Do Low-Code Solutions have a Future in Web Development?
Build IT products with minimal to no coding!
ByHabileLabs
Over the past few years, low-code solutions have grown in popularity throughout the Software and IT industry.
Gartner predicts that by 2024, low-code application development will account for over 65% of application development.
Nowadays, businesses are increasingly utilizing low code applications to create web applications faster and gain a competitive edge. In simple words, low-code enables businesses to transform themselves by integrating digital technologies.
Let’s move ahead and learn what does the term ‘low-code’ exactly mean-
What are Low-Code Solutions?
The term ‘low-code’ solutions are quite self-explaining, it means that we can create websites with less or no code at all.
Low-code solutions facilitate more straightforward iteration and prototyping, making web development simpler and faster. It enables the quick development of fully operational web applications with minimal coding effort.
These benefits are available to both professional developers and non-IT professionals. Anyone willing to experiment can create unique websites using low-code solutions.
👉 Origin of the term “Low-Code”
Analyst firm Forrester formulated the term ‘low-code’ in 2014 and specified it as a platform for developing customer-facing applications.
The popularity of low-code has increased dramatically since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Organizations all over the world were obliged to hasten their digital strategies as a result of the pandemic and phased lockdowns.
Another factor driving low-code adoption is the mounting pressure on IT to provide value not only to organizations but also to target consumers.
Now that you know what low-code solutions are, let’s explore what makes them the future of web development. But before that, let’s shed light on the differences between low-code and no-code solutions.
Low-Code vs No-Code Solutions
In 2017, Forbes defined low-code as a movement and declared low-code and no-code as great disruptors.
Low-code and no-code development platforms perform the same function and have been devised keeping precision and speed in mind. Nevertheless, there is a fine line of difference between the two.
While low-code platforms are less complex and require less coding, they still need some coding or programming experience for developing web applications.
For organizations having professional software developers, low-code platforms are a fast and practical approach to developing and deploying web applications. However, with the progression of low-code development tools, even a non-IT professional with minimal programming skills can create web applications.
The no-code platform, in contrast, can be used to develop applications and systems with minimal coding knowledge, and in some cases, no coding is required at all.
The no-code development approach is designed to create simpler and straightforward web applications for executing simple tasks. Although, some no-code tools are known to create far more advanced and complicated apps.
Benefits of Low-Code Solutions
There are several advantages to a low-code approach to web development:
✔ Reduces Overall Expenses
Low-code development involves outsourcing a coding platform. Therefore, it eliminates the need of having a complete IT team.
Consequently, it allows for mitigating recruitment costs besides saving time in building web applications, thereby reducing overall web development costs.
✔ Enhances Business Agility
Experts say low-code website development is key to improving business agility. This type of development allows for the modification of internal software solutions, which ultimately assists non-coders in filling workflow skills gaps through visual elements that are relatively simple.
Furthermore, users can readily make it responsive for a wide array of devices.
✔ Enhances Productivity
Low-code lets you eliminate tedious and time-consuming technical code.
It allows you to modify or update processes without writing complex codes and enhances the collaboration between the development team and other departments.
Besides helping teams to collaborate more effectively, it saves a significant amount of time, resulting in increased productivity and profitability.
✔ Reduces Risk
Low-code solutions are bolstered by the industry’s best standards and security protocols. These platforms come with a data integration layer, cross-platform compatibility, and security algorithms that are always up-to-date.
Due to their high level of security and customization, your workflow remains highly protected, so you can concentrate on more crucial business tasks.
✔ Enhanced Customer Experience
Low-code development platforms have pre-built templates and offer a simpler user interface, optimizing consumer interactions on the platform.
As a result, it enables you to provide your end-users with a smooth and seamless experience without compromising the product’s features and functions.
Drawbacks of Low-Code Solutions
Low-code solutions also have their share of drawbacks. Considering its shortcomings, experts opine that while low-code may have a place in the future, it may not substitute other methods of web development since this approach goes on the blink as the solution’s complexity increases.
Let’s take a look at why experts believe this:
- The Risk of Vendor Lock-in!
It is one of the most significant drawbacks of low-code tools. The general assumption is that end-users are bound to their vendor for eternity. This issue, however, varies from vendor to vendor.
For example, some vendors dissuade you from leaving their platform by generating complex code that is virtually impossible to manage outside the platform.
To make things worse, some platforms do not let you modify your apps once you stop using them. In contrast, open-source vendors make clean and standard codes that work anywhere.
Although it is easier to manage these apps inside the framework, they can also be managed outside it. Thus, before acquiring a tool, do a bit of research to understand each vendor’s policies.
Also, ensure that you can manage the applications outside the platform. If possible, obtain a copy of the generated code beforehand, so you can understand how easily it can be altered.
- Minimal functionality!
The number of functions you can execute on a low code development solution is limited. Though it helps you develop web applications quickly, it doesn’t provide adequate alternatives in the event you wish to try something new.
- Calls for Technical Knowledge
It is a myth to say low code development requires no prior technical knowledge. Low-code tools require a solid technical background. Furthermore, learning the fundamental low-code development requirements is a time-consuming affair.
- Limited Security
Despite incorporating built-in security protocols, low-code tools can’t match standalone development in terms of security. The security of data or source code access is often compromised with low-code applications.
- Complicated Business Logic
Automating simple processes with low-code solutions is helpful for prototyping, but the business logic becomes complex after that point.
For example, in some cases, a feature that is not available in the platform can be implemented using custom code. Therefore, if you hope to advance the project, you will need an experienced team, otherwise, your business will be at risk.
Wrap Up-
All things considered, it seems logical to predict that, even though the low-code platform is a technical facilitator in the making, which is yet to realize its full potential, the low-code trend will only keep growing in the years ahead.
While low-code development has helped many businesses incorporate digitalization and automation into their processes and services, it has yet to impact various industries significantly. Despite its advantages, it is, however, not intended to be a replacement for conventional web development.
It is worth noting that businesses can use low-code platforms to supplement traditional web development methodologies and fill existing loopholes.
Low code can speed up time-to-market and improve a company’s overall efficiency when combined with conventional methods. Thus, combining low-code and traditional techniques can result in high-productive and faster web development.
HabileLabs, with its innovative approach and cutting-edge web technologies, is readily helping enterprises to revolutionize their tech capabilities without incurring substantial costs.
For any assistance required at your project front, feel free to contact us round the clock. 🙌