Low-code no-code platforms - Transformational or another technology hype
When I started my technology career just before the turn of the last century, it was the dawn of what used to be 4GL or 4th Generation languages like Power Builder, FoxPro, Oracle Developer 2K, and Visual Basic. It was widely said that with these 4GL developers will be redundant for most enterprise software development. Now here we are among the biggest developer demand in the history of the technology industry.
Therefore, when I hear the hype about Low-code No-code platforms, no wonder I am skeptical. To decode the myth of these platforms, let me explain the enterprise software on the dimension of customization & configurable.
Any software has some level of feature or behavior change by either customization (code change) or configuration (no code change). Various types of software fall in a continuum across these parameters as follows:
The goal of the low-code no-code platform is to give software capability like #1 with a short development cycle that does not need software engineers. Both goals are very promising for any business as today they struggle with both the pace and capacity of their IT teams.
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However, there are potential risks with low-code no-code platforms. Some of those risks are:
Therefore, like all technology hype, there is an element of truth. These platforms are very useful for quickly building enterprise applications requiring a simple user interface and workflows backed with a well-defined data model with limited or no complex business logic or integrations.
Using these platforms for the above use cases can help deliver enterprise software quickly and effectively however indiscriminate use of such platforms can lead to a constrained system with limited benefits.
Developer at CGI
1 年Fascinating article! I'm definitely on the "here to stay" train for low-code/no-code platforms. They democratize app development, empower citizen developers, and accelerate innovation – no small feat in today's dynamic business landscape. While I haven't personally used every platform, I've been impressed by Kovaion's low-code platform - https://kovaion.com/blogs/low-code-platform/ capabilities. Their intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionalities make building complex applications a breeze, even for non-coders. #lowcode #nocode #development #Kovaion
CEO & Co-Founder | Start-Up | Software | SaaS | Data
2 年Great article, especially "No chance of customization of features beyond what the platform can be configured with. This can limit what is possible to be built" Having the ability to use full code in standard languages inside a low-code dev environment is critical to their successful use.
Solutions Architect specialising on Digital Sovereignty, Data & Analytics, and Public Cloud Adoption.
2 年Vivek Kant I too belong a generation where I have seen pretty great applications being developed with Visual Basic and Power Builder. So your observations totally resonate with me. There is a clear chasm between low-fidelity data-entry orientated applications built for internal use. And high-fidelity public- facing applications. The ones that generate revenue. Low Code and No Code is a candidate for building the former. Not the later. The current crop of Low-Code tooling is not yet mature enough for building high-quality and engaging user journeys. Doesn't mean that they are crap. But we should be cautious. For e.g. What does the back-end for my low-code app look like? Is it airtable, Google Sheet? Can I integrate with an in-house API? Can I export the data out? Or is my data locked into their platform?
Agree with your statement - "...indiscriminate use of such platforms can lead to a constrained system with limited benefits.". As you rightly mentioned, the goal of the low-code no-code platform is to give software capability with a short development cycle. I am sharing one video (Design Microservice Architectures the Right Way - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ow-UemzBc&t=1s) which was before this hype of low code no code, but falls in the same continuum. We have been using similar tool which we have built for our own development team and we have been benefitting from this. And since we have custom built this tool, we can make customisations in the tool as and when there is need. So in summary, a tech savvy company should build and adopt such tools rather than going for ready low code no code platforms.
Co founder, COO IndustryApps, Ex Global Head Digital Operations Henkel, Industrial DataSpace expert, Industry 4.0, Smart Factory Technology expert
2 年My take - Low code/No-code platforms are great for quick PoCs, concept-building, and agile developments. They could be extremely effective in environments where there are continuous changes and require Lean tools, Forms, and workflows for data collection, etc. This can be part of Digital transformation but not the final architecture. The biggest challenge is No Code/Low code still requires a level of skill and understanding to build a solution. You need to know how to call an API, how to get data from underlying databases and some front end designs. The targeted audience ( from what it sounds to say No Code) does not have these skills. So what may work is offering these platforms as a service for companies to get solutions built for them. As they are quick and agile companies would love to get designs and solutions faster for their customized needs.