DEVOPSdigest

We are thriving in a fast-paced generation where time is directly proportional to productivity and profitability. Keeping this aspect in mind, our technological advancement in the field of software development has led to the creation of what's known as RAD or Rapid Application Development tools. The idea is to make software development faster and more accessible.

Low-code development and no-code development platforms are the first generations of RAD tools that have revolutionized the software development process. According to predictions made by Gartner, by 2024, low-code development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.

This blog will help you understand what the buzz is all about. Let's find out what low-code development is and how it can be the next big thing in the software development industry.

What Is Low-Code Development?

Low-code development is an entirely new approach to the rapid development of software. It is a visual take on software development and expects minimal technical knowledge from the participant. In fact, according to Mendix, 24% of low-code users started with zero programming experience. Impressive, right?

Low-code platforms leverage libraries of pre-built functionality that you can easily drag and drop on a graphic interface. Using low-code, you can make complex applications, as the visual environment is connected to the backend using APIs.

Difference Between Low-Code and No-Code

Although they belong to the same family of rapid app development, the key difference between low-code and no-code is their target audience and output capabilities.

Low-code platforms are meant for developers to rapidly build front-end prototypes within days and hours. It gives them the flexibility to focus on the interface and functionality of the applications while the platform takes care of the coding logic.

No-code is targeted more towards small scale businesses. They generally lack the budget to outsource their development process. As such, relying on no-code RAD, they can easily develop complete applications without the hassle of writing codes. However, one must note that no-code development is only capable of basic application development.

Why Adopt Low-Code Development?

Depending on the scope of the project, custom software development can be an expensive affair. Many companies spend a hefty amount of money on customization to stay at par with the competition. This factor alone is the biggest motivation for adopting low-code development. Apart from this driving factor, low-code development provides some notable benefits as follows:

Reduced turn around time

Compared to the traditional agile development methodologies, low-code development is relatively fast. It uses model-driven logic for its development process. Using this technique, the turn around time for software development has significantly reduced. What earlier used to take months can now be deployed within few days.

Simplified development process

The low-code development process involves a drag-n-drop functionality for rapid prototyping. The need to code in multiple languages is omitted with the automatic translation of the drag-n-drop component to the relevant code. Also, one doesn't need to constantly update the application with the latest OS updates, as the low-code development platform takes care of this.

Easy to explore

By leveraging low-code development capabilities, you are cutting down your development cost by a significant margin. This allows developers to experiment with the latest technologies to explore more possible horizons. Technologies like Machine learning/Artificial Intelligence and image recognition can be easily integrated with these development platforms to fiddle with.

High ROI

Depending on low-code development for your next application development could provide you high Return on Investment (ROI). Low-code takes care of data integration, app security, and cross-platform support for you. Also, low-code simplifies app deployment with its single-click app deployment. All these features make it easier for you to focus only on development.

Faster transformation

Pivoting happens in software companies more often than you realize. Whether it may be due to immense competition, limited response, or change of perception, pivoting can both be a pain and a time-consuming process.

However, with low-code development, this doesn't have to be the case. As low-code development removes complexity, organizations can quickly adapt to changes. Whether it may be revamping your app, pivoting, or adapting to new market trends, low-code development can help you in effortless transformation.

Future for Low-Code Platforms

Low-code development is the dawn of RAD platforms. With advancements in technology, we will witness more technological giants maximize their effort to make RAD a norm in the future. However, one must note that low-code development is not a threat to the existing developer community. According to Colin Teubner (director of customer solutions, airSlate),"Those things don't threaten developer jobs because they actually make the developer more valuable. There's this huge well of humanity in programming that feels like a far cry from an AI that can build software."

In short, low-code development platforms aren't a threat to developer jobs. In fact, quite the opposite. With more expanding horizons in the field of development, low-code development is taking charge of just a portion of the pie to help developers and providers of custom software development services to focus on core competencies.

Conclusion

If you prefer customization, low-code development could be an alternative to the costly app development outsourcing. Depending upon your business, you could be the best judge whether or not low-code development is a thing for you.