Low-code—the future of app development
Tags: lowcode, agile, webdev, programming
Published: 2021-09-30 09:21:09

**Introduction to low-code platforms** 

Low-code can be traced back to the 1980s, when technology thinkers conceptualized ways to make application development easier and more accessible to people. This was done using either 4th generation programming languages or rapid application development tools. But the lack of industry standards, looming security threats, and limited capabilities, made low-code platforms stay dormant until the 21st century. 

With the rise in cloud computing, form-based applications entered the market with a whole new visual app-building experience. This was the advent of low-code application development platforms (LCAP) in their current form, with Forrester Research defining the term "low-code" for the first time in 2014.

Today, low-code application development is a methodology that tries to incorporate both UI-based app building and backend development using pro-code languages to make applications more powerful. These platforms are powered by cloud technology and hence follows the "write once, use anywhere" approach.

**What's pro-code, no-code, and low-code?**

**Pro-code** development has been and will always be, a part of software development. The most powerful software is hand coded by developers using the latest practices. But the question is, **do we really need to put in the same effort for building applications that could run a business by configuring the backend, checking security threats, and manually updating each component?** 

**No-code** development is predominantly form-based. These platforms promote visual app building using drag-and-drop techniques, wherein the backend of each component is already configured by the platform provider. Although no-code boasts a very short learning curve and helps citizen developers and non-programmers build high quality applications, **the applications are not feature-heavy and powerful**. This leads to a rise in demand for other legacy software that can supplement the use case. This is where low-code comes into play, with the best of both worlds. 

Low-code platforms not only offer a visual app-building interface, like no-code platforms, but also accommodate compilers and interpreters, which gives these platforms pro-code capabilities. They're compliant with the latest data privacy and protection laws and provide unmatched security through audit logs and automated threat assessments. Applications built on low-code platforms are also mobile-ready; meaning you can build an application on the web and deploy it on your mobile device in a few clicks. Ready-to-use code snippets, built-in connectors, and automatic upgrades make low-code platforms an infinitely scalable solution. 

**Integrating low-code applications**

Low-code application development platforms can seamlessly integrate with almost any third-party application. These platforms have a "one-click configure" rule for APIs and setting up connectors to different services, which bypasses the need for excessive scripting. And if such a platform is part of a broader business suite, then the benefits can be tremendous. Integrations, once set up, can be used for all applications on an account. This saves considerable time, money, and effort. 


**Why developers are moving to low-code** 

Pro-code development is here to stay, and there's no 100% replacement for it. But most problem statements can be tackled more efficiently using low-code methodologies. This logic applies not only to pro-code development but also to spreadsheets. For example, there are processes on spreadsheets that cannot be substituted—but that doesn't mean spreadsheets are the only tool!

This void between pro-code and no-code development is seeing a flow of developers heading to low-code platforms. 

Some of the reasons why developers prefer to have a low-code platform on hand: 

-> **Zero maintenance**
From automatic updates to one-click server and API configurations, low-code platforms take care of all the middleware.

-> **Security and reliability** 
Security is handled by the service provider, which gives the developer ample time to focus on getting the apps market-ready and flawless.

-> **Easy collaboration** 
Data is stored on the cloud, and this allows developers from all over the world to collaborate in real time. 

-> **Platform independence** 
All apps built on low-code platforms are not only mobile and tablet ready but also can be white labelled and made available on iOS and Android marketplaces. 

**Two cents**

Long story short, low-code development is on the rise and is showing no signs of slowing. Even the giants of the tech world are trying to make inroads into low-code application development. [Analysts](https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5184624/low-code-development-platform-market-research) predict this market to reach $187B by 2030 from a mere $10B in 2019. 

Cloud companies like Microsoft, Google, and Zoho offer platforms that can integrate with their multi-app business suite, as well as with an array of third-party services, in order make it a one-stop solution for businesses. This is in addition to standalone low-code companies like OutSystems, Mendix, and Quickbase, that aim to target specific markets, like business-IT and citizen development.