Featured article by Mark Ariens, Independent Technology Author
Building applications for the web, computers, or mobile phones is made easier and faster by low-code and low-code platforms. Low-code is a family of tools that help users to create applications using point and click drag and drop actions visually. Low-code uses digital visual processes that do not involve traditional processes that involved following winding lines of complex code and syntax.
In 2020, low-code platform are among the business assets that entrepreneurs cannot work without. With Creatio, access to non-expert app development and coding information is made easier. The information makes learning for businesses more accessible in 2020 by providing business information to entrepreneurs interested in developing custom made apps. They help businesses to upgrade from analog methods to more digital methods with low operating costs and fewer sales rep hours.
Developing Low-code apps is simple, even without a third party or expertise. They also improve business efficiency and availability to customers, both physically and online. These online platforms are more user engagement and therefore beat the traditional way by making the business more available to clients.
Traditional application development Process
Traditional application development has been a tedious technical process that involves a line-to-line hand-coding process that consumes a tremendous amount of time as well.
The low code development process
Low-code reduces the time spent in technical app building by more than half. The process, however, does not reduce the value of app developers but increases the value they produce by being able to build more applications in a short time.
Low-code platforms come with a number of selected features. Businesses are, however, free to choose suitable platforms depending on need, size, and future prospects. Low-code eliminates the traditional line-by-line hand-coding of applications and introduces a digital system of coding using visual modeling in a graphical platform. A typical low code development platform has three sections;
1. Connectors to various back-ends or services – this section deals with data structures, storage, and retrieval features. It makes data stratification and storage easier, and thus data retrieval is also made much easier.
2. A visual IDE – this is where visual aspects of low-code platforms are customized and enabled. It defines the UIs, data models, and workflows of your application. It also allows an integration of handwritten codes where it may be necessary.
3. Application lifecycle manager – this feature enables application building and monitoring for improvement. It has tools that enable building, debugging, deploying, and maintaining the application throughout testing, staging, and production.
Take note that no two low-code tools are exactly similar. FoxPro, for example, was used in the 90s and was quite limited to visual database front-end. Some tools focus on specific business needs while others have adopted low-code term just to describe a purpose-built tool with nothing or little to do with actual application development. On the other hand, there are no-code tools which are more relevant to business users and citizen developers.
What is low-code like to work with?
Developing software with low-code is just similar to building software in any other way. However, with low code, app development will take you less time compared to the traditional way. It is, however, not reasonable to start app building processes from scratch when these things have been developed before, and patterns are well understood. Hand coding is much more tedious and time-consuming, and this is where low-code comes in to save the tome and skills needed to build and come up with user-friendly apps. Why start new? Low code is here to help you do more within the same period traditional developers need for an app.
About the Author:
Mark Ariens holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Standford University, and is currently pursuing his Masters in Business Computing at Staffordshire University, London. CRM and Low-code are his major areas of interest, and he has written several articles on the same. He runs several blogs on Technology, mainly focusing on the current trends. He also offers expert advice on IT-related issues and actively participates in global events on technology.
