It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that traditional development and low-code or no-code development are incompatible, but the reality is more nuanced. There is frequently overlap between traditional programming approaches and low-code no-code app development methodologies within the same workflows.
The following explains what low-code and no-code development are, how they differ from conventional approaches to the application creation, and how your business may incorporate low-code and no-code development into its overall development strategy.
The Core Principles Underlying Low-Code and No-Code Development
The term "low-code" or "no-code" development refers to building the desired functionality of an application by implementing some elements of an application using pre-coded modules, which are traditionally selected through a drag-and-drop user interface.
The implementation of application functionality can be completed in a shorter amount of time when prebuilt modules are used. This frees developers to concentrate on other tasks that require more creativity or are more crucial to the business. The integration of an application with an external platform can also be facilitated by low-code or no-code development, which frees developers from the need to become familiar with every facet of the platform in question.
Some proponents of low-code or no-code development also tout it as a way to turn people who do not work in information technology into "citizen developers."
Traditional Vs. Low-Code/No-Code Development
The lines between traditional development and low-code or no-code development are becoming increasingly blurry for various reasons. These reasons include:
Even if they don't consider themselves low-code or no-code developers, most enterprise developers have used low-code or no-code technology strategies in specific parts of their workflows for a considerable amount of time.
The transition of traditional organizations toward low-code and no-code environments.
More and more companies are implementing low-code and no-code platforms within and between their central IT and the IT in business units to bring innovations closer to the intended business objectives.
Even software libraries, which have been a mainstay of application development for decades, can be seen as a type of low-code or no-code development because they enable developers to create complex applications with very few lines of human code. This makes software libraries a type of development that falls into low-code or no-code development.
Content management platforms such as WordPress and Drupal blur the line between traditional development and low-code/no-code development because they enable both. In the meantime, several heavy-duty e-commerce companies and media hubs are creating websites on these platforms that involve a significant amount of custom coding.
Consequently, the majority of development projects would be better served by a combination of the two approaches. Even though several platforms are available specifically for low-code or no-code development, it is highly unlikely that these platforms will fulfill an organization's requirements for development on their own.
The Benefits of Traditional Development
- Control. Developers have the most say when it comes to the organization of their apps and the writing of the code that runs them.
- Flexibility. The traditional software development method can be carried out in virtually any programming language and on virtually any development platform.
- It is applicable in any setting. Apps developed using the standard practices can be distributed to any location that the developers decide to make available for use.
The Benefits of Low-Code And No-Code Environments
Speed. Because a low-code or no-code strategy eliminates the need for certain manual programming tasks, developers can quickly construct applications.
Deployment choices are available. When it comes to application deployment, certain low-code and no-code platforms give developers the ability to target specific platforms, such as particular clouds.
Low-Code/No-Code Vs. Traditional Development Use Cases
The greatest way to take advantage of the benefits of low-code and no-code development is to avoid picking one or the other in place of traditional development. Instead, it would help to focus on striking the right balance between the two strategies and determining the areas of your workflows where low-code or no-code alternatives will be the most beneficial.
Here are some examples of common use cases that lend themselves particularly well to the application of low-code and no-code techniques:
Integrated systems. Tools that require little to no coding at all can make it much simpler to connect your app to third-party tools and platforms.
Websites that are intuitive and simple to use
Even people who aren't familiar with programming can easily create these apps thanks to integrations in BPM platforms that require little to no coding at all.
When Should You Not Make Use of Low-Code Or No-Code Programming
To get the most out of low-code and no-code development, it is also necessary to have a solid understanding of the factors that contribute to the success of traditional development.
Protection - Even though low-code and no-code applications do not lack security by their very nature, it may be challenging to ensure that they are developed according to stringent security standards. It is possible to audit these systems more challenging because the source code is hidden beneath low-code or no-code abstractions.
Maintainability - Long-term maintenance can become problematic if the developer of the low-code or no-code tools used in constructing an application decides to cease those tools.
Locking up - Developers that rely on low-code or no-code approaches may be more likely to become stuck within a particular low-code or no-code platform and ecosystem. They may only be able to deploy to the environments supported by the platform, or they may have problems converting their coding to a platform that a competitor vendor provides.
In Conclusion
When it comes to creating apps for end-users, many software development companies are turning to low-code/no-code development and no-code development as a supplement to traditional forms of programming.
Low-code, no-code, and no-code platforms provide organizations with a solution to lowering the time it takes to bring a product to market and raising the return on investment (ROI).
However, it is essential to remember that low-code, no-code, and no-code platforms are not intended to replace traditional or specialized programming skills. Traditional coders' programming skills are the only thing that can save the day and supply the required functionality if the platform does not meet the requirements of an enterprise. It should go without saying that software developers are irreplaceable.