Every developer is familiar with the cumbersome task of coding an app or custom integration from scratch. Sure, there’s probably code from Stack Overflow or GitHub you can customize with minimal effort. You may even have code you can adapt from a previous project. But even with these shortcuts, you’re still spending valuable hours around basic coding procedures that could be put to better use organizing arrays, double-checking operators, and writing functions.
If you could drastically reduce coding time, or even eliminate it, why wouldn’t you? That’s why many companies are turning to low-code or no-code solutions for app development and integrations. And they’re doing it without sacrificing the integrity, functionality, and security of their apps.
Here’s a look at some of the key drivers behind a surge in low-code programming solutions and how they stack up against more traditional hand-coding approaches.
Quicker, More Efficient Programming
Low-code is synonymous with speed. Low-code solutions can save hundreds of hours of development time by reducing the need for hand-coding.
A low-code solution involves the visual development of applications through modeling and a graphical interface. Users can move things around, using a drag-and-drop approach, rather than needing to know every detail of the code behind the design.
This visual app design, of course, is a quicker process than custom coding. Instead of pasting, arranging, bridging, and re-working countless lines of code, this visual building brings a level of intuitive flow to app building. From there, auto-compiling takes the tedious task of checking and rechecking code out of the process.
This is why low-code solutions allow “citizen developers” to focus on the big picture – the function of the app they’re designing. Instead of getting wrapped up in a specific array, visual building keeps the focus on the workflow. The result is fewer bottlenecks and a quicker-to-market app.
This concept is true for every iteration of the app, too! Pushing app updates is quicker without dissecting the code. Instead, programmers can change the surface-level functions and recompile the app, pushing out an up-to-date version with greater agility. Also, the workload is spread out more evenly. The result is moving at the speed of business.
Lower Cost of Production and Maintenance
Like speed, cost is another primary concern for app programming – and another benefit of utilizing a low-code solution. The quickness of visual programming translates to cost savings, making developing and integrating apps much more affordable.
The key driver of reduced costs in low-code development is automation. A low-code workflow automation tool like Boomi Flow is intuitive enough to link functions without the need for manual programming. Less time equals less money, equaling fewer barriers to app production and maintenance.
That’s not the only source of cost savings from low-code solutions. Businesses can significantly lower costs by allowing citizen developers to build the majority of the apps they are invested in, keeping core programming teams focused on high-value projects. When needed, these experienced developers can take the business-developed apps that “last mile” to completion — because a good low-code development platform will also include advanced tools for developers.
Better Risk Management and Governance
Visual building makes it possible to mitigate the risk that might otherwise come from gaps in custom code. We hear all too often about vulnerabilities uncovered within an app’s code or an unpatched exploit that’s the result of coding problems. No-code solutions cut down on these errors by automating the back-end code of surface-level structure.
There’s also the prospect of listen-only deployments. For example, through Boomi’s Flow Service components, visual builders can connect a cloud-based process automation application to a database behind a firewall without changing the security configuration. Gaps are closed before they have a chance to open.
The agility of low-code solutions paves a path to better app governance. Updates happen faster. Deployment is quicker. Even integration updates are simple with solutions like the Boomi AtomSphere Platform. The result is compliance with data integrity standards, data privacy guidelines, and other important areas of governance across every aspect of deployment.
Agile Transformation and Improvements
App programming is rarely a one-and-done endeavor. As the technological landscape changes and digital infrastructures evolve, apps and integrations also are changing. For example, the average time between pushed updates for consumer mobile apps is 50 days. While enterprise apps generally have more staying power for each version, it nonetheless highlights the relative frequency by which developers need to review and update apps.
Agility applies to permanent improvements, as well. Companies using an ETL tool or ESB to push-pull data may choose to replace it with a feature-rich integration platform as a service (iPaaS) like the Boomi AtomSphere Platform. A key benefit here is that as infrastructure inevitably evolves, the visual programming offered by an iPaaS makes it much less time-intensive. Instead, businesses can mobilize citizen programmers to act quickly and decisively, both by creating improvements as they’re needed and anticipating future needs.
With these low-code or no-code solutions, overnight, infrastructure support becomes proactive instead of reactive.
Broad Integration Capabilities
As digital infrastructure grows and interconnectivity becomes more robust, no-code and low-code solutions are more critical. Companies need quick, secure integration solutions that connect all applications with their data systems. Nothing makes this easier than the plug-and-play nature of visual builders.
Boomi is a leading example of integration simplicity, with pre-built connectors to more than 200 leading applications. Expanding your digital network is simple, error-free, and secure using a visual programming platform. Better still, this is accomplished in a fraction of the time it might take a traditional coder to customize individual APIs to achieve the desired connectivity on a per-app, per-service, or per-connection basis.
More Time for More Important Projects
Custom coding will remain the foundation for many development projects. (Developers will never have to worry about employment opportunities.) But the beauty of no-code and low-code solutions is that they take smaller, menial tasks off the plates of seasoned developers and allow them to focus on more valuable tasks and strategic initiatives.
Ready to discover a less labor-intensive way of creating apps and integrations? Sign up for a free trial of Boomi Flow to start building workflow applications, or test out the simplicity of integration-building with Boomi.