viable product for clients while you are fiddling around with debugging and other tasks involved with traditional development.

    Having said this, if you are looking to create a cutting-edge product, low-coding is simply not an option. If you are just starting out and you are on a limited budget, then you can try low-coding. But if you are a well-established market player looking to create the product of the future, you will need custom software development. Think of no-coding as a shortcut to creating a very basic product in a short timeframe. However, if you are an experienced company, there is no need to risk your reputation by creating a subpar product with low-code development.

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