The idea of simplifying programming is not new. The beginnings of low-code development date back to the 1990s. Rapid Application Development, or RAD for short, counts as a precursor. The first versions of RAD products such as Visual Basic, Delphi or Oracle Forms appeared in the 1980s and gained great popularity because RAD was considered easy to learn and so non-programmers could also work with it. Over time, the idea of simplification has been constantly developed.
The explicit term "low code" comes from the market research company Forrester Research and means translated "little code" or "little programming". The "little" in no way refers to the quality of the final program, but merely to the level of knowledge required for development and programming. Two analysts from the market research company significantly coined the term in 2014 in a report on "New Development Platforms Emerge For Customer-Facing Applications" and since then the term has enjoyed growing popularity.
Especially in the U.S., so-called "Low Code Development Platforms," which enable the creation of applications by doing as little programming as possible, have emerged in recent years. According to the market research company Forrester Research, the market for such platforms could grow to over 22 billion US dollars this year.
In summary, low code development can be described as simplifying the creation of software that would otherwise require complex programming.
What can low code development do and where are the limits?
The low code approach thus enables users to create applications without extensive programming knowledge. Assembling applications on the low code platforms works according to the building block principle, using graphical modeling methods and visual application designs instead of classic manual programming. The user is provided with the "components", which can usually be selected via drag-and-drop and integrated into the project in the desired arrangement.
Due to the rapidly advancing digitalization, business models and company processes have to change and adapt more and more quickly - in this context, low-code development on a suitable platform can be the ideal tool, as it enables the individual adaptation of solutions with the simplest of means. Therefore, a clear advantage is the simplified approach and handling, which can save time for development and deployment. This in turn has a cost-saving effect, for example in development, project planning and employee training. A reduction in the workload of developers is also positive, as users can adapt parts of the system themselves for the time being and developers can devote themselves to more demanding tasks. This is particularly important in times of a shortage of skilled workers, when developers are scarce on the free market. An equally big advantage is the ability to develop prototypes quickly. Various ideas and scenarios can thus be practically evaluated in a timely manner, which is particularly important in agile software development.
However, it is also important to consider possible disadvantages: although the low-code approach makes it possible to develop applications with little programming knowledge and thus requires fewer developers, customizations may still only be possible with the support of programmers, and user training and integration into IT governance are often indispensable.
However, low-code development can be a time- and cost-saving alternative to traditional programming, especially in times of rapidly advancing digitization, and it will also play an important role in the Internet of Things due to its rapid and simple use.
However, its use in companies is currently still in its infancy, with initial implementation attempts underway. It is precisely here that the low-code approach again plays out its time and simplicity advantage, enabling rapid prototyping and thus also testing of a wide variety of ideas and scenarios.
Whether or not low code makes sense for a company cannot be answered in a general way and depends on the complexity of the projects and the resources available in the company.
Sources: www.ionos.de, www.salesforce.com, www.industry-of-things.de