Low-code is an application development method that elevates coding from textual to visual.
Rather than a technical coding environment, low-code operates in a model-driven, drag-and-drop interface. All development skill levels — professional developers, novice developers, subject matter experts, business stakeholders, and decision makers — can use low-code to build value-driven enterprise business applications.
Low-code application development platforms (LCAPs) abstract and automate every step of the application lifecycle.
Development is more accessible to users without technical expertise, with features that accelerate the development process.
Visual modeling Drag-and-drop functionality and an intuitive visual UI make it possible for professional developers to increase their productivity and for citizen developers to build all types of applications. Model-driven development lets you visualize how the application works as it’s being built with the ability to launch with one-click deployment. |
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Reusable components Build cross-platform applications with pre-configured modules, logic, templates, connectors, and more. Components of a low-code application can be customized and extended by skilled developers. |
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Collaboration tools Develop collaboratively with built-in tools for feedback loops, revision tracking, user stories, messaging, and more. The visual nature of low-code keeps everyone speaking the same development language. |
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Scalable environments Deploy new applications and augment existing applications quickly as customer demands and business needs change. A cloud-based low-code platform provides flexibility, support for continuous delivery, and run-time and dev-time scalability on demand. |
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Data integration Securely integrate data and logic from any source, system, or service — including your core legacy systems. Build applications using pre-configured APIs and connectors, or empower your skilled developers to build a custom integration. |
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Application lifecycle management Low-code supports all phases of the application development lifecycle with tools to streamline project management, requirements management, version control, testing, deployment, and more. Holistic low-code platforms incorporate Agile development practices and DevOps tools. |
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What is the difference between low-code and…
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No-code No-code development is ideal for people with no coding knowledge or experience. With this development technique, you can build basic applications with a limited scope, without involving IT. Features of no-code:
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High-code (traditional) High-code, or traditional development, involves manual coding in multiple languages with various technologies. You can build any solution, but you’ll be heavily reliant on professional developer resources. Features of high-code:
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Low-code development combines the best of both worlds in a single platform where both non-technical users and professional developers can apply their skillsets, collaborate, and co-develop solutions.
With an integrated development environment (IDE) catered to both business users and professional developers, anyone with an idea can use low-code to tackle today’s business challenges.
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Professional Low-code provides developers with a sophisticated toolbox tailored to support client-side, server-side, and integration development. With low-code, professional developers can extend applications with custom code, integrate data from multiple sources, build mobile applications, leverage microservices, and translate business needs into custom solutions.
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How do you choose the right low-code development platform when there are more than 300 vendors in the market?
At its foundation, your low-code platform should be equipped to help you meet the ever-increasing demand for software solutions. But what about the details?
Every low-code development platform is different. Use the evaluation criteria below as you’re vetting your options.
Collaborative IDE To empower your entire workforce to co-create solutions, make sure the platform you use has a collaborative IDE. The platform should have built-in tools to facilitate real-time collaboration between business and IT throughout the application lifecycle. |
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Data integration Organizations have vast amounts of data across various teams. The platform should have the ability to integrate with any system and data source. Your low-code platform should make it easy for developers to find, understand, and use data from any internal or external source — without compromising data security. |
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Application lifecycle management Your low-code platform should have an integrated set of tools and services for continuous support throughout the application development lifecycle — from ideation and requirements gathering to deployment and performance management. This support eliminates the traditional bottlenecks, costs, and risks associated with app delivery while increasing quality and providing a better development experience for all stakeholders involved. |
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User experience End-users expect frictionless experiences across their various devices. Your low-code platform should offer development and operational support for web, mobile, immersive, and conversational experiences to optimize UX. |
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Productivity To support developers of all skill sets, the platform should offer drag-and-drop widgets, reusable components, and real-time collaboration tools to enhance citizen development productivity. The platform should also offer flexible integration and extensibility, as well as out-of-the-box DevOps tools to help professional developers build complex applications and systems faster. |
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Cloud support Your low-code platform should support the scalable development of cloud-native applications with the option to deploy on public, private, or hybrid clouds, as well as on-premise. |
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And don’t forget to check…
Use cases What type of applications do you need to deliver? If you’re looking to build simple productivity applications and web forms, no-code features will get the job done. But if your goal is to deliver mission-critical applications, modernize core systems, and offer sophisticated user experiences, invest in an enterprise-grade low-code platform. |
The vendor’s vision What is the low-code vendor’s strategic vision for the platform? Work with a vendor that has a strong customer-centric focus on the future of the platform, with an ecosystem of delivery partners, developer communities, marketplaces, and training resources. |
From a departmental level to the entire enterprise, low-code is helping organizations across the globe revolutionize the way they solve business problems.
