A comprehensive guide to low-code development
Low code is a visual and collaborative way to develop and deploy software applications.
Instead of the technical coding environment required by traditional development, low code abstracts and automates every step of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) in an intuitive, model-driven, drag-and-drop IDE.
Low-code development is more accessible to non-technical users, empowering people of all skill levels to build value-driven business applications.
Traditional development refers to fully manual coding in program languages like C#, Java, and Python. Everything is customizable because professional developers build everything from scratch.
The highly specialized nature of traditional development can alienate non-technical specialists like stakeholders, project managers, subject matter experts, and others who are crucial to the application strategy.
Low-code development is a visual process with a drag-and-drop IDE that bridges communication gaps between technical and non-technical team members. All skill levels can build business applications faster using starter apps, pre-built and reusable components, and templates.
Low code is not limited to simple use cases. With a low-code platform, you can modernize legacy systems, create custom integrations, and build complex business software.
| Traditional Coding | Low Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Development | Manual coding in multiple languages and tech stacks | Visual development abstracts complexity, so everyone is speaking the same language |
| Required Expertise | Requires advanced technical skills with a small talent pool | Uses existing talent and frees specialized developers to work on more complex tasks |
| Costs & Resources | Notorious for being time‑intensive, resource‑heavy, and costly | Can reduce development time by 90% and uses fewer resources |
| Types of Applications | Requires separate development for mobile, web, and various operating systems/devices | Build web and mobile apps, PWAs, and AI agents for all systems/devices in a single platform |
Low code and no code both take a visual approach to development to make it more accessible to more people. But there are a few significant differences between them.
No-code development utilizes a visual IDE just like low code, but it’s simpler and can only be used to create basic applications like dashboards or forms.
Low-code development is more sophisticated than no code and can be used to build any type of application at varying levels of complexity. You can use low code to create the simple applications that no code is known for, plus complex, enterprise-level solutions.
| No Code | Low Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Development | Completely visual with no option to custom code | Visual with the ability to add custom code |
| Required Expertise | Best for technical beginners with no coding knowledge or experience | Ideal for everyone from citizen developers to the pros |
| Costs & Resources | Limited flexibility for customizations and integrations | Highly flexible with the option to add custom code |
| Types of Applications | Build basic applications or prototypes for complex applications | Build any type of application, from simple to complex |
Visual, model-driven developmentDrag-and-drop functionality and an intuitive visual UI allow professional developers to increase their productivity and 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.
GenAI capabilitiesLow-code platforms use AI in strategic, behind-the-scenes, and user-facing ways to make development faster, more innovative, and more accessible.
Reusable componentsBuild cross-platform applications with pre-configured modules, logic, templates, connectors, and more. Skilled developers can customize and extend low-code application components.
SDLC managementLow code supports all phases of the software development lifecycle with tools to streamline project management, requirements management, version control, testing, deployment, and more. Holistic low-code platforms incorporate the Agile methodology and DevOps tools.
CollaborationDevelop collaboratively with built-in tools for feedback loops, revision tracking, user stories, messaging, and more. Low-code’s visual nature keeps everyone speaking the same development language.
Speed is an immediate benefit for most organizations because low code can reduce development time by 90%. That means you can transform months-long projects into weeks or even days.
The speed of low code doesn’t sacrifice quality or capabilities. Instead, it eliminates repetitive tasks and manual coding that consume developer time without adding proportional value to the final product.
Software and applications built with low code can evolve as business needs change more easily than traditional coding.
With low code, you don’t have to start from scratch. The component-based architecture and microservices integral to low code’s flexibility make it easy to extend existing applications and create new ones.
Don’t forget: Low code also supports custom coding. So you can go beyond the capabilities of visual development when necessary.
Security is a common worry when developing software. But low-code platforms give enterprises peace of mind with standard DevOps tools, built-in controls, and the ability to create bespoke governance practices and guardrails specific to your business.
Maintain security standards as you scale with low-code features like:
Low code’s model-driven approach streamlines each stage of the software development lifecycle:
Visual modeling and requirements gathering help business users and professional developers collaborate more effectively throughout the application lifecycle. Stakeholders and other non-technical users can contribute via visual tools, while developers can work faster with AI recommendations.
The best low-code platforms let you build applications that are cloud-native by default. This makes it easy to scale on demand, enforce automatic updates, and integrate with critical cloud services.
Other low-code cloud features include:
So what can you build with low code? The simple answer is that if you can dream it, you can build it. Here’s a quick look at a few of the many business systems you can build with low code.
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Customer service applications
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Business applications
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Integrations
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With an IDE catered to business users, professional developers, and everyone in between, anyone with an idea can use low code to tackle today’s business challenges.
Tech-savvy pro developersProfessional developers embrace low code to increase productivity and output.
They leverage platforms to build complex applications and systems faster, using visual development for routine tasks while applying their specialized expertise to sophisticated customizations and extensions.
The ability to go beyond standard drag-and-drop functionality means developers don’t sacrifice capability for speed; they enhance both simultaneously.
Business RepresentativesBusiness analysts and process owners can directly translate their domain knowledge into working applications without extensive technical training.
Research shows that 70% of users who had no experience before using these platforms learned low code in one month or less. Their direct involvement ensures that applications truly meet business needs without the translation errors that typically occur between business requirements and technical implementation.
StakeholdersStakeholders and decision-makers also participate actively in the low-code development process, rather than just reviewing completed work. With low code, stakeholders can:
This transparency and involvement lead to better outcomes, higher satisfaction with the final product, and stronger alignment between technology investments and business objectives.
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 this evaluation criteria as you’re vetting your options.
A truly collaborative IDE should empower your workforce to co-create solutions regardless of technical background.
The development environment must accommodate users with varying technical skills while providing advanced capabilities for professional developers who need to extend functionality.
Look for platforms that support real-time collaboration and maintain a shared visual language that bridges the gap between business and technical teams.
Application lifecycle management capabilities deserve particularly close attention during evaluation.
Your low-code platform should provide an integrated set of tools and services for continuous support throughout the software development lifecycle. These tools should:
User experience considerations extend beyond the development environment to the applications you’ll create.
The platform should offer development and operational support for web, mobile, immersive, and conversational experiences to optimize UX across channels. End-users expect frictionless experiences across various devices, making multi-channel support essential for modern software.
Productivity features differentiate leading platforms from basic offerings in meaningful ways.
To support developers of all skill levels, look for:
For professional developers, the platform should offer:
Cloud support has become non-negotiable for most modern organizations.
Your low-code platform should support the scalable development of cloud-native applications, with deployment options across public, private, or hybrid clouds and on-premise environments.
This flexibility ensures your applications can run wherever your business needs them, adapting to your infrastructure strategy rather than forcing changes to accommodate the platform.
Data integration capabilities are essential for any serious low-code platform.
Organizations have vast amounts of data distributed across various teams and systems. The platform should integrate with any system and data source to make it easy for developers to find, understand, and use data without compromising security.
This comprehensive integration capability is crucial for building applications that deliver meaningful business value.
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.