A low-code development platform (LCDP) is software that provides an environment programmers use to create application software through graphical user interfaces and configuration instead of traditional computer programming. Low-code No-code (LCNC)
“500 million new apps will get created in the next five years and more than the total created in the last forty. Businesses will need to empower domain experts with tools to create applications as well as robotic process automation to streamline and customize workflow like service monitoring and time and expense tracking.
— Satya Nadella, Microsoft
Low-code development is a software development approach that uses visual interfaces and pre-built components to allow users to create custom applications with minimal coding knowledge or experience.
Low-code development can help to increase the speed of application development, reduce costs, improve collaboration between business and IT teams, and promote innovation within an organization.
Low-code development platforms often include features such as drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates and components, visual workflows, and integrations with third-party systems.
Low-code platforms can be used to develop a wide range of applications, including mobile apps, web apps, workflow automation tools, and data analytics dashboards.
While coding knowledge is not always necessary, low-code developers should have a basic understanding of logic and algorithms, as well as problem-solving and analytical skills.
Some common challenges associated with low-code development include ensuring scalability and reliability of applications, maintaining security and compliance standards, and managing the quality of code.
Organizations can implement low-code development by identifying business needs and goals, selecting the right low-code platform, providing training and resources to users, and establishing governance frameworks and standards.
IT plays a critical role in low-code development by providing technical expertise, ensuring security and compliance, maintaining governance and standards, and supporting the development team throughout the project.
Low-code development is often seen as a key component of digital transformation, as it enables organizations to quickly create and deploy applications to support their digital initiatives.
A low-code development platform (LCDP) provides a development environment used to create application software, generally through a graphical user interface (as opposed to only writing code, though some coding is possible and may be required). A low-coded platform may produce entirely operational applications, or require additional coding for specific situations. Low-code development platforms are typically on a high abstraction level, and can reduce the amount of traditional time spent, enabling accelerated delivery of business applications. A common benefit is that a wider range of people can contribute to the application's development, not only those with coding skills, but good governance is needed to be able to adhere to common rules and regulations. LCDPs can also lower the initial cost of setup, training, deployment, and maintenance.
Low-code development platforms trace their roots back to fourth-generation programming language and the rapid application development tools of the 1990s and early 2000s. Similar to these predecessor development environments, LCDPs are based on the principles of model-driven architecture, automatic code generation, and visual programming. The concept of end-user development also existed previously, although LCDPs brought some new ways of approaching this development. The low-code development platform market traces its origins back to 2011. The specific name "low-code" was not put forward until 9 June, 2014, when it was used by the industry analyst Forrester Research. Along with no-code development platforms, low-code was described as "extraordinarily disruptive" in Forbes magazine in 2017.
Below is a list of notable low-code development platforms.
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