In today’s digital world, businesses need software applications to keep pace with their changing needs and requirements. Businesses now look for more efficient ways to build and deploy these applications, without compromising on the quality or functionality.

To meet this need, low-code software development platforms are increasingly being used. These platforms allow coders and non-coders to build, test and deploy apps with less code. Let’s take a closer look at what low-code platform software is and why you should use it in your next project.

What is a Low-Code Platform?

A low-code platform is an application development platform that enables businesses to create custom applications without writing any code. They are used to build business applications like sales and marketing automation apps, Human Resource Management systems, supply chain management software, etc.

These tools have features that make them easy to use, even for non-technical users. Low-code platforms provide a visual way to develop applications by dragging and dropping elements in a visual interface. With these platforms, you can create apps by dragging and dropping elements from a visual interface.

You don’t need programming knowledge to create functional software applications. You just need to know the business requirements of the application. Most of these platforms support multiple programming languages, so if you know one programming language, you can use this platform to build apps in any language.

Features of a low-code platform

User onboarding:

To get new employees up to speed with the company’s processes and systems, many businesses need to build custom-made training and onboarding solutions. With low-code platforms, businesses can easily create user onboarding apps that guide new employees through the necessary steps to get up to speed on the job.

Integrated analytics:

Data is the new currency of business. To drive more revenue, better customer satisfaction and higher overall performance, businesses today are heavily investing in analytics tools and software applications.

However, analytics tools often require significant time and effort to create, making it difficult to meet the increasing demand for more data-driven insights. With low-code platforms, you can build analytics apps without having to code.

This allows you to accelerate the development of your analytics apps, so you can get the data you need to make more strategic business decisions faster.

Integration:

While investing in custom-made software is essential for businesses to keep pace with their growth and remain competitive, this is often a costly and time-consuming process.

Low-code platforms make it easy for businesses to build applications that integrate with existing systems, making it simple to plug new applications into your existing infrastructure. This reduces the time and cost associated with building custom apps from scratch.

Benefits of Low-Code Platform

Reduce upfront investment:

In the long run, investing in a low-code platform will help you reduce the upfront investment required to build applications. This is because these platforms allow you to create apps without writing any code. This means you don’t have to hire an army of developers to build and deploy new applications.

Faster time to market:

The time taken to build an application is directly proportional to the amount of code required. If you want to build an application faster, you need to minimize the amount of code required in the development process.

With low-code platforms, you can build apps with a few clicks, as opposed to coding them from scratch. This means you can reduce the time taken to build the application and get it to market faster than with a custom-built app.

Easy collaboration:

Although custom-built applications can be easily integrated with existing systems, integrating those applications often become a challenge. The integration process can be painstaking and difficult, especially when it comes to building a large, enterprise-level application.

With a low-code platform, there is a central server that hosts the application. This makes it simpler for teams to share and collaborate on the application.

Limitations of Low-Code Platform

Security risk:

While low-code platforms make it very easy to create business applications without writing any code, they also come with some significant security risks. If you don’t follow the right security practices while creating and using these applications, you might leave your data vulnerable to attacks.

Lack of functionality:

While low-code platforms allow non-coders to build fully functional apps easily and quickly, they also come with limitations. For example, if you want to build an application that requires specific functionality that isn’t available on the platform, you won’t be able to create it.

Hard to scale:

Low-code platforms can be a great option for businesses that want to create applications quickly and without hiring developers. However, if you want to scale your business and build more applications, or want to integrate the application with your existing systems, it will be difficult.

How to choose a Low-code platform?

There are many low-code platforms on the market today, making it difficult to choose the right solution for your organization. Here are some tips to help you select the right platform for your business:

• Type of application you plan to build: Before you go shopping for a low-code platform, make sure you define the type of application you need to build. This will help you narrow down your options and make an informed decision.
• Integration: When you are building an application, you want to make sure it integrates with your existing systems, like your CRM, ERP, etc. This will help you get the data you need to make strategic business decisions quickly.
• User onboarding: New employees are the lifeblood of any organization. If you want to get new employees up to speed with your processes and systems, you need to build custom-made training and onboarding solutions. With a low-code platform, you can easily create user onboarding apps and get new employees up to speed quickly.
• Programming language: If you know one programming language, you can use low-code platforms to build apps in any language. This makes it easier for you to create apps using low-code platforms.
• Cost: Before you choose a low-code platform, you need to understand your business requirements and whether the platform you are considering is suitable for your organization. You also need to consider the cost associated with the platform.

Key takeaway

The low-code platform is the new way of building software applications. These platforms allow you to create applications without writing any code. They are used to build business applications like sales and marketing automation apps, Human Resource Management systems, supply chain management software, etc.

They provide a visual way to build apps by dragging and dropping elements in a visual interface. With these platforms, you can create apps by dragging and dropping elements from a visual interface. You don’t need programming knowledge to create functional software applications. You just need to know the business requirements of the application.

Continue Reading:

What is a No-code Platform? Will it replace Experienced Developers?

Programmer vs Coder