Push your digital strategies forward by building and innovating solutions quickly that drive unprecedented business value.
Low-code is the future of application development— and it has the reputation to prove it.
You can build software applications without any coding skills by using a low-code development platform. Low code enables anyone — from your most senior developers to business analysts with no programming experience — to build enterprise-grade applications with speed and ease.
Low-code platforms enable collaboration across the organization with greater transparency and with control to promote quality and consistency every step of the way.
Low-code application development is a visual, model-driven way to build and deploy software applications.
Business users and professional developers of all skill levels can build anything from process automation applications to core systems in a low-code environment. This enables organizations to stay agile, break down departmental silos, and improve overall productivity.
Visual software development is an intuitive way to build custom applications. Low-code application platforms make this possible with model-driven development concepts to visually define user interfaces, logic, and data models.
With visual development, anyone from citizen developers to professional developers can build native mobile applications, web applications, APIs, microservices, and more. Because the development environment is visual and model driven, users gain proficiency in a fraction of the time it takes to master a traditional development language. And if hand coding is required, professional developers can encapsulate logic and functionality into modules for the rest of the development team to reuse in their projects.
Low code is a catalyst for digital transformation because it’s faster and more intuitive than traditional development.
Low-code platforms provide integrated collaboration tools to help the development team (which includes the business) reach alignment early and often in the application lifecycle. The visual, model-driven development environments present logic in a common language anyone in the application lifecycle can understand.
Developers of all skill levels are more efficient because low-code tools increase quality and consistency. Application throughput increases, delivered applications accurately drive positive business outcomes, and the business is more likely to adopt the solutions because they have a greater investment and understanding of the process.
Both low-code and no-code development platforms make it possible for anyone from citizen developers to professional developers to build custom applications.
Low-code platforms allow developers to extend applications with their own coded enhancements. No-code platforms apply constraints to the development environment, limiting the user’s ability to extend the application beyond the vendor’s supplied solution.
Low-code platforms support a spectrum of developers. Citizen developers use low-code tools to build productivity applications or start UI development on enterprise apps through a governed experience. Business and professional developers use low-code tools to create enterprise applications, REST APIs, microservices and more. When custom code is necessary, professional developers encapsulate the code they write into shareable modules for the whole development team to drag-and-drop into their applications.
Traditional development requires manual coding in multiple languages and specialized developer skills. Low code uses visual, drag-and-drop interfaces that both developers and business users can utilize.
Low code reduces development time by 90% compared to traditional methods while maintaining the flexibility to create sophisticated applications.
Low-code lends itself well to the Agile methodology of application development by offering a suite of tools to foster collaboration and transparency throughout the application development lifecycle.
Low-code platforms include a central hub for project and story management, communication, and feedback. These elements flow directly into the development environment and the application itself for users to navigate and address items easily.
Read more about how low code works with the Agile methodology.
High productivity application platform as a service (hpaPaaS) is a term popularized by Gartner to categorize platforms that support declarative, model-driven design and one-click deployment. hpaPaaS solutions include rapid application development (RAD) capabilities along with application deployment and execution services in the cloud. Both hpaPaaS and low-code provide levels of abstraction with an integrated set of tools to accelerate application delivery.
Low-code development platforms facilitate the practical implementation of RAD with visual development capabilities to enable rapid, iterative, and collaborative application design. Business and IT are able to align on requirements through integrated project management tools modeled after Agile. Users can share prototypes to gather feedback and refine requirements, and reuse models and components.
The best low-code development tools are inclusive of the business and provide features for active contribution and communication throughout the application development lifecycle.
Low-code development tools integrate collaboration into every facet of the platform. Intuitive drag-and-drop development environments are used to create engaging user interfaces and visual logic, and you can also implement your own design language to represent your brand.
With visual development, one-click deployment, reusable components, and alignment with Agile methodologies, low-code development platforms allow development teams to build and deploy applications faster. This allows organizations to accelerate their time-to-market and increase IT output, all while optimizing IT productivity and increasing ROI.
Low-code platforms use pre-tested, reusable components that maintain security and performance standards. They include built-in tools for testing, version control, and deployment management throughout the application lifecycle. This comprehensive approach to quality ensures applications meet enterprise standards without requiring manual security implementation